Nanuya Lei Lei
One afternoon when half the family had moved on to a new island and a new family was coming to this one, Dave decided we should do something to get everyone chatting and integrated right away. In the spirit of the South Pacific games which were going on at the same time in Suva (Fiji's Capital city) we put on our own island games.
Now stop laughing. I know that me and sports go together like George Bush at a Greenpeace march. (Actually I had a thought while I was here, if the tides rise by just a few feet, this place will sadly go underwater.) And i'll admit it was mostly Dave's input. I just put a few non-fitness based elements in for us lazy people.
As, what seemed like most of the local population turned up to see what all the fuss was about, we split everyone into 3 teams, then started the first event.
1. Relay Obstacle Course
Over and under two poles, over the ditch, round the palm tree stump, throw a can in the bucket (actually the most challenging bit -my idea), under the washing line, round the tree, run through the tires, then sprint to the starting line.
2. Coconut Bowling
Hurl the coconut at the bottles for points. Watch as the coconut bounces off in random directions. (My idea)
3. Tug of War
Tug. (Dave's idea)
4. Onion and Spoon race
As with the standard egg and spoon race but without the resources.
5. Three Legged Relay Obstacle Course
This was the first attempt to get under the second hurdle.
By the time it got to us we'd sussed the technique.
Daves's team came first, mine second and I don't remember who the other team leader was, but they came third. Losers.
This is my (almost) winning team.
***
Every couple of days, we'd have the chance to be sped around to the blue lagoon in the boat to go snorkeling. The first time we went, one of the big cruise ships was in.
The people on this boat pay only $600 a night for a three night cruise around the islands (we got chatting to a couple of people later in the week. It was fun watching their mouths drop when we told them how much we were paying! Mind you, they had ice creams and Coca-cola.)
We snorkeled around looking at all the tropical fish and coral. Secretly though, I think everyone wanted (and didn't want) to see one of the sea snakes we'd all heard so much about. Apparently there are 2 kinds, both with black and whites stripes. The ones with the white heads are OK, but the ones with yellow heads are both aggressive, and more venomous than a cobra. But thats OK though as they only have small mouths, so you don't have to worry too much as they can only bite you on the ear lobe or on that bit of skin between your thumb and fore-finger.
I thought I saw one laying on the sea floor. It looked like a snake. Or possibly a bit of rope coiled up like a snake. Either way, I didn't go to near it, you never know what to expect from those coiled bits of rope.
A couple of days later we went out again and Tui came with us for a bit of a jolly. We went to a place far out from the beach where the hard coral rose to the surface in some places, then shelved off deep enough to allow the big boats in. I was swimming near Tui, who was half walking, half swimming on the hard coral in the shoulder high water. The following all happened in around 10 seconds.
I looked forwards and as graceful as a tree blowing in a breeze, a 6ft black and white striped sea snake with a yellow head (looking nothing like the bit of rope I saw before!) swam directly towards us. I was suprised at how quickly it moved. I suppose I should've been scared but it was such an amazing thing to see that I was just in awe. I only got worried when I realised it was heading striaght for Tui, (who kept half walking on the floor). I thought 'Yellow Head. VERY Yellow Head (almost flourescent) in fact. Is that the dangerous one? But its OK, it only has a small mouth. Actually, now its close enough. It has a completely normal mouth for a snake that size.' (I later found out their fangs are at the back of their mouth and they need to get a good full mouth bite rather than a quick strike - thus ears and flat skin)
Tui amazingly still hadn't seen the it, even though it was now only a couple of meters from us. I didn't want to take my head out of the water as I didn't want to take my eyes off the snake that was closing fast. I started pounding my hand and fist together underwater to try to get Tui's attention. I realised how futile it was as theres a million cracking, slapping sounds underwater. Even though I was only a meter or two away, Tui would have no idea the sound was coming from me (you can only hear in mono underwater as sound travels much faster than in air.)
I don't know what I did, but it was enough to get her to look at me. I pointed in massive gestures to her feet as the snake drew ever closer. In her mask I saw her eyes become saucers as all her body tried to lift up and move away from the snake all at once. The snake showed no signs of changing direction as it passed inbetween us so neither did we as we swam, somewhat faster forwards. I glanced back to see the snake disappear into a hole in the coral.
A bit futher up, I put my head up out the water and said something like 'That was close!' Tui took her head out the water and said 'mind your feet' and carried on snorkelling. I looked down and there was some tall coral I was nearly kicking with my fins. Now everyone who meets Tui knows that shes great (in fact I think she's the Chief of the island but she was always a bit coy about talking about it), but after this, I was seriously impressed. 'God Damn she's cool.' I thought.
A minute or so later we met up with the other guys who were standing chatting on some flat dead coral. The first thing my cool idol Tui said as she took her head out the water, with those same saucer eyes, was "That was Fucking SCARY!" It didn't quite makes sense for a couple of seconds until I thought back, maybe it wasn't 'mind your feet' she said, no in fact I think it was (in shock) "Right by my Feet!"
After that, the boat picked us up and we went snorkelling in a different area. It was cool, there were loads of tropical fish and I practised the 'skin diving' I learnt in OZ. Skin diving is going down deep just by holding your breath and equalizing. Theres a proven method of doing it to get maximum time underwater on just one breath. As you use oxygen when you're moving, it pays to just swim down and hold on to a rock or something.
That night I got taught a fantastic drinking game by Christy, a dead fit South African babe. Everyone picks a 'Fuck' name. Horny Fuck, Lazy Fuck, Fat Fuck, Quick Fuck etc. Then everyone slaps the table twice, then claps twice (think 'We will rock you' but with two claps) And says the rhyme...
Assuming its lazy fuck starting, it would go...
Lazy Fuck, What the fuck, How about-a, Quick Fuck...
(slap--slap,-- clap--clap,-- slap--slap,-- clap--calp)
If 'Quick Fuck' doesn't follow the rhyme as Lazy Fuck finishes, the game stops and they have to drink.
Poor Dave, though athletic, fell to pieces when it came to combining quick (drunken) thinking and limb control and ended up drinking a lot. Which made things worse. So he was given the title 'Un-coordinated Fuck.' Which made things worse again as he couldn't get 1 or 2 syllable words to fit the rhyme... (it was ultimately shortened to Uncle Fuck)
Next time you're looking for an ice breaker at a stuffy work conference or at dinner with the soon-to-be-in-laws. Try playing this to let everyone know what a crazyFun person you are.
***
As you can probably tell, I liked Nanuya Lei Lei a lot! I ended up using what money I had on me (and borrowed a bit from Dave - cheers dude) to stay an extra couple of days before heading back to the mainland. Well, Main Island.
The night before I left we had a huge bonfire on the beach. Somehow (I don't know how) we all got singing our national anthems.
This is the yanks doing a weak 'Star spangled Banner' over our huge fire.
When it got to singing ours, I was suprised that hardly anyone knew it all the way through?!? When I led/prompted everyone, they all suddenly remembered. I think all in all that night, on the tiny island, by the fire, under full moon, we heard the British, American, Canadian, New Zealand, Australian and Fijian national Anthems. We sat on the beach chatting, discussing how far away from normal life we felt, and in fact were.