New Year's Day 2015. The first day of the brand new year (we're a day ahead of all of you in the US), it's traditional for Fijians to go to the beach for a lovo or cookout. No lugging the Conquistador 2000 (the name given to a particularly muscular BBQ grill of a friend), no fancy grilling equipment, nope, none of that.
For a lovo, you start by digging a hole in the sand (shovel optional) far back from the incoming tide, cutting dead palm fronds, gathering bits of wood scraps, making a fire, letting it burn down to little more than charcoal and then roasting some sort of meat, a very big piece of meat. This whole process takes a good long while and involves carloads of families, lots of tarps strung between trees for shade, blankets on the ground, volleyball nets being strung between coconut trees, teams formed, kids frolicking in the water, and, yes, the requisite pre-teen socializing under the watchful eyes of very large, very extended families.
We aren't doing a lovo (we didn't win the Christmas sheep lottery), but we are thoroughly enjoying being part of a typical day at the beach with the locals.
This family set up camp right next to us. (We were the only 'Westerners' on the beach.) This beach is on one of the famously pot-holed, unpaved roads that are so worth exploring. At the end of this road is a modest house where the Fijian patriarch collects his 'parking fee' for each car (a grand $2 Fijian); we didn't have the correct amount, he didn't have change, but we assured him we would come back later in the week and pay up.
We weren't here long when one of the kids from next door showed up, shyly looking at the rope swing hanging tantalizing close to us. Can I swing on it? Of course, you can swing on it!!
We spent several hours dabbling around in the water, loafing in the sand, eating lunch . . . not once did we hear a child cry, whine or otherwise 'act out'. Their 'toys' were this rope swing, a few things for playing in the sand, and just generally having fun in the water. We didn't hear one adult (it was impossible to distinguish which kids went with which adults) speak harshly to a child. Quite remarkable.
Reminded me of so many happy days at the beach with my dear boys . . .
And the minute we packed up our chairs, picnic leftovers, and towels, the youngsters waiting patiently nearby swarmed over the tree we'd been sitting under, climbed easily to the upper branches and waited their turn at the rope swing.
The tide was rapidly advancing. In less than an hour the water under the rope swing would be more than deep enough to land in with a resounding splash. This young fella looked like he couldn't wait to try it.
What a sweet, sweet afternoon - Happy New Year Fiji!!
For a lovo, you start by digging a hole in the sand (shovel optional) far back from the incoming tide, cutting dead palm fronds, gathering bits of wood scraps, making a fire, letting it burn down to little more than charcoal and then roasting some sort of meat, a very big piece of meat. This whole process takes a good long while and involves carloads of families, lots of tarps strung between trees for shade, blankets on the ground, volleyball nets being strung between coconut trees, teams formed, kids frolicking in the water, and, yes, the requisite pre-teen socializing under the watchful eyes of very large, very extended families.
We aren't doing a lovo (we didn't win the Christmas sheep lottery), but we are thoroughly enjoying being part of a typical day at the beach with the locals.
This family set up camp right next to us. (We were the only 'Westerners' on the beach.) This beach is on one of the famously pot-holed, unpaved roads that are so worth exploring. At the end of this road is a modest house where the Fijian patriarch collects his 'parking fee' for each car (a grand $2 Fijian); we didn't have the correct amount, he didn't have change, but we assured him we would come back later in the week and pay up.
We weren't here long when one of the kids from next door showed up, shyly looking at the rope swing hanging tantalizing close to us. Can I swing on it? Of course, you can swing on it!!
We spent several hours dabbling around in the water, loafing in the sand, eating lunch . . . not once did we hear a child cry, whine or otherwise 'act out'. Their 'toys' were this rope swing, a few things for playing in the sand, and just generally having fun in the water. We didn't hear one adult (it was impossible to distinguish which kids went with which adults) speak harshly to a child. Quite remarkable.
Reminded me of so many happy days at the beach with my dear boys . . .
The tide was rapidly advancing. In less than an hour the water under the rope swing would be more than deep enough to land in with a resounding splash. This young fella looked like he couldn't wait to try it.
What a sweet, sweet afternoon - Happy New Year Fiji!!
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