We tend to take the cultural excursions when we go ashore rather than laying on the beach or snorkeling. Today was rainy again so neither of those activities would be much fun anyway. Today, we visited a small village and an orchid farm. This village was pretty civilized compared to others on this trip, but they still keep their traditions alive and well practiced. All the ladies received a nice flower lei as we arrived at the village. One of the beaches on the island was used in the filming of "Blue Lagoon". Raymond Burr (Perry Mason, Ironsides) had a home on this island with a large botanical garden. That garden is a popular tourist attraction here.
The Chief's house. Other tribal members are not allowed to approach the house unless invited.
The welcome was very friendly and sincere.
It takes a good rain to help find the roof leaks.
The tribe's Vice-Chief.
A little girl offered to share an umbrella with Sigrid.
The welcoming ceremony......always an elaborate affair and always with fresh Kava being prepared.
After sharing the Kava, the song and dance begins.
Super nice people.
The village church.
Nothing special here other than to let you see the surroundings.
The orchid farm had many varieties of flowers in addition to the orchids. We had afternoon tea and snacks here as we viewed the flowers.
Frogs on the lily pads.
Sugar cane is a major crop on the island. A dedicated railroad line runs throughout the cane fields to aid in harvesting.
Paradise isn't always pretty.
These are tapioca trees. We saw lots of these as well as tobacco fields as we drove around the island.
A Buddhist Temple.
The weather can't always be good in tropical areas but we still enjoyed ourselves.Next stop is Dravuni, Fiji.
