From Tonga to Fiji

We set sail for Fiji with the waxing gibbous moon helping to guide the way. We left Tonga not knowing what treasures await us in Fiji. We heard from a passing sailor the natives are friendly and the food plentiful although we were warned to stay clear of the outlying islands where cannibalism is practiced. The first night's cloud cover made navigation difficult, but the trades were steady from the South East and we had little correction to make at noon on the second day.

Ha! As if the life of a modern day cruiser is like that. We have so much information about the places we are going to already at our fingertips. Our GPS applications keep us on track during the journey regardless of the weather and we can calculate our arrival time almost to the minute. We make our decisions on where to moor by whether or not there is easy access to good food stores and the quality of the wifi in that location. And, not surprisingly, the locals in the towns and cities are not much different than in many other places in the world. It is incredible to see the same name brand products; shoes, shirts, sunglasses, as you would in any North American or European city. We are truly a global community.

Having said that, there is still a great deal of charm and uniqueness in these small islands in the South Pacific. You don't need to move too far out from the town to see the more traditional way of life and feeling of community that is inherent in these cultures. I have to wonder though, how many more generations it will be before all of this completely disappears.

We arrived to Savusavu, Fiji in the middle of the night. We picked up a mooring ball, went to bed for a few hours and are now waiting for the clearing in process before we can get to shore.