October 8

Today we moved to the town of SavuSavu to complete check in and immigration. We came in and took a mooring. Immediately a launch with 5 gentlemen from the various offices came out to our boat. Why is it they all wear big black shoes with soles that leave marks on my decks? They were very nice and had us fill out heaps of forms.  The Health officer peeked around our galley and asked some questions about our meat and veggies. We had heard that they would make us turn over all our veggies and lock up our booze but it was all misinformation.  

We are on a mooring right off a place called the Copra Shed Marina which really is a renovated copra shed with a yacht club, restaurant and stores. It is the nicest building in town. The town is slightly shabby but in a sweet way.  

Fiji has a huge population of Indians brought here in the 1800s by the British as laborers. Most of the larger towns in Fiji are dominated by Indians. Fiji has had great racial unrest as Indians aren’t allowed to own property but run most of the business. Fijians are Melanesian and look like light skinned East Africans. The Fijians and Indians do not intermarry and live very separately. We read the local paper over lunch at an Indian café. Interesting because the paper had many articles on the problems which I thought was a promising sign. But who knows…it seems that many of the educated Indians emigrate to Canada and other places which creates a brain drain for Fiji . Fijians are culturally like Polynesians in that they are not particularly orientated towards business.  

I am going diving tomorrow with a local dive operator. We are going out 20 miles to the Koro sea and going to do a 2 tank dive. Jordan is sick and is staying home. I am psyched as I haven’t ever seen a lot of soft coral. It should be fun.  

Tonight I think we will eat Pizza at the Copra shed and go to bed early. Jonah is being very sweet today. He is currently obsessed with the video “Muppet Treasure Island”. He sings along with the songs and says “Aye Aye Matey” a lot. Very cute.  

We are listening to the BBC to get news about the bombing. We are very glad to be in Fiji headed for New Zealand . I am glad we are not near any Moslem countries. I am glad I am not in the US right now. It sounds so crazy with everyone so afraid. I have lots of confidence that USA will be fine – I know “Americans” are a tough and stubborn group of people. We don’t like people telling us what to do and we get really pissed off when people are cruel and mean. We are not really talking to Jonah about the events as we think he is too young. He was mesmerized with a picture on the front of the Fiji Times of  fighter plans taking off from a carrier.  Jordan told him they were “practicing” their take-offs and landings.