This morning we enjoyed an early morning walk, followed by breakfast at Lulu's Bar and Restaurant, before making our way to Nadi to return the hired car.

Once that was out of the way, we walked to the fresh produce market to pick up a few items and to purchase our first bundles of "waka" / "kava". Apparently aficionados can tell from a simple taste whether or not the "yaqona", the drink made from the "waka", has come from Savusavu on Vanua Levu Island, for instance, similar to wine tasting.

There is nothing that captures the essence of the Fijian culture than the "sevusevu". It is an ancient practice and the central component of the lifestyle rituals, social gatherings of all kinds, including weddings, installing a king, healing ceremonies, etc and also marks the time and place for visitors like ourselves to be welcomed into a Fijian village and is a ceremony that we may be initiating when we visit some of the anchorages in the Yasaw a Islands.

On arrival we have to ask for the " Turaga ni Koro" who is the appointed village headman. It is his duty to greet us and ascertain the intentions of our visit before presenting us to the chiefs and village elders, at which time we present the "waka" as our gift. We're both feeling a little uneasy about our participation in this aspect of the Fijian culture, but we'll certainly embrace it nonetheless.

A watch repair shop was our next stop where we emerged ten minutes and $10USD later with a new strap and battery for Elaine's waterproof watch. Definitely difficult to beat that kind of efficiency and value!

After returning to Paw Paw we spent the afternoon catching up on our blog postings, enjoyed an impromptu visit from Full Circle (Sandy and David), got a few chores out of the way, had dinner aboard and then went ashore to enjoy the nightlife of Port Denarau, which included an ice-cream while dancing under the stars (aka Elaine swin ging her bottom from side to side while trying to stay firmly planted on two shaky legs) to an excellent band. She definitely missed her partner-in-crime, Justine, as the band belted out some of our favourite songs like "Living on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi and "Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams. Great way to end the work week!

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