Tribewanted: Vorovoro

An Vorovoro experience

One day I arrived home from work, sat down at flicked on the TV, just then a spot on Getaway begun about this project in Fiji called tribewanted. Well it grabbed my attention and by the end of the 5 minutes I was already on the net checking out the website.

Six months Previously I had planned 6 week trip to Europe, which via circumstances fell through leaving me in a big travel void, Vorovoro was what I had been waiting for, something to fill the void, I hadn’t really known what I wanted to do until the day after work when I saw the geatawy spot, the funny thing is I hardly watch TV and never bother with travel shows, so it seemed rather fortuitous.

FlashPAckers?
Not long there after I booked my time (2 weeks) on Vorovoro and found myself disembarking an Air Pacific jet at Nadi airport, immediately almost being knocked over via the heat as hail from a rather cold southern part of Australia. I had a few days to spare before heading up to Vorovoro so I spent a few days chilling out at Mango Bay Resort, a flashpackers, whatever that means. Mango bay is a cool place, very modern, clean, and secluded, but after a day or so I was beginning to get a little bored, so was happy to leave and head down to Suva to catch a ferry. Its rather easy to navigate your way around Fiji, just stop and ask someone and they generally point your in the right direction, I suspect this is due to the innate friendliness of the Fijian people, and that being nice to tourists is in everyone’s best interests. Any way the people at Mangobay organized all my travel for me, so for a few bucks I got a taxi around the whole western part of Fiji with a guided tour thrown in, sweet.

Not so Postcard
I have to say that a lot of Fiji is not post card material, as we traveled along the coast there were a lot of abandoned construction sites, overgrown placations, and a general state of disrepair running through out most of Fiji (most likely a result of the climate), I was surprised to see some villages were nothing more then run down little shacks, or falling apart fibro houses. But then again we have that here in Australia as well, so I guess some things are the same no matter where you go.

Nightmare Ferry Ride
The Ferry from Suva to Sava Savu was in a word, horrible, the description on the tribewanted website describes it as a scenic adventure, but I wonder if the person who wrote that actually caught the same ferry as me. It left a sunset, took 12 hours to get to Savu Savu just on sunrise so the only thing to see was the wake of the ship at night. For those contemplating the ferry trip I recommend getting a cabin with bunk as at least then you will get some comfort, otherwise you may end up sleeping on the floor as I did as the actual chairs are purposely designed to be un-sleep able on. After arriving at Sava Sava it was straight on a bus which was surely older than I for a 3 hour trip up the guts to Vanu Levu . A great ride for scenery as you negotiate many a big hill, and get to see a lot of what’s often called the real Fiji, as the Northern Island is relatively tourist free, oh and just beautiful.

Lambassa and The Grand Eastern
Lambassa, what a crazy town, after arriving here after 15 hour trip I stumbled over to the Grand Eastern Hotel a mere few minutes walk from the bus terminal, or rather buss gathering space as I could not discern any noticeable pattern to the bus depot. I was to meet the guys from Vorovoro here the following day so I booked myself a room, dumped my bag, grabbed a shower and collapsed on the bed. Some hours later I awoke realizing I hadn’t eaten for nearly 24 hrs, so I wondered over to the Grand Eastern Hotel restaurant and proceeded to have the best Singapore noodles ever. The Grand Eastern looks like a hotel from the 50s, but maintains a very chilled atmosphere, and a great pool to relax during the very hot and humid days, its like an oasis in the desert of Lambassa. That evening as I sat down to my meal a visiting police officer introduced himself to me, apparently his boss was off on some kind of business and so we sat down and had a good chat about the local state of crime here in Lambassa. From what I could tell my home town in Victoria was more hazardous to ones health, armed with this knowledge I decide to explore Lambassa the following morning to pass the time a little. Shopping in Lambassa is shit, there’s is literally nothing worth to buy there that I couldn’t get at home, apparently the reject shop (or pound shops) mentality had been embraced wholeheartedly in Lambassa, so be warned ladies, its not the shopping centre of Fiji. However there are a lot of very interesting people wandering around and the open market is a riot of smells, noise and people, well worth a look.

