Saturday, April 13 – Tuesday, April 16
It was a long haul from Kandy to Nacula Island! From my previous destination I took a train, a tuk tuk, three airplanes, and two boats to get from Point A to Point B. But honestly when you’re traveling full time, the journey really is a lot of the fun. It’s amazing how much more patience I have when I travel now. I love every step of the way!
I was picked up in a small fiberglass boat by the Malakati people after a 4 hour ferry ride on the Tavewa Seabus Ferry. It’s a slow-going, local way to travel from “mainland” Fiji to the Yasawa Islands. I was immediately showered with many happy “Bula!” greetings as my boat neared the shore.
The village as you approach by boat
My bure!
View out my front door
The Malakati people are living a life off the grid, almost completely untouched by modern conveniences. There are no roads on the island, and the community is only accessible by boat. They don’t have electricity, but do have some solar panels that power batteries and singular lights, but they will go out with no warning at any given time so you learn to use the precious battery juice very carefully! They live off the land growing all their own fruits and vegetables and fishing for their meals. The fish I had there was so fantastic, it compares to nothing I’ve had anywhere else. The simplicity of the dishes was amazing and I made sure to ask lots of questions about preparation so I can attempt to make some of these delicious dishes once I have a kitchen again!
This experience was so special, there is no other word to explain it. I had a beautiful little bure on the beach. It was simple but I honestly didn’t want for anything. Every meal, someone came by my hut to invite me over to dine with their family. Usually we sat on the floor to eat but a few homes had a table and chairs, where I was always told to sit while everyone else sat on the floor!
I was fortunate enough to be there on Palm Sunday when there is a children’s service during the 10am service (there was also church at 6am and 3pm which I managed to avoid!). Mama joked “now we know why Notre Dame burned down!” as this was probably the first time in over 10 years that I have attended a church service, but the enthusiasm everyone in the village had for me to be a part of the children’s service was not something I could turn down. And honestly it felt like a cultural experience more than a religious one for me, as the whole thing was in Fijian so I didn’t really know what was going on. But the music was beautiful and the children were so darling in their Sunday whites and special occasion jewelry. Sunday is also a special day in the village for meals as many families gather together to eat both lunch and dinner together. Everyone made me feel so welcome and the positivity that everyone has is infectious. They always say the less people have, the more they give, and I can confirm that is 100% true for these generous people.
Sunday is a day of rest, so Monday I was ready to do some activities! I decided a boat ride around Nacula island would be my preferred way to explore Fiji. The Captain of the village and his right hand man, Jim, took me out on a private tour. I didn’t have any agenda, I just told them to drive me around and show me what Fiji is all about.
They kind of treated it as a day of errands, and that was absolutely perfect for me! We started on the west side and went north around the top of the island and around down the eastern side. There are some amazing untouched beaches over there, where we seemed to pass one after another after another. Jim is known as “Geico Man” and the Captain brought his machete, so obviously, we’re going to get some coconuts! We pulled over on a gorgeous strip of beach where Jim quickly ascended a tree and chopped off 3 coconuts for us to enjoy. We stayed at this stop at least an hour, where I saw two baby black tip sharks while walking the beach and then I was somehow able to jump in the water and go for a swim!
Jim doing his Geico-Man thing
The Captain hackin’ up some coconuts for us on the beach
Baby black tip shark right off the beach
They stopped at another village on Nacula Island and let me walk around for a bit. I met this lovely woman who makes her own Virgin Coconut Oil and she insisted I come to her house for tea. I bought some of her oil and can’t wait to use it back home! I watched her whole process and it’s amazing!
My time with the Malakati will probably be remembered as one of the most special of my entire time traveling. It was so unique and their kindness just made me feel so welcome in their village. I honestly hope to go back again and bring a group of friends. The sunset from the beach in front of the village is literally the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life!
I’m so in love with Fiji!
Where's Lindsey? 