BACK IN FIJI - Mar2015 – Present

We arrived back just in time for Super Cyclone Pam, the second largest cyclone of Record on the Planet EVER.  We had a few stressful days and nights preparing KaijaSong for what could be an all-out disaster. 

 

 

The day before Pam was scheduled to hit Fiji it made a hard right had turn and devastated the Island group of Vanuatu. 

 

While we were breathing a sigh of relief, it was Relief that Vanuatu needed…and in a BIG WAY.  We were proud of the way the local cruising community came together to provide whatever assistance and relief we could…cash drives, seeds for planting, clothing and supplies were shipped over the next few weeks.

We have really enjoyed be immersed in the Fiji lifestyle.  This include our weekly chicken bus rides to the Lautoko markets, cooking classes here at the Marina, and the Cruisers local swap meet…you know the old saying…one man’s junk is another man’s treasure :o).

 

dinghy races,

 

weekly trips to Nandi and the boutiques and a special day of visiting Raymond Burrs’s famous Orchid garden established by that fine Canadian Actor of Perry Mason fame.  His beautiful gardens more than 1,000 species of these rare and exotic plant.

 

Work continued on KaijaSong as our 10 yr refit seemed to take on a life of its own.  Small jobs became big jobs with new paint ordered for Topsides, deck and bottom.  New canvas all round, bimini, dodger, stack pack, sail sacrificials on the sails. The interior had new headliners in two cabins, new ultrasuade in the main salon and new varnish thru out…38 doors removed, varnished and all hardware, hinges and door latches removed, cleaned and polished…ouch…this was like taking the boat apart and putting it all back together…thank goodness you only do this every 10 years. 

It was time for a break and we decided to try Zip lining Fiji Style. We went with a number of other cruisers to the Sleeping Giant Zip Line near Nandi for an all-day adventure including lunch and trip to the waterfall for a cool down swim.   What a Blast….this is not for the faint of heart and despite our initial misgivings it wasn’t long before we were hanging upside down and inside out with ‘look ma…no hands’.  I set an over 60’s record of 30 Zips for the day and lived to write about it…if you haven’t tried this…put it on your bucket list.

 

As of yesterday the boat is finally painted and now comes the daunting task of putting it all back together.  We leave in three weeks for a much needed rest, ha ha ha…as we fly to Vancouver and then drive to Toronto to spend a couple of months working on La Chateau du Lac.  It will be great to see our family and friends back in Canada.