5352 Savala Island, our home for the day.
5369 The Oolala our transportation
5373 A bird looking for a handout
5378 Viti Levu from Savala Island. The water was great.
5433 I don’t think this policeman’s lava-lava will catch on in the USA.
Nov 16 – At Sea. A day at sea is very welcome. Of course, they usually are.
Formal night tonight and I’m in my white dinner jacket. Our entertainers were The Perfect Gentlemen, a four-part harmony (not necessarily barbershop but sometimes it was) group that changes hats and does vaudeville style comedy. Sort of a Spike Jonesish singing group rather than a band.
Nov 17 – Lautoka, Viti Levu, Fiji. This is going to be a very low-key day. We were in Lautoka just last year so we are taking the Oolala, a 60-foot motor vessel and heading to the uninhabited 1.5 acre Savala Island. The boat’s name is not French but it’s named for the sound that the song of local mermaids. It’s a perfect day for the trip, warm and a bit humid but the constant breeze makes it very comfortable.
This is the way to join a tour: no large bus, no lining up to get on, just a short walk across the pier and onto the Oolala. A group of 45 made the trip to Savala and it took 45 minutes to reach the small island. During that time, they served some snacks and drinks, we both opted for a bottle of water.
They’ve developed the island just enough to make it comfortable and provide shade but not so much as to ruin the ambiance. I kept expecting to see Gilligan and the Skipper at any moment. Wait a minute. On second thought, I think I’d rather see Mary Ann and Ginger. The Oolala had too deep a draft to get to the island so they tow a smaller launch behind her to shuttle us to the island, 15 at a time. Diana and I rode out on the open but covered upper deck and waited until last to take the small boat onto the island.
The only real structure on the island is a pavilion that’s open on three sides and has a small kitchen and serving area at the closed end. They have three triangular canvas awnings strung between poles for additional shade. There are also some thatched roof, umbrella shaped structures around the island. They call them chiki (sp?) in Florida.
Diana and I walked around the island, that didn’t take long but we were looking in the surf line for shells or other artifacts. There were some shells and some broken pieces of coral. Our guide told us that they had some nice palm trees on the island until a typhoon two years ago knocked them all down. They’ve replanted them and you can see the small trees in some of the open space. Mostly we just sat and enjoyed the view.
Lunch was delicious. What isn’t served outdoors in beautiful, comfortable surroundings? They had chicken (marinated in spices and a little coconut), sausages, roasted vegetables (Yams, carrots, purple onions, corn, English peas and something like a potato but better), pasta salad, fruit and bread.
It was a restful and very pleasant afternoon. On the way back to Lautoka they sang for us accompanied by a guitar and had us join in on some songs. They also served Fijian fruitcake and hot drinks, water or soda if you wanted it.
A great day in a beautiful place.
Paul Brogan did a Spotlight and was as funny as ever. Karen Beckett was back with her excellent voice and the show was nice. A bit too many show tunes for my taste but at least only one ALW.
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