Namuamua

We don't normally do much in the way of organised tours but we decided to go on one to an inland village, Namuamua. The journey involved a bus journey of about an hour, and then travelling on narrow speed boats for over an hour upriver through steep sided gorges and rapids to a village which was all ready to welcome us - as they did to tourists six days a week.

There had to be someone in the group who was appointed chief to take part in the cava drinking ceremony with the village chief and I somehow got appointed to that role - the main criteria seemed to be that I was not Australian.... so I was 'Ratu Steve' and Jean was 'Andi Jean'. The process was that I had to eyeball the Chief - clap my hands - say 'bula' which is the generic greeting and then down the cava (the local drink - non alcoholic they said) in a oner - before clapping my hands again three times....there were then a range of dances to welcome us.

It gave us a fascinating insight into village life and we called in on the school which had 94 pupils in years 1-8. They seemed well organised and in good order - though education is a problem in the country because it is not free and hence many children do not attend. In browsing round the churches we bumped into the Methodist minister - in most villages there is a methodist church and an RC church - and so he greeted us.

It was the evening of the firewalking ceremony at the hotel. There is an island nearby where by tradition the people walk on white hot stones as part of a traditional ceremony and so a group performed their ceremony whilst walking over what were clearly very hot stones. They put leaves on afterwards which caught fire.....