To Vorovoro
I was to meet a tribewanted representative at 12 pm in the Grand eastern hotel lobby, so I was sprawled out on a couch reading a book when a taxi pulls up and out spills Ruth, an English Backpacker on a round the world trip (apparently every English person goes on around the world trips stopping off at Vorovoro.). She had just flown in from Nandi, was a tad disorientated, Lambassa has that effect on you, but we soon worked out we were heading in the same direction. It was comforting to finally meet someone who knew about Vorovoro as up until that then every time I mentioned I was going to Lambassa to visit the island of Vorovro I was greeted with blank looks or questioning eyes as to why I would volunteer to go to Lambassa. Soon Anna turned up, Anna was a staff member from the Island, and after brief introductions were taken on a flying tour of Lambassa to purchase our Sulus ($10) and kava ($25), and then back to the Grand Eastern where we meet Duncan, a slightly eccentric English guy who was the Island sustainability manager, sitting down in the bar Duncan proceeded to give us a brief rundown of the island, apparently we were arriving on a day when there was big ceremony to take place and that we would be introduced to the local chief, Tumali. Ruth and I exchanged glances, what were we in for?

Arrival at Vorovoro
After a few quiet drinks in the bar Anna returns with fellow staff member Giles, where we are led out the back to jetty where our boat is waiting with a few local Fijian lads lounging about. So we clamber aboard the boat, and head off down the river, the outboard motor is loud enough to make conversation difficult so I just settle in for the ride. About 20 minutes later we are out in the open ocean heading around a headland, Giles leans over to me asking if I recognize the Island, finally I have arrived at Vorovoro. The main beach is a good 500 meters long in a horse shoes shape being flanked on either end by a large bluff, making the beach extremely sheltered. There is a lot of coral close to the shore so we glide in slowly as the Fijian boat crew expertly navigate us into shore. Before the boat has slide up onto the sand a small mob people emerge out of the palm trees to offer warm welcomes. There are handshakes and questions which becomes a bit of a blur, we are led into the Grand burrae, an impressive structure which was to become my home for the next two weeks. Here I meet Craig, a young and energetic English lad who takes us on a tour of the Island, there is a kitchen, herb gardens, chickens, a soccer pitch (slightly overgrown) various lots of garden in a mixture of stages of development, a combustible toilet, a range of other sleeping quarters, and even a volleyball court. Apparently there is no time to soak in this as we have a Mece to learn, a traditional Fijian dance, and I have an hour to learn what the other guys have been practicing for weeks. Fortunately the Fijians are not to concerned about accuracy, so you think you can dance this isn’t, they think it fantastic that we have a go. The ceremony to be held later is in honor of the opening of a new toilet block, which is a big deal as its another step in the Vorovoros self sustainability program. Duncan later informed me that many other Island around the region are now interested in having their own compost-able toilets, previous to this Fijian sanitation revolved around filling up a big concrete pit, which is then cemented shut and buried when full. It is a good introduction to what tribewanted is all about.

Welcoming Ceremony
The ceremony itself was kind formal but at same time informal. There were some rules regarding protocols with the Fijian Chief, Tumali, but as long as you didn’t knock over the Kava bowl it seem like they were fairly relaxed about the whole thing. Anyway either one of the staff or Fijians were always there to point you in the right direction. We dressed up in some traditional kit , performed a few Meces, where upon the formal part of the ceremony was handled by the current chief Kieran, a rather resourceful Irash lad. After which myself and 4 other recent arrivals were warmly welcomed individually by Tumali, in which we exchanged some Kava to say thanks for having us on your Island. I was later to learn that the Kava ceremony is an intrinsic part of Fijian culture, at this stage however I was handed a coconut shell fill with put appeared to be muddy water, with a clap I accepted the offering. Glancing around I could large grins on the faces of some of the Fijian lads, obviously they knew something I did not. I drunk the Kava, surprised by its rather pleasant taste, handed back my bowl and gave off three sharp claps and everyone cheered, welcome to Vorovoro.

