We have travlled a couple of days to Fiji consists of an astonishing 333 islands, with many dialects, one in common being the business language and what is taught in schools. Bulla means hello, and everywhere people said this to us and waved, not a lot of people speaking English.
We were entreated today to more tales of cannibalism, Fiji being known as the cannibal isles. Explorers avoided Fiji because of this. It is a more diverse country, ``the crossroads of the Pacific``; the Melanesians (Africa origin), Micronesians (Marshall Islands) and Polynesians (Hawaiian). Many people from India were brought here for the sugar cane work - this was instituted by the British. The religions are Hindu, Muslim, and the more fundamentalist Christian sects. It was a Hindu holiday today, something to do with a festival of lights, it being a new year, not really sure. A red flag means the home is Hindu. If one wears a flower here behind the left ear it means one is available for a husband and the right ear means one is married. ``Left is for looking, right is for cooking.``
I signed on for a tour that was a kava ceremony and that was really quite lovely – I didn`t have any kava but the singing and dancing seemed friendly and gentle and I was asked to dance twice with the male dancers – which I readily did. I didn`t want to say no in case they decided to have me for dinner.
We also visited an orchid garden that belonged to Raymond Burr, I didn`t know Raymond had an orchid garden. I understand now why my orchids at my home go into some kind of inert stasis. They need a lot of heat and moisture in the air, not necessarily much light. I am doing poorly in this heat. Not an orchid, apparently, am I. I don’t think I will be moving here. Tomorrow I am seeing firewalkers.