Tag: Kia Island

Kia Island
August 2022, Fiji, Kia Island

Our Awesome Kia Island Family

Kia Island is located 16 nautical miles north and west of Vanua Levu which is the main northern island in Fiji. The passage to Kia is not an easy one in that it’s full of twists and turns that lead through a myriad of shallow coral reefs. On a bright sunny day it’s much easier but our day was filled with ominous clouds and the ever present threat of a dangerous squall. The lack of sun makes seeing the reefs very difficult.

It’s at moments like this that we are ever so grateful for our BnG chart plotter that has up to date charts of the area. We also tend to ponder what it would have been like to be Captain Cook or the others who ventured into these waters without the benefit of such technology. As for me….I’m glad we’re doing it in this day and age.

On the western side of the island is the village of Ligua (pronounced Ling ōō ā ) where we visited in 2019 with our friends Lutz & Gabi of SV SuAn. This is where we came up with the plan to bring books back to Fiji. This is where the young girls dragged me across the field to show me their new library…one filled with beautiful shelves but no books. THAT was a day that changed me in so many ways.

We arrived here at around 1500 and anchored out in front of Ligua. As it was Sunday we chose not to go to shore to do sevusevu. This is where you go to shore to bring the gift of kava to the chief and ask for permission to anchor in his bay and explore his village. Kava is a root that is ground into powder and then mixed with water. It tastes as I’d assume dirty sock water would taste but you know…when in Rome…or Fiji.  LOL   For the Fijians it’s like having a cocktail. It numbs your lips and mouth and if you drink enough of it you will feel relaxed and lazy. The women don’t like the men drinking it because of that very thing. 

Anyway, as I said it was Sunday so we did not want to intrude on their holy day. We stayed on Dazzler. Of course our mere presence in the anchorage was not to be missed. Not many cruisers come up this far so we’re somewhat of a novelty I guess. From the moment we arrived we noticed people coming down to the water’s edge to get a better look at the strange new boat off their beach. We no more than had the anchor down and were sipping our anchor down beers when we saw a long boat depart the beach with us dead in her sights. 

Within moments we were greeted by Aquila and two young boys, Epa and Maurice. The moment they arrived we began to explain the reason we had not come ashore. We certainly didn’t want it to look like we were disrespecting their traditions. Aquila assured us he understood and all was good. He then explained that in addition to church they had a funeral going on. Just one more reason we were glad to have made the decision we did.

As we continued to talk and explain why we had come back to Kia the young man, Maurice, who was sitting in the bow of the long boat began to smile. He remembered us from our visit in 2019. He was excited to see us again. Okay….so I have to say it…how cool is that????? 

Going Ashore

The following morning we loaded up the box of books and lollies (candy) as well as a couple of boxes of pencils, some boat line and an orange float…all gifts for the village. As we approached the beach we noticed that right under the tree line there was a dozen or more people sitting there just watching us and waiting for our arrival. It was a bit weird but also, in its own way, very welcoming and exiting. After all, they all were there to greet us.

The tide was out so it was very shallow with lots of reef and rocks etc…One young boy, maybe ten, came out to assist us. Dan tossed in the anchor for the dink and I walked across the coral, sand and rocks to the shore trying not to get my sarong soaked or expose anything I shouldn’t. All the while I’m hoping I won’t cut my foot or fall in the water….especially with the audience there watching. Good news….I stayed dry and didn’t make a fool of myself!!! WOOOHOOO!

Once on shore we were greeted with a chorus of “Bula Bula” from the onlookers. Then, the same young man who greeted us led us up a sandy path and through the village full of one room huts. Each is painted in a pale paint of yellow, pink or green. They have no doors and the windows…only in some…are jalousie type. All openings are covered with the most beautiful brightly colored tropical prints. There is a grassy area just up from the beach that was perfectly trimmed. It must be a type of Bermuda grass as it is so soft that I just wanted to lay down and roll around in it. I just drug my feet through it the whole way. 