Fiji Time, Hammock time, the library
The next couple of days were an introduction to Fiji time, a concept difficult to explain, but picture the intention to complete tasks, but with no real schedule, its just whenever they get done. Part of the Vorovoro experience is the ability to either work dusk till dawn helping in the various projects running, do nothing but chill and relax, or a combination of both, fantastic. So I had really nothing much to do for the first couple of days as it takes a while to get your bearings, so I explore the Island, did a bit of swimming, and test drove the numerous hammock positions strategically placed to enhance chill time. I’d brought along a book to read, but and finished it by the time I arrived in Vorovoro, so I was happy to discover an entire bookcase with novels and texts left by previous travelers. The types of books in the shelf was really interesting, a selection any Amazonian would be happy with. One of my all time favorite novels, the forgotten soldier by guy Sajer appeared on the shelf, I was rather surprised as it was no the type of book I was expecting to find here being a rather brutal biography of a German infantry soldier facing the horrors of the Eastern front in WWII. I love a good book, and those rare one can be like old friends, always good to catch up with, so over the next few days I reacquainted myself to the forgotten soldier. Often we would discuss what we were reading over meals, sitting on a bench not 3 meters from the beach, witnessing amazing sunsets engaged in conversation regarding, life, politics, religion and the general state of the world. It was great when the French Canadian couple, Michelle and Eric arrived, as they brought some red wine with them, a perfect touch.

The Water Tank, The epic Kava session
Earlier in the year a Water tank had been constructed on Vorovoro, a fairly large engineering feat, as previously if it didn’t rain for a while, there was no water. A local village on a neighboring Island were currently engaged in constructing their own, it was decided that the tribe should visit and offer to assist, so the next day we pilled into some boats and cruised over to the village. When we arrived we were not expected, but the Fijians seemed to be used to this, and adaptation seems to be the key. If twenty people suddenly rocked up on my doorstep and said OK we are here to help build the tank I’d be a little out to say the least, but the Fijians just laid out the kava matt and it was all cool. Sure we did some token work, but it was more a public relations effort as I was introduced to my first epic Kava session. Being fairly new I still hadn’t really got to know anyone yet so I sat on the Kava matt and became a sponge, absorbing the atmosphere, the traditions, the smells, the Kava. Let me set the scene , we were in a sheltered valley, a hot day, but under the shade of coconut trees it was rather pleasant sitting on the lush green grass. We had brought along some Kava as is custom, this was soon crushed up, formal recitations completed, and then in a relaxed fashion the bowl was emptied and refilled over the following hours. Tradition states that males are required to sit cross-legged, or the half lotus position for those in the yoga know. Females had to sit in an awkward semi kneeling position, which im told is extremely uncomfortable. I felt no remorse for the girls, I had a hip injury from days long past and sitting crossed legged was rather painful for me.
Anyway about 2 hours later I suddenly realized I was rather nicely toasted, the Kava, or Grog as the Fijians call it, was getting me stoned! Suddenly a wealth of memories flooded back to me as I remembered my time studying visual arts, where we aoften sat around getting intoxicated on various substances. in fact I’d say it was very pleasant. I later learnt that Fijians have a strong dislike for marijuana, im not exactly sure what the difference is between kava and weed, but if given the choice I’d choose kava hands down. There is something really beautiful about the process of drinking Kava, there’s a whole social process that goes along with it that has numerous subtleties, during my time on Vorovoro no kava session was the same, from the formal ceremony, to chillin’ in the evening on the beach sharing the Kava with the local Fijian lads after a hard days work in the hammock.

