June 2016. After 8 months of world trip, my girlfriend and I landed in Fiji at the international airport of Nadi. Quickly, we realized that the perfect postcard little islands that you can reach from there weren't for us. We wanted something more authentic, so we leaved for the second biggest island of the archipel, Vanua Levu.
On our first day in Savu Savu, we met Amelia. She was 32 and she was living nearby at Nagigi village, but she was originally coming from the a tiny village in the center of the island called Nacereyaga village. After a 15 minutes chat, she invited us to join her for the weekend to a trip to her homeland. At first, we thought that it was a form of politeness. Two days later, she told us that her whole family was expecting us. It was the beginning of an incredible weekend.
Friday. After two air buses, one taxi and six hours later, we finally arrived in an incredibly beautiful village. During the trip, we learned that Amelia's father was the chief of the village. Traditionally, when you arrived in a village, you have to offer to a chief a Sevusevu which is a gift of kava roots.
In the evening, we met we the kids. They were incredibly welcoming and the they quickly asked us to play with them. Fijians love sport. Men play rugby, kids and women play netball.
At the end of the day, we were invited at the kava ceremony, where you drink kava, which is a mixture of water and kava root powder. We were given the only room of the house, the chief room.
Saturday. The next day, we started by what would become the top activity of the weekend : going to the river for a swim.
Then we had lunch together. You can see Amelia on the picture under, one of the few with a mobile phone.
After lunch, Amelia's cousin, Zac, offered us to go for a ride. First time on a horse.
Around 4pm, it was time to cook a Lovo. It's traditional dish usually reserved for big occasion. It take four hours to cook. We were deeply honored by those attentions.
Sunday. Fijians are believers. We were invite to join them for a methodist office. It was a intense experience with a lot of songs. Their voices are incredible, it literally give me goose bumps.
After lunch, we spent more time with the kids. Did I need to mention that this kids love being in front of the camera ?
To finish this day, we went hiking on a little mountain next to Nacereyaga village. This weekend is probably the best memory we have from our world trip. They don't have a lot, but their generosity and their happiness is infinite.
If you want to see more pictures of our world trip, you can check our website.