Along the way we see colorful clothes hanging on the line to dry, chickens, dogs and dark brown faces peeking around every corner. If they’d have had cameras we’d have felt like celebrities surrounded by paparazzi. 

Soon we arrived at the vale…meeting house. When we were here in 2019 this place was just being built. As we arrived at the doorway this time we saw them setting down the woven mat for us to sit upon. Two men are inside. Standing to the side is Kepa. He’s tall and skinny and wearing a red and black sleeveless sports jersey and basketballs shorts. Sitting on the mat is Jonathon, the acting chief. He’s wearing a very beautiful, brightly colored bula shirt and shorts. He’s older with a wrinkled face that has obviously seen more sun than it should have but he has gentle and welcoming brown eyes that offset the rugged skin making him feel much like a loving uncle. He invites us to sit down.

Before we do we kneel and introduce ourselves. Jonathon has a very kind demeanor and explains that he is not the chief but the acting chief. Not knowing what is too much too ask we just take it at that and don’t inquire as to where the other chief is or why he is only the “acting  chief”.

We are literally here a few minutes when the vale begins to fill up with men, women and children who all want to see and learn about the kaivalagi (white people). There are giggles coming from the children and welcoming smiles and big “bulas” coming from the adults. 

Dan tells Jonathon a little about why we have come back but then stops and tells him before we go further he knows that we should do the sevusevu. Jonathon agrees. Dan hands over the Kava root we have brought. As Jonathon accepts it he begins the blessing. This consists of clapping and an entire chant done in Fijian. Obviously we have no idea what is being said. For all we know he could be mocking the Americans who spent money to buy for him what he’s growing in his backyard. We’ve done sevusevu before but this time he chants for a much longer time. It was literally close to five minutes. All I know is I wish I could have understood what he was saying.

Sevusevu complete Dan proceeds to tell Jonathon that we have brought a few gifts. The first of which is a book we had made at Mixbook.com called the Faces of Fiji. In it are photos of the children and people we met here in 2019. I reach in my bag and hand the book to Jonathon with it already at the pages that are of Kia Island. The huge smile upon Jonathon’s face says we’ve done a great thing already. He starts laughing and pointing and speaking the names of all who are in the book.

Chief Jonathon showing the children the Faces of Fiji book.

We Come Bearing Gifts

As is custom here, you don’t just bring something into their village without the permission of the chief so Dan and I had left the books, line and other things on the dingy. Dan explained why we brought books and that we’d amassed over 2500 of them that have and are being dispersed by our “Cruiser Angels”. Some of the men in the room got tears in their eyes. We also had them in ours.

With permission to bring the gifts ashore Jonathon told the children and men to go and help Dan. He told Dan I would stay there….that was man’s work. I sat on the woven mat in the vale with Jonathon and a few young children. Jonathon was reading the Faces of Fiji book to them and showing them the photos. The pure joy they got from something so simple was overwhelming for me. Just having photos of the children made them all smile.

Soon Dan arrived back with his helpers in tow. Not one would let him carry a thing. From the youngest of boys to the men they carried everything. They sat it all down on the mat in front of Jonathon and we presented it to him. As Dan opened the box of books covered in lollies the eyes of the children grew to the size of saucers. One tried to reach into the box and Jonathon quickly told him, “No…this is a ceremony”. This young boy, maybe five, immediately sat back and didn’t move again.

With our gifts presented Jonathon handed the bolts of line to a couple of the men sitting there with us. One went to Vuki. Vuki was the Turangi ni Koro (Chief’s headman) when we arrived in 2019. Of course he remembered us and he thanked us over and over for the line. We learned that he was married in April of this year to Ruth. She’s a beautiful woman and is already pregnant with their first child. Ruth and I would grow to be good friends during our visit here.

At one point Jonathon instructed the children to go and gather some fresh pawpaw (papayas) for us. It’s crazy….here when an adult tells a kid to do something there is no backtalk, they jump up and do it. Ten minutes later we had a bag of some of the most beautiful, bright orange pawpaw you’ve even seen. And oh….WOW! They tasted amazing too! Pawpaw margaritas coming soon!!!

