Today the weather is a bit ordinary so we decided to take the weekly tour to the local village, Malevu. We were welcomed by Village Elder, Jim, who took our group around the village showing us how the locals live.
It's very relaxed living but with some strong traditions of community and sharing. All the doors of the houses must be open when the residents are home and it's common to invite anyone walking past to join for breakfast or whatever. All work together on projects like building a house or tending crops.
Jim showed us the fruit from the Noni tree which he said was a good treatment for cancer, a lantana bush which he said helped high blood pressure and a kava plant whose roots are pounded for Fiji's national drink, kava.
We were invited inside a wooden church which Jim said was one hundred years old. The village is saving to build a new one and it's needed judging by the holes in the floor.
It's considered polite in the village to remove your hat and sunglasses and we also removed our shoes to go inside the community hall for a welcome ceremony and a drink of kava.
The Outrigger Resort works closely with the villages on either side of the resort and many of the staff come from the village. The cute little blondie in the photo is the daughter of one of the reception staff, Salote told me.
It's very relaxed living but with some strong traditions of community and sharing. All the doors of the houses must be open when the residents are home and it's common to invite anyone walking past to join for breakfast or whatever. All work together on projects like building a house or tending crops.
Jim showed us the fruit from the Noni tree which he said was a good treatment for cancer, a lantana bush which he said helped high blood pressure and a kava plant whose roots are pounded for Fiji's national drink, kava.
We were invited inside a wooden church which Jim said was one hundred years old. The village is saving to build a new one and it's needed judging by the holes in the floor.
It's considered polite in the village to remove your hat and sunglasses and we also removed our shoes to go inside the community hall for a welcome ceremony and a drink of kava.
The Outrigger Resort works closely with the villages on either side of the resort and many of the staff come from the village. The cute little blondie in the photo is the daughter of one of the reception staff, Salote told me.