🇫🇯️ Daliconi Malaka Bay

When you anchor for the first time near an island of the Lau group it is often necessary to do a sevusevu ceremony. Shortly after our arrival near the village of Daliconi in Malaka bay, Vanua Mbalavu a neighbour-cruiser popped over to tell us that the chief had asked all who had arrived to come to his house at 1pm.

For the sevusevu ceremony Stefan wore his sulu and I wore a calf length skirt, as required. The spokes person for the chief took the cava we placed on the ground and gave it to the chief. Not much time was spent on the ceremony I think the chief has a lot of other duties. We were duly welcomed to the village to walk where we wanted. He suggested that, if we wanted, we could make a contribution to a new dispensory-pharmacy. We inquired about getting to Lomaloma, the largest village on Vanua Mbalavu island, where we knew there would be shops and some market stalls.

We met Grayham and Joanie, two super experienced Irish cruisers, and we all got a lift in a pickup truck to LomaLoma.

Funny thing happened the next day although I do not think the chief was as amused as we were. We took a nice walk out towards the airport, enjoying the lack of traffic, a cow, butterflies, coconut trees with red trunks,cultivated areas mainly taro, mango trees without fruit, general beauty all around us. On the way back a smart white fourwheel drive stopped to offer us a lift. The driver said nothing, they just stopped and he lazily wagged his hand to indicate we should get in. He said get in once I think. We politely declined, three times, insisting we were enjoying the walk. He ended up rolling his window down and turning his head to looked us sternly to say ’this is the car of the chief, you should get in’ and so we did. We smiled about our innocent rudeness for many days after. I had a cracking conversation with the chiefs wife in the backseat as it turned out. Her sister lives in Amsterdam though she hasn’t visited yet.

The next day we had a great walk along the beach.