Captain Dan Tries To Help

It wasn’t long before they realized that Dan has some expertise in fixing things so they asked if he could help them. You will crack up at this. We are on a very remote island in the middle of the South Pacific and you know what they wanted him to help with???? They wanted to know if he could help fix the sound on their TV! Yep….I’m not kidding. In the vale they have two old flat screen TVs that they will play a movie on for the entire village. They have some movies on thumb drives. When I say some…I mean they have four or five movies that they play over and over and over and over.

Back on Dazzler Dan set about finding tools and parts to try to make the TV have sound. A couple of hours later we headed back to shore. The moment we arrived on shore we were followed like Mr. & Mr.s Pied Piper. As we entered the vale with tools in hand the men followed. At first I was the only women but then Ruth, Vuki’s wife, arrived with a couple of children. She said she didn’t want me to feel uncomfortable with all the men. She’s a beautiful woman with that amazing Fijian complexion and she’s well read and so kind. While the men worked we chatted.

Dan worked on the sound but in the end he couldn’t get the sound working properly. He got sound but they need good speakers as the TV speakers are not working. Unfortunately here you are dealing with people who have nothing and are trying to make something work that is basically gone. Dan did give it his best effort and did get sound but there just wasn’t enough power to make it loud enough. He also tried to help them get their satellite aligned but was unsuccessful there. And…they brought another item or two for him to test with his multi tester. In the end even though he didn’t get either TV working they were very grateful for his efforts. 

We stepped outside of the vale and there was a dozen or so men sitting on a mat having kava. They asked if we would join them. Of course it’s not my favorite thing but it would have been rude to say no so we did. The village priest was there and welcomed us. We had just one coconut shell full of kava each and then we left. We promised to return the following day to help with a few other issues they are having.

Drones and Videos….Entertaining The Villagers

The day after the book delivery on Kia Island we went back to shore so that Dan could assist Maki with a battery issue. Mostly he was going in to test it to be sure it was getting current. This will help him to know if the battery is worth keeping. This provides them with just enough power to give them light for a few hours each evening. We were told that these batteries were supplied to them by the government of Australia. To the best we could understand this was done after Cyclone Winston hit the area back in 2016. 

As we walk up the path from the beach we find Make sitting on a tree stump at the edge of the grassy area. He’s been waiting for us all morning. It’s the battery in his home that needs attention. We stroll slowly through the village as he has some sort of issue with his left leg and doesn’t walk too well. We pass by the vale and there is Ruth sitting on a wooden platform smiling away. She greets us with a hello rather than bula. Ruth, having grown up in the capital city of Suva, is a bit more cosmopolitan than the rest of the villagers. 

Dan and Maki continue walking toward Maki’s house while I stop to chat with Ruth. I tell her we’ve brought some gifts for her and Vuki. When she looks inside to see them she literally beams with joy. She had told me how much she loves to read so we brought some books to her as well as some fishing line for Vuki. She beams with delight and tells me Vuki will be very appreciative as well. My heart fills with love and warmth. She asks if it’s okay for her to take them to her home and says she will meet me at Maki’s house shortly. I agree and head in the direction the men.

Soon I’ve arrived at Maki’s home. Dan does what he can to test the battery and provides Maki with his thoughts on it even suggesting a few things to try. Maki is grateful and thanks Dan as he struggles to raise himself off the wooden floor. I think as I watch him how difficult this life must be for the aging villagers. I know at fifty-four I have problems getting up off the floor so I can only imagine what it is like for them. They don’t complain though. Truthfully it would do them no good so why bother?

From Maki’s house we head to the schoolyard just fifty or so feet away. Here Dan is going to set up to fly our drone. We had asked and received permission to do this the prior day. None of the villagers have ever seen a drone in person so this was a very big deal. Children came running from all corners of the village and even the grown ups made their way out to watch. Dan sets up the drone in the shade of a swaying palm tree. The view in front of us is beyond spectacular. The tide is out so you can see even more shades of aqua, green and blue in the water over the coral reef. It’s a spectacularly sunny and clear day and just perfect for this.

