Enjoying Fulaga

Fulaga is a huge lagoon (6 miles across) and it took us awhile to figure out we were at the wrong anchorage - hah!

We were supposed to anchor by the main village, Monacake, where our friends on Interlude and Paws Time were waiting for us. Plus, we needed to meet the island Chief and present our Kava for the Sevusevu ceremony.

After a good nights rest, we decided to motor over. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate. The monsoons hit, plus the winds kicked up. So, we went right back to where we started - soaking wet. You need good visibility to maneuver thru all those coral heads in the lagoon!

We had much better luck the next day and are now anchored safely in front of the village. Another beautiful anchorage, 10 feet of clear blue water over sand, surrounded by all of these interesting mushroom limestone/rock formations with green jungle tops. Hard to describe, but they are so cool. Can't wait for you to see the pictures! There are 8 others boats here, but plenty of room for all. (Now, we are down to 4 boats - yachties are always moving around.)

Our friends on Interlude gave us a ride to shore. We were having dinghy engine issues (which have been resolved), plus they wanted to introduce us to the villagers. The path leading to the village was beautiful - so lush and the moths, butterflies, and birds were flying all around us. Just like in Mary Poppins.

In Fulaga, you are assigned a "host" family that takes you into their home, teaches you about life in the village, and so much more. Our hosts are Joe and Tara - very sweet people that we are enjoying getting to know.

Joe took us, our Kava, and our $50 to the 83-year old Chief's home. The Sevusevu ceremony was very nice and we were officially welcomed into the village and given permission to fish, forage, and make ourselves at home in Fulaga. Afterwards, we were invited to Joe and Tara's home for tea and papaya curry - a very nice welcome. We promised to come back on Sunday for church and lunch at their home.

Friday, we celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary on Jeff and Penny's boat (Paws Time). It coincided with Penny's birthday, so there was champagne, wine, cake, and lots of good food. So nice to celebrate special occasions with friends (new and old). I think we all had to much fun, but it was worth it. We even ran across Frank on s/v Another Adventure. We haven't seen him since 2013 in Western Samoa. Small world...

So, we are settling in and enjoying life in Fulaga. We haven't got in the water yet. The weather is still unsettled, so lots of wind, some rain, and it is COLD. The temperature has been in the 70's. Brrrr. As soon as that sun comes out, we are going to do some exploring!

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