June 21, 2015-Savusavu-2

June 21, 2015

A couple nights ago, we were invited to come aboard A-Train for some refreshments.  After a rum and coke, no one felt like cooking, so we all went to shore for Chinese food.  After, we explored the Crime Prevention Fair. We took a ride on the ferris wheel that has to be older than we are! We yelled and screamed as it went faster and faster!  We were all suspicious of the safety of the old equipment but it was fun!

On the ferris wheel with Russ and Gwen

At Russ’s suggestion, we bought a bundle of tickets and gave them out to the children who were then raced to line up for a ride. They loaded up to 6 kids on one chair!  The stage was lit up with live performances of some Bollywood numbers, including one I recognized from Slum Dog Millionaire. It was interesting to walk around the food stands and games and see how local people entertained themselves.

We went with Russ and Gwen on our folding bikes for a ride out to the point and, with management’s permission, explored the Jean-Michel Cousteau resort. It is quite lovely, as you would expect.

Bikes loaded in the dinghy

At the Cousteau Resort

On the ride back, Gwen spotted some grapefruit lying on the road.  We sampled one and it was quite tasty.  There were none in the market as it is the tail-end of the season so Gwen ran up the hill to enquire if the family who owned the property had any grapefruit to sell. She put in an order for a dozen grapefruit and we were able to buy some rosemary, something we had not seen in the market.  Yeah, lamb with fresh rosemary will soon be on our menu!

Back on the boat, Monty cooked up a excellent Thai chicken curry for lunch. Then we went for a long paddle on the inflatable boards up the harbour. I waved at Curly as I paddled by his houseboat.  Further on, the channel gets much narrower and shallower.  You need to watch the daymarkers even on a paddleboard!

We enjoyed to a pig roast at the Surf ‘n Turf Restaurant. The restaurant was rated well by Trip Advisor and the special meant dining for only $25F or about $17 Cdn plus wine. It was crowded and, despite having made a reservation, there were no tables available. We ended up  being invited to share a table with the famous Curly (the fishing lure guru and local source for “anything about anything”) and his friend, a tour guide. The restaurant was also out of wine glasses, so we drank our wine from champagne flutes, the best they could do. We had a lovely dinner and pleasant conversation.

Today is Sunday and Curly’s seminar.  Fiji is a very tricky place to navigate and anchor because of all the coral.  Hopefully he will equip us with some local knowledge and waypoints for venturing out of Savusavu Harbour, when the weather is right.  We are keeping tabs on what our fellow Canadian boats are saying about the weather, as they have a lot more experience in these waters.

We thank Christian for the comfortable, well-maintained folding bikes!  

More on Savusavu soon!