With the drone ready to fly Dan tells the children to step back a bit. Maki is sitting on the ground behind him watching in anticipation. The moment Dan maneuvers the drone into the air there are audible gasps and laughter coming from children and the adults too. Maki gets the biggest grin and lets out a hearty “Eo” which means yes in Fijian. The children’s eyes grow as large as half dollars and everyone is fascinated by this flying contraption. As for me…I’m just hoping Dan doesn’t get too distracted and crash it into the water. 

Dan flew the drone for a hour or so all over Kia Island. Then he sat on the grass and played the video footage back on his phone. He was completely enveloped by villagers of all ages. They chattered on in an excited tone in Fijian as smiles lit their lovely brown faces. When they had watched several of the videos Dan began packing up the drone. All of them were thanking us for sharing this with them but the best was yet to come.

We left the village and went back to Dazzler for a few hours. Dan took a nap and I started putting together a video to take back as one last gift for our dear friends. It took a few hours but I managed to make a short, seven minute video that included video and photos from our first day here delivering books to the drone footage of their home and the stunning waters, reef and beach at their doorstep. 

Around 1530 we headed back to shore with the video on a thumb drive. Ruth was there on shore and we walked through the village. At the vale they had the TV on and ready to play the video. The TV sits on the floor as, just like in the homes, there is no furniture, only wooden floors with colorful mats. There is a large gathering of villagers assembled in the vale. For some reason the TV won’t recognize the drive at all but fortunately Ruth has a small, well used and on its last leg laptop. She opens it up and the video plays. There was easily twenty or more people in the room all laying or sitting on the floor around this small laptop watching the video.

Heart-wrenching Goodbyes

I felt myself begin to tear up and had to look away more than once. To see the pure joy something so small brought to these people was simply overwhelming. Their appreciation for us spending a little of our time and energy to do something special for them was heartwarming.

We walked slowly through the village saying our goodbyes to the people who have touched our hearts so deeply. Under a group of trees near the shore there was a group of twenty or so men. We stopped to thank them for sharing their village with us. I asked if I could take a photograph and they agreed. As I turned to leave I told them we would not say “moce” (goodbye) rather “sota tale” which means see you later. We both do hope to see them again one day.

At the water’s edge I hugged Ruth again. She promised to send us an email. If she does it will truly be special as she has to climb to the top of the mountain to get internet. Her eyes met mine one last time and I turned toward the water. The sun was low in the clear sky casting a beautiful golden glow upon the village that stole our hearts.

As we drove away Ruth and the others stood there at the tree line waving. I looked over at Dan and could see that he was also visibly moved by the kindness shown to us by these people. Neither wanted to leave but that is the life we have chosen. It’s always full of happy hellos and too many sad goodbyes.

Later that evening I stepped out on the port side deck and sat on the cabin top looking back at the island. The tradewinds were light but cool as they brushed over my bare shoulders. The island was a darkened mass in front of me that stood out boldly against the purple sky. The almost full moon was rising over the island and the water in front of me was filled with silver sparkles as the moon danced upon the rippling sea. 

On shore the moon lit up the white sandy beach making it look like a strip of well polished silver that separated the deep black ocean from the black mountain that rose above. Just past the beach dimly lit yellow lights flickered in windows of a few of the homes scattered across the village. Not every hut was lit but some were and I sat imagining the scene inside them. Were they talking about us and the new things they saw today? Were the parents playing with their children or maybe even reading to them from some of the books? Were the men drinking kava under a tree somewhere laughing and talking about fishing? Oh how I wished I could be on shore one last time with our special friends. I stayed on deck a while taking in every last moment. I wanted to seal that scene in my mind so deeply it could never be forgotten.