Spear fishing, Snorkeling, and Barracuda for tea.
Thursdays is reef trip, for a few dollars a couple of the Fijian lads take us out onto a magnificent reef to go snorkeling and spear fishing, or as Giles would say, get his Alpha Male on. For those who visit Vorovoro this is a must do, snorkeling in the crystal clear warm waters, the opportunity to see all kind of ocean wildlife is fantastic. Katichia, a Russian lady who was a botanist back in Saint Petersburg appeared to be in a trance the whole time. I don’t think see has the opportunity to do this back in a -40 deg Russian winter. I followed Giles for a while as he hunted down the big fish with his spear, he must have tapped into the Alpha stuff has he landed one, we were a bit disappointed however as once out of the water we realized it was baby fish. Giles assured me it looked bigger then that in the water. After a few hours we all clambered back into the boat, we were missing one of the local lads who had gone off to catch some fish. Looking around me all I could see was ocean, but somehow after a short 10 minute ride the local Fijian boat driver head to his exact location, and looked everywhere for the GPS link, but there was none, he just knew where he was, amazing. Also amazing was the four huge fish he had caught, including a barracuda which our chef Ron cooked up for us that evening, best fish ever, love your work Ron.

Sunday chill, chess, and the farewell party.
Sunday was chill day, the locals had some time out, and the staff also took a bit of personal RnR. I liked Sundays, it gave me a chance to play some serious chess with Giles and Save, it had become apparent the Giles was mad for chess and that Save, one of the local lads had learnt to play recently. So we lounged about on Sundays playing chess, listening to faithless through the Ipod speakers, and many great games were had. I only managed to beat Giles once, he was clearly the superior player, but I believe that Save would have his measure soon.
Sundays was the only day the girls could wear bikinis around the village as Fijians find it distasteful for female to show a bit of shoulder, their loss. So the girls liked to take the time to clock up some serious sunbathing and swimming without having to walk around to the secluded beach. Have to say I didn’t mind it either.
The Liverpool sisters, Gemma and Racheal were leaving in the next day or so, promptly a party was organized, supplies of vodka, fiji beer, and rum were sourced the day before in Lambassa. A fire at Craig’s Burae set the scene as we all sat on the beach drinking and what not celebrating good times until it started to rain. No problems the ten or so of us piled into Craig’s little hut, suffice to say it was a crazy night.
When a tribie’ leaves everyone on the Island fronts up and sings a farewell song on the beach while you get a chance to say goodbye, its actually rather emotional, particularly the longer you have been there. Its can be hard for the locals and staff to say goodbye. We were all sad to see the Liverpool girls go, they were heaps of fun.

Everyone has something to offer
Part of the ethos here is that everyone who comes to Vorovoro has something worthwhile to offer, be it physical labor, helping out in the kitchen, working in the gardens or even jumping on the forums and participating. For me it was about linking up with the medicine on Vorovoro, being an acupuncturist im interested in healing arts, and it seemed like fate that Save, my chess opponent also happened to be one of the local healers. Perhaps the highlight of my stay there was discussing with Save his philosophy of healing and some of his techniques in fracture management. Save was fascinated via acupressure, he had observed me give a treatment he day before to one of the staff who was having a awful toothache, and when I relocated a shoulder dislocation of one of the lads. It was a pleasure to share knowledge and to offer some of my skills to those on the Island. It really hit home how lucky we are back in Australia, injuries which are easily treated back home can become major concerns for the Fijians, and offered up some complex ethical concerns regarding how to approach the dilemma of delivering modern health care in a way that is sustainable and equitable not only for the guys on Vorovoro, but for the local Fijian community.

