Bula from Fiji

Bula from Savusavu, Fiji.
A quick 3hrs gets you to Fiji's main island from NZ – no sign of a coup. We then flew out the following day to Vanau Levu, an hour's flight in a few oil drums joined up with a wing stapled on top. It did come into the small craft category with almost having to slide along the floor to get to your seat to avoid cracking your head on the top of the drum.
Landing was amusing when I saw the pilot's view, he was aiming at a hillside. After a while a strip running into the sea could be seen and down we went. The pilots nearly took out the arrivals lounge when parking up with their wingtip. The best arrival Jen and I have had in years with the airport measuring 30'x15', very quaint and naturally no exterior walls to talk of. We were whisked away by waiting taxi and settled down for a bit of a run. I had hardly done up my seatbelt when we were told it was time to get out, we had arrived. 3 mins had passed.
We are staying in a terrific property set in 5 acres with fruits, flowers, bananas and coconuts all available for the taking. We have been getting the best Fijian hospitality from Sailosi the caretaker and Andrea the gardener. J&K are schooled on how to drop coconuts, which to drop, how to get into them, which tree provides a natural hollowed stem for a straw and how to present them to the parents with a hibiscus on top.
Jen is having a good time cooking breadfruit, about the size of a melon and actually tastes like a potato but grows up a tree; cassava roots which also taste like spuds and anything else we get at the market. We have a huge bunch of bananas hanging at the front door that Andrea brought in. He turned them upside down yesterday and put salt on the stalk to help them ripen.
Have tried brewing kava, the local grog which should give a fuzzy feeling, but need more practice so Sailosi is to show us how it's done tomorrow. Also have a bunch of dried kava roots to take to the local chief as a gift so we can get into Andrea's village proper. Jen and the kids have already walked along the beach with Andrea to his house so that the local herbal lady could look at Kate's sore fingers (heat rash as in Aus.) and were given a bottle of oil. Now we've been invited for tea!
Everyone here waves, smiles and speaks, and if local to the house, they introduce themselves immediately. Generosity is natural to them and they aren't looking for anything in return. I think this is the friendliest place that I have been in all my traveling. Even today we stopped on a back road to be bloody nosey at what was going on at a shed(see pic) and were immediately welcomed by the village men. They were heating coconuts to be able to extract the oil but they were also tasty as they gave us some. Unfortunately no oil for sale then. They were eating oranges and insisted we took some away with us and wouldn't accept anything in return. We had some banter about Fiji beating Scotland in the rugby this week and moved off. These people are truly generous when they have massively less income then anyone in Europe, but spend more time smiling than most too.
Just back from an amazing snorkelling trip just round the bay from the Jean Michel Cousteau resort – the biggest variety of tropical fish and coral in a small area – fabulous colours and shapes – see Jack's photos!

Pics. The coconut boys, the airport with bull and one pic which Jack took this morning from our snorking trip.