The following morning Dan woke me as the sun began to rise. We had a long day ahead of us to make the ten hour trip back to Baulailai Bay. I begrudgingly pulled myself from the bunk and began to ready Dazzler’s cabin for the trip. My heart was heavy. I just didn’t want to leave. But, I knew it was eminent so I did what I had to do.

Sure going to my our Kia Island family.

Within minutes we were hauling the anchor. Dan on deck and me at the helm. With the anchor secured Dan came back and took over at the helm and I headed to the foredeck. He maneuvered Dazzler closer to the shore as we passed by one last time. On the sandy path that leads from the shore to the village we saw Ruth waving feverishly at us. Then as we began to study the shoreline we noticed many more villagers had come out of their homes to bid us farewell. All waving their hands back and forth for several minutes. I felt my the pit in my stomach grow and tears began falling like rain down my cheeks. How could we leave this place? How could we leave our Fijian family?

The silence in my headset told me Dan was having his own emotional moment in the cockpit. This beautiful place and her people certainly took a hold of our hearts and souls. I waved and waved until I could no longer see the people on shore. Then I stood there on the deck and snapped a few last photos of the island as the sun began to rise over the mountain. I knew in my heart we’d likely never see this place again but one thing is certain the people of Kia Island will forever be a part of our souls. 

Until Next Time,

Jilly

As we leave Kia Island the sun is rising….

Check Out This Awesome Video We Created For Our Kia Island Family…Complete With Incredible Drone Footage! Click Here!

Fiji, Fundraising, Kingdom of Tonga, New Zealand, The South Pacific, Tonga

2019 Rocked!

Well 2019 was certainly a spectacular year for the crew of Dazzler. It started off with a bang as our dear friends, Jack & Mary flew in from the states to join us on a three week road trip around New Zealand. We covered a whole lot of ground making it all the way down to Queenstown and back to Whangarei and we saw many wonderful sites along the way.

That trip ended and we were off to the states for a month to visit friends and family in California and Florida. Yes, having family on both coasts makes for a lot of traveling but we got it all in and still had time for a little sightseeing along the coast of California where Jilly got to see hundreds of Elephant Seals up close on the beach in San Simeon.

FIRST TO CALIFORNIA

THEN TO FLORIDA

After seven long weeks of traveling we returned to Dazzler who was on the hard. There was no time to rest as Dan got to work immediately preparing and painting the bottom as well as working on some other projects like replacing a thru hull and cutlass bearing.

No sooner had we completed all our work and it was time to start provisioning and preparing for the trip back north as our visas were about to expire. At the end of April we cast off our lines and headed back north on the nine-day passage to Tonga where we spent a month traveling the islands. We learned that we really love the Vava’u group of islands the most. And, we especially love the eastern most island of Kenutu. On one side of the island the Pacific Ocean crashes onto the craggily coast with the fury of God and on the other the bay is as flat as glass. It’s spectacular! The Tongan people are very kind and we thoroughly enjoyed getting to know them.

By the end of May we were headed north to Fiji where we spent the next five months. Fiji is a spectacular place! We fully circumnavigated the northern island of Vanua Levu with our German friends Lutz & Gabi on SV SuAn. We visited islands and villages where they had not seen outsiders in years! One village was so excited to have visitors that practically the entire village came to the shore to greet us. It was fabulous to get a chance to visit these remote places and get to know the people there. Most have little to nothing. They live in tiny box like homes with no windows or doors, just cloths hanging over the openings. Most have no furniture to speak of except maybe a mattress on the floor where they sleep. They have community kitchens that are usually set up in the middle of the village and all cooking is done over open fires.

The villagers live on the fish they catch and eat the hogs, goats and chickens they raise. The have some solar power that is provided by the government and their fresh water is collected from the rain. These people have virtually nothing but we can tell you this…we’ve never met more genuine, honest, hardworking and selfless people in the world. If we’d have asked they would have given us, total strangers, the last of their fruits or vegetables and never once asked for a thing in return. It was quite humbling to get to know these fine people.  Each village we visited we had the same experience. In fact, in one village the Chief had his son, Soniala take us on several hour hike up to Tavora falls while his wife, Elizabeth, fixed us a huge lunch to have when we returned.