Showers on the Beach, bathing in the sea
There’s this awesome spot on the beach where an overhang forms a small waterfall, so when it rains you can have a freshwater shower on the beach looking out over a luscious ocean blue, just magic. Its even better as normal showers last about 3 minutes due to the hole in the bucket water restriction, but I have to say they are still very enjoyable, there’s something about showering in the middle of a tropical forest. For the guys we usually just go for a swim in the ocean and take some coconut soap, have a scrub, and your done, for the ladies it took a little more planning. One of the older Fijians let me in on a little secret, around the bluff there is a rock pool, so if you go at low tide you can have a great bath. It was fantastic; the water was warm, a cool breeze, and an entire beach to myself.

Four Peaks, the circuits, and taichi
There are four peaks on Vorovoro, which take about 2-3 hours to complete taking you all over the Island, if you finish it then you can say you’ve done the Four Peak challenge. The views along the way are just spectacular, I also strongly advise walking the circumference of the Island, you’ll need to do it at low tide, but its an amazing walk as its like nature has carved out natural paths into the cliffs.
Meanwhile back in the village some of the guys were trying to stay in shape via circuit training supported by the mobile disco, a sound system in a wheelbarrow pumping out appropriate work out tunes. For those who have never worked out in tropical rain I highly recommended it, very refreshing and invigorating. Giles had asked me to join in but I declined, I’d already done my taichi that morning.
Each morning someone would beat on the big drum called a lali to announce its was daybreak, it didn’t mean you had to get up at all, just to let you know. Most mornings after the lali was sounded I’d get up wander down to the beach, splash some water in my face and then proceed to do my tai chi, usually until breakfast was ready an hour or so later. If I missed my morning session I’d do it in the late afternoon on the volleyball court, a perfect place to practice. Tai chi is in my blood, I’ve been doing it for over 10 years, and it was a real pleasure to be able to get up in the morning up train on the beach, I highly recommend it. As my Tai Chi master would say, Vorovoro has good Chi.

Great People
Perhaps the best thing about Vorovoro is the people both the local Fijians and the tribewanted staff. First of let me say the staff (Giles, Duncan, Anna, Julia, Kimbo and Craig) were quiet simply excellent, each with their own particular character and story to tell, over the course on my stay bonds of friendships were already quiet strong. Additionally the staffs were enthused with passion for what they were doing, and it really came across with how the run the show while I was there. Next would have to be the other tribies’, people like myself who were staying for a week or so. I met a swarth of English backpackers (Ruth, Becky, Hanna, Gemma, Racheal, Ian), and few yanks(Julie and John), Canadians (michelle,Eric,and Jules) , and a Russian lady (katchia), all interesting people who for the most part were warm, friendly and invigorating. Vorvoro is a social place, sitting down at the Kava matt, eating together, working together or getting hammered, everyone is included. For me, a bit of a loner who likes my own time I found this to be a great mix, often I would either join in the current antics, or conversely just wander off to get some own time, it was totally up to the individual.
Lastly there were the Fijians, which in my opinion is what Vorovoro is all about, getting to know them. They are all friendly, and willing to spend time with you to share their culture, its all rather informal and impromptu, which makes the experience more real. I highly recommend taking the time to talk with the local lads, they can surprise you with their astute insights and make you laugh at their bent sense of humor. You will notice that there always seems to be smile and laughter when the Fijians are around.

Heading Home
Two weeks flew past, but I was ready to leave, with a sense that I’d like to return. I was touched that on the day I left almost everyone turned up to sing me the farewell song, having spoken to the staff previously they had mentioned many tribies’ shed a tear or two on the ride back to Lambassa, I could understand why. Once back at the Grand Eastern Anna organized a taxi for out to the airport as there was no way I was catching the ferry back. Soon I was wondering through the shrine to consumerism that is duty free to board my Air pacific flight back to Australia, back to home and a different reality.
Vorovoro is a hard place to explain to people, its not touristy, its not relief work, its just an experience. I feel in these words I have left out so many things, like the trip ot he local school, the thunderstorm, or the night I felt something crawling all over my face, but selfishly there are some memories I’d like to keep for myself. All I can say is get over to Vorovoro, its worth it.

Cheers
Andrew Dowler