We rolled in for our breakfast at the buffet around 10:00 AM. It closes at 11:00 AM so we are able to sleep in a bit. Fiji is 2 hours ahead of Brisbane to 10 here is 8 in Brisbane. So it still seemed early for us. After breakfast we met a couple, Andrea and Mark, who were here visiting with their son, Sam. Sam works in Tonga with the Peace Corps. Then we found a few things to buy at the traditional market, a bracelet and a pendant. We then headed to the lobby to schedule a few things and then it started raining. We had our lunch outside on the deck and watched it as it went from a drizzle to a downpour. Around 2:30 it let up and I took a birding walk around the grounds. I saw 12 different species and four of them were new to me. The rain started up a few more times but this time I had an umbrella. I got back and showered to make myself more appealing to Leslie's olfactory senses. After working up an appetite we went off to our dinner reservations at the Lagoon Cafe and we both had tasty pizzas. We knew there was kava ceremony scheduled for this evening and when we heard a long blast on a conch shell we knew it was on! Soon a torch carrying man in a grass skirt strode by the window of the cafe. We packed up our pizzas and headed over. I got right in line and started drinking the kava from a coconut shell. Clap once, drink the kava and clap three times. Mark and Sam were right next to me and we had a few more coconut shells. My tongue got a bit tingly and Mark got a bit mumble mouthed but no other immediate effects were felt. There was a group of twenty or so singers and dancers and we had a blast listening to them and watching the dances. Leslie even went out and danced with Linny a sweet young dancer.
The breakfast hut across the lagoon
All the buildings have this style of construction
A Fiji Parrotfinch lifebird #1 on the day
Endemic to Fiji
A half submerged whale sculpture
Some dolphin sculptures too
Inside the breakfast restaurant
It is overwater and the fish are on partol
Jungle mynas are also on patrol
A swim up bar
Mark's cool tattoo, Power to the Peaceful
Some local blown glass earrings for Leslie
Good to know
Vanikoro Flycatcher Lifebird #2
White-faced heron
This is from the downpour
A Polynesian triller Lifebird #3
Big water tanks
Western Wattled Honeyeater Lifebird #4
The Vanikoro flycatcher was a very handsome bird
The gardens for the restaurants
It smelled delicious
Compost?
I made it to the watersports area
Great Crested tern is well rested
The mountains seem closer
The White Faced heron flew by at sunset
Open windows at the restaurant
A swing and a photo spot
Kava kava kava!
But first some pizza
The clouds opened up enough for a good sunset
Selfie time
Sunset is firming up nicely
Handing out the kava
Sam, Mark and me drinking kava
Slurp it up
Beauty
The overwater bungalows in the nighttime
Last of the sunset
Dance Dance Dance
Pinks sky
Leslie is dancing too!
Linny was telling Leslie the moves, we run run run, we sway sway sway and so on