We visited the island of Makogai where they grow clams as big as humans! This island was once a Leper Colony where people with Leprosy from all over the world were brought to spend the remainder of their days. It’s now a marine conservation station where they grow coral and giant clams and even sea turtles to release back into the wild. We enjoyed several wonderful days here. We found some electrical items, line, clothes and other things on Dazzler that we donated to the village. We also gave the kids a brand new volleyball. They loved that! Dan played volleyball and soccer with them for several hours while I enjoyed the afternoon chatting with the ladies and learning about their culture. We intend to return here next season to spend a week or two helping in the village.

After a month of traveling Vanua Levu we headed west toward Vitu Levu, the Mamanucas and the Yasawas. WOW! What absolutely stunning islands and waters we experienced here. There were places we could see the bottom 200’ below us!

We spent a significant amount of time at the island of Malololailai also known as Plantation Island. There are three resorts on the island and one, Musket Cove, is particularly popular with cruisers as it has a marina and their famous Island Bar. The bay here is well protected and they have very strong moorings as well. We spent so much time here because Dan had to go back to the states for his youngest daughter’s wedding and I was left on the boat for 16 days. If a girl has to be left alone someplace this isn’t a bad spot at all.

Don’t worry, I wasn’t alone the entire time. I had my friend Donna fly in from New Zealand for ten days. Donna and I enjoyed our “girl time” on the boat. Donna isn’t really a boater so teaching her to get in and out of the dinghy and how to conserve water and power aboard was a bit tricky but all worked out swimmingly.

Once Dan returned from the states we took off for the Yasawa Island Group. These are the northwestern most islands in Fiji and also the most beautiful. We visited several islands and met some incredible villagers. We happened into the village at Noboro Pointe on the only day of the year that they hold their church fundraiser. What a wonderful experience this was for us. All three villages on the island gathered together. The goal for them was to raise $21K FJD. This is equivalent to the salary of two people working at a resort for one year. That’s a lot of cha ching for people who make between $100-$300 FJD per week. ($50-$150 USD)

We were treated to a kava ceremony to celebrate them reaching their goal. It was by far the largest one we’ve ever attended with forty or more people sitting on the woven mat drinking kava. It was an exciting and very enlightening day for us. We were honored to be a part of this special day and can’t wait to return next year.

Before we knew it the time had come for us to leave all of our dear Fijian friends and head back here to New Zealand. This is a passage that neither of us was really looking forward to making. You see this passage is known to be one of the toughest in the world. You pass through an area where the Coral Sea, Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean all meet. This makes for some pretty interesting weather systems and often times turbulent seas. Sailors who have made this passage all say the same thing… “This is not a pleasure cruise. This is a get there safely as quick as you can passage.” Just prior to our departure two sailboats sank making the passage. One was just south of Fiji and the other off the northern cape of New Zealand. In that sinking a man lost his life.  As you can imagine we just wanted to get it done.

Our eleven-day passage was, at times, filled with rough weather and more than half of the trip was fraught with issues including a large wave that crashed over the top of us literally swamping the entire cockpit sending water down the companionway. 

On three different occasions we had to heave to in order to work on the water lift silencer which ended up with several holes and a large crack. The first night we were bobbing in the sea in the middle of the night while Dan tried to diagnose the issue. At one point we lost all power, which really freaked me out. I had visions of the Navy coming to rescue us. As it turns out Dan accidentally hit the kill switch. He thought it was hilarious. Me….not so much. Thanks to an amazing little product called Minute Mend Dan was able to patch up the unit and make it work to get us to New Zealand. 

And let’s not forget the leaking jury can full of diesel fuel that we dealt with in the middle of the night or the leaking chain plate that allowed water intrustion into our lockers. Or, there’s my absolute favorite…the morning I was catapulted off the head with the seat attached to my bum as I slammed face first into the head door. Yes, this was quite a trip.

