The children are my favorite. They always have big smiles as they rush to shore to greet us. I brought them breakfast biscuits. Gatorade makes good pop sickles which has been a hit with the local people.

When entering a village it is customary to take the chief a 'sevusevu' (gift) of dried kava root like the little girl is holding . The Kava can be purchased at local markets and is gift-wrapped and twine. If he accepts it, it is crushed into powder which is placed

in a cloth, soaked in water then served in a kava bowl like this one. The ceremony begins as we sit in a circle legs crossed and are offered a small bowl of the kava. One clap before taking the bowl, drink in one gulp, give back the bowl and clap three times. It is impolite to sit with your legs stretched out in front of you, all shoes are removed before entering the kava house. Women must have their knees and shoulders covered and should not carry their bag on the shoulder while in the village. Hats and sunglasses are not to be worn as they indicate disrespect of the chief.

While visiting Jim on Also Island he was delighted to have Kip give him a few pointers on beekeeping the two hives. Pulling honey and extracting it the old fashion way was exciting for both the ladies and David. We were all given a small jar of honey which has a coconut flavor.

The sugar cane harvesting was in full swing while we were on Viti Levu Island where the factory is located in Lautoka. On the twenty minute cab ride from Vudu Point Marina to town, we saw a lot of cane transported by train and cane trucks to the plant.

Cruising certainly can have it's bad days such as the three weeks we were held up in Vudu Point Marina waiting for parts to fix our generator. With the help and tech support of A.S.A.P., a U.S. based company, we were able to repair it. It was another learning experience for Kip in dealing with electrical problems.