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We made it back! Not that it was that strenous: day-sails only. But we have left the Lau Group and are working our way back to the more populated parts of Fiji. We loved it in Lau, but the weather just finally beat us. It continued to rain and blow and be cold. When you don’t want to get off the boat or get in the water, remoteness kind of loses its charm. For the last five days, we have been anchored off of the Paradise Dive Resort at Taveuni Island. It has been lovely. First off, the island has a real grocery store! We bought bacon! What don’t they have? Coffee. That’s why I’m writing this post. Kim is NOT in a good place because her coffee ran out two days ago. I’m sleeping on deck (just kidding). Also, we’ve had some meals that we didn’t have to cook. That’s a treat! Paradise Dive Resort is a small spot on the northwest tip of Taveuni. It can accommodate 36 guests but they also extend full resort privileges to cruisers, so we have taken advantage! Did I mention it has a bakery? Also, did I mention that they kayak out to the anchored boats each morning with fresh cinnamon rolls? Also, did I mention I’m never leaving? That’s not true. We are leaving-tomorrow. Because we are still chasing good weather. Today has been very nice-sunny most of the day with minimal rain. The rest of the time we’ve been here has been cloudy and rainy except for 4 hours of sunshine a couple of days ago. Did I mention El Niño sucks? Yeah, I know I did.

Regardless, we have really enjoyed our time here. The staff is extremely friendly and even when it’s raining, it’s nice to get off the boat for a while. Plus, we got to experience a Fijian tradition we have so far missed out on: the kava ceremony. On night this week was “Fiji Night” at the resort with traditional music, dance, food, and the kava ceremony. It was really fun. The hostess explained the importance of kava in Fijian culture. Kava is a plant and the roots are harvested, dried, and ground into a powder which is then dissolved in water and drunk. Originally, only chiefs drank kava, then only men. Now, all Fijian drink kava. It is, evidently, mildly mind-altering, bringing a feeling of calmness, reduced anxiety, and mild euphoria. It also makes the mouth numb. I will take the Fijian’s word for this. I opted out. Kim tried it and noticed the mouth numbing but nothing else. Evidently it tastes like…not much of anything. There are three pours for kava depending, I guess, on how much calming you need: low tide, high tide, and tsunami. I’ll let you figure it out. I personally preferred the traditional Fijian music, which was performed by three guitarists/vocalists as well as the resort staff and their families. I will confess that I had my doubts when they opened the set with Creedence Clearwater Revival and then followed up with John Denver. But we got to some traditional tunes after that. Evidently one can go nowhere without American music. But I find it hilarious that Fijian schoolchildren know the words to “Take Me Home, Country Roads”.

Today, we went on a dive/snorkel trip to Rainbow Reef. I had not been diving in over a year and we haven’t spent much time in the water this season in Fiji due to the weather, so it was really great to get out there-especially since the weather decided to cooperate. The coral is just gorgeous at the reef and there are many, many tropical fish. I did two dives while Kim snorkeled. It’s a popular spot. There were a LOT of dive boats out and the water was filled with divers. It is one of the top dive destinations in Fiji and the world, apparently. Who knew? It was super-fun, though my dive guide’s computer malfunctioned so he didn’t surface us on schedule. I was maybe a little freaking out??!! When my air got down to 20 bar, I signaled. “Outta here-see you on the surface!” But all good.

Next up, we’re heading to Savusavu tomorrow. We’ll spend a few days in the marina doing laundry, reprovisioning, and washing the boat (have I mentioned we’re almost completely out of propane?) and then figure out what’s next. We can’t believe it’s September already. Time to start plotting our return to New Zealand!