By day eight we were both exhausted and ready for our passage to end. Seems God must have sensed our exhaustion and blessed our final three days with amazing sailing and beautiful weather. We arrived in Marsden Cove Marina almost exactly eleven days to the minute from when we left Momi Bay in Fiji. I could have kissed the dock and probably would have if it hadn’t had bird poo all over it!

We now have the boat tied up at Whangerie Town Basin Marina. Dan has been working on many projects not the least of which was to replace the exhaust lift silencing unit, fix the leak at the chain plate and rebuild two teak hatches in the cockpit.

Of course we have taken a little time to enjoy being back in New Zealand. Our Thanksgiving was simply spectacular. We made a full Thanksgiving dinner on Dazzler which is quite the feat in a galley that’s only about three foot square. We enjoyed a wonderful day of laughter, family, food, drink and music with our wonderful German friends from SV SuAn and SV Rebell. Dan played his ukulele and I played my Irish tin whistle. If we couldn’t be with our blood relatives this was the next best thing. As we like to say, “ We had an American Thanksgiving in New Zealand with our German family!”

We spent Christmas in Auckland with our Kiwi family there. We had three lovely and relaxing days of family time and even met another wonderful new couple who have become the newest addition to our Kiwi family. Jilly got the new Huawei P30 Pro phone that has a 40 MP camera so you’ll see a lot of really great photos in the future. (Note the difference of the ones below) Dan got a custom made, hand-carved flagpole created for him by Macu, a wonderful Fijian carver from the Lau group of islands. Of course he says it’s too nice to put out in the elements so it’s become a beautiful piece of art that is displayed below deck on Dazzler.

Now that the holidays are about over it’s time to get back to work. Dan’s working feverishly on varnish while I’m working very hard on our Book Buying Fundraiser for the children on the remote islands of Fiji. During our travels to the remote villages of Fiji we were blessed to get to know many of the families and tons of children. On Kia Island when we visited they let the kids out of school early for their afternoon meal to visit with us. Two of the young ladies grabbed me by the hand and rushed me across the lawn to see their new library. It is a wooden building about 20’ x 10’. I could smell the freshly cut lumber and new paint. These girls, about 13 or so, were so excited to show me their new library but as we walked in I immediately noticed that the beautiful wooden bookshelves were virtually empty. I broke my heart!

More and more kids came pouring into the library. Each was as excited as the next to tell me all about it and how everyone in the village participated in building it. Still I kept looking at the empty shelves. Later Dan and I spoke with Epeli, the headmaster, who told us that reading books are what they need most. It seems the Fijian government provides textbooks, paper and pencils but no reading books. Before we left we asked the kids what they would like us to bring back to them when we return next year. Each and every child replied, “BOOKS!” They could have asked us for anything else in the world but all they asked for were books. As we visited more villages along the way we heard this same request over and over from the children. 

This experience touched us both very deeply and we made a pledge that we will  return to these villages next season with as many books as we can buy and carry. As of today we’ve raised $1405 USD which brings us just short of 50% of our goal but we’re not done yet. We will continue to take donations through March 1stand we truly believe we will get there with the help of our fans, friends and families.

If you’d like to help us help the kids of Fiji, please CLICK HERE to make a donation

Well, that’s about all from the Sovereign Nation of Dazzler. If you want to see some photos of our adventures be sure to check out our Dazzler Art Photos & Videos Page by CLICKING HERE We’ve recently posted several hundred photos. We’re also working on a book of our travels, which we hope to have ready this year.

We certainly hope you all have a Fabulous and Propersous New Year!

Cheers,

Jilly & Dan

P.S. Grape Ape also had the time of his life this year. He is growing rather quickly and acts much like a teenager wanting to spend more time exploring on his own than hanging out with us but then that’s kids for ya. He does enjoy riding in the dinghy when we pull it behind the boat though. He loves his Uncle Lutz of SV SuAn and he’s made quite a few new friends this year. He’s looking forward to seeing what 2020 has in store.