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POSTED: 15 JULY 2011 Destination: Fiji ANN RICKARD is enchanted by the singing and dancing on her Yasawa Islands cruise ... not to mention the snorkeling, the food and the general pampering. It’s quite possible there exist Fijians who can’t sing, maybe even some who don’t love music and hand-clapping and drum-banging and swaying to a rhythm. But if so we didn’t meet one of them on our recent Fijian trip. Fijians love any excuse to burst into song. On board the Reef Endeavour for a three day island cruise, we’ve already been serenaded many times — as we boarded the gangplank, at the Captain’s welcome dinner, over cocktails and canapés in the Yasawa Lounge, during lunch on the sun deck, after dinner at a small show, and several spontaneous times throughout the busy days. There’s been dancing too. My, how the Fijians love to dance, clicking their fingers, waving their arms, sashaying backwards and forwards to any rhythm at all. The Reef Endeavour is one of many vessels belonging to the Captain Cruise line. Its Fijian cruise takes in the Yasawa Islands, just a few of the 300 islands that make up Fiji. Half of the islands are uninhabited, unspoilt. The swaying palms edging pure white sand are the only things that make movement. Many of the islands have surrounding coral reefs, which is the main reason for being on the cruise. Twice a day we’ve been invited to snorkel, dive or view the spectacular coral from a glass-bottom boat. As diving is for the adventurous, we chose the other two options, first staying dry in the glass-bottom boat, gliding over giant shelves of flat coral swarming with colourful fish, and the next day, getting into the warm clear water with the other snorkelers. Staying close to our snorkel guide, kicking our flippers and peering down through masks into coral gullies and canyons, renewed our dormant passion for snorkelling. Looking down into muffled stillness at the wonders of a coral reef is one of life’s memorable activities. The Reef Endeavour is perfect for exploring the Fijian islands. Its small swimming pool at the aft of the ship is surrounded by lounge chairs for the times when you’ve had enough coral viewing. Its Senikai Spa is staffed by two beauty therapists and has special offers every day — the foot pampering is highly recommended — and the all-important eating aspect of the cruise is generous, way too generous. Weight gain is guaranteed. Don’t even try to resist the bountiful breakfast buffet, the all-day coffee and cookies, the extravagant smorgasbord lunches. At then there’s the lavish afternoon tea, the pre-dinner canapés and finally, a multi-course dinner. Worry about the tight belts later. Accommodation ranges from staterooms to cabins. We upgraded to a Tabua suite for a reasonable extra cost and spread ourselves out in the separate lounge and bedroom. And with a bathroom each, it was worth any cost. Information on the reefs, the islands, the people, the traditions, was given by a well-informed purser throughout the day and the option to relax and enjoy the ship without doing anything is always there. A kava ceremony, mandatory for every visitor to Fiji, was held ashore before a traditional feast at Yalobi Village on Waya Island. Ladies, be warned, you will be requested to sit at the back while the village chief and elders perform the kava ceremony with male passengers seated in front of you. After cautiously sipping the kava and eating the lovo feast cooked in the earth oven, it was time for … more singing of course. The village locals sang as sweetly and enthusiastically as the crew had on board Reef Endeavour, and then … they danced. And so did we. IF YOU GO Captain Cook Cruises operates weekly three-, four- and seven-night Yasawa Island Cruises from Port Denarau. Prices for three-night cruises start at $799. Visit www.captaincook.com.
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ANN RICKARD fights tears yet finds plenty of joy in a simple, needy seaside school. Children singing are guaranteed to bring even the most hard-hearted person undone. But when they’re Fijian children singing My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean in a tiny village school with not much in it apart from a half-dozen scarred 1950s school desks, a few torn exercise books and a sad collection of stubby pencils, there are tears. On the Fijian island of Waya Sewa, at the Namara Village School, the children have been lined up in messy formation to sing and dance for us. We have been seated in rows in front of the children on the school’s shabby veranda, like the Queen and her entourage on a Royal visit. The boys wear smart grey sulus (sarongs) topped with spotless white shirts, the girls wear crisp blue smocks. The children’s sizes range from the tiny to the gangly. The boys have closely cropped hair, the girls show off tight black curls. All the children have large round eyes brimming with the innocence and purity of youth. We are on the island as part of the Captain Cook Fijian Cruise on board The Reef Endeavour. The children entertain us with songs in English and Fijian, their sweet voices in complete harmony with each other. They’ve learnt all the English words to their songs and although they might not know quite what they mean (who does know why Bonnie lies over the ocean?) they sing them sweetly and enthusiastically. Then some of the children sit down and chant, while a group of boys, dressed in grass skirts and brandishing long poles and bamboo fans, do a jovial war dance, stamping their feet and thumping their poles warrior-like into the ground. Every one of the Endeavour Reef passengers is enchanted and we clap enthusiastically between each performance. When it’s all over, the children rush to us, take us by the hand and steer us into their sparse classrooms with the old, worn desks. The paucity of the rooms is in shocking contrast with the tropical island setting, where a large grassy area leads to a palm-lined beach of white sand and clear water. Poverty in paradise. The children proudly show us their work, opening their tattered exercise books, sharing their few stumpy pencils to write down their addresses for us so we can later correspond. Their mothers, aunties and grandmothers sit patiently outside on the grass, their handmade shell trinkets and handicrafts on mats before them on sale for embarrassingly small amounts. After our many indulgences on board the Reef Endeavour this school visit with its happy, cheeky children and their families is quite a shaming experience, but at the same time, strangely uplifting. The Republic of Fiji has approximately 700 primary schools but only 150 secondary schools. School attendance is not required by law. Many children attend primary school only, but there is slow progress to encourage children to stay in school longer. “Captain Cook sponsors the schools we visit in Fiji,’’ our purser had told us before our visit. “If you have any pens, notebooks or pencils you would like to give the school, they will welcome them.” After spending time with the children, giving them the hats off our heads, the few pens we have in our bags, we leave feeling energised by the experience. When we return to Australia we send a parcel: pens, pencils, books, stickers, rulers, sharpeners. It’s a small gesture for a captivating experience.
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