Coconuts, Coconuts, Coconuts...

Bula!

After spending my birthday morning drinking fresh coconuts on an island north of Fiji with friends, it was hard to leave.

Fiji was fun. My 2 weeks over there pretty much revolved around sulus (sarongs) & coconuts...we scrapped coconuts, we squeezed the meat to make milk, we drank fresh ones (bu - pronouced 'boo'), we froze them to make coconut slushies & ate them somehow either in recipes or by themself at every meal. We did raw food cooking demonstrations & made raw cheesecake, beetroot soup, raw curry & salads all with some form of coconut in it. Beautiful!

Originally the plan was to assist in building a school over there, however plans soon changed & we were relocated to the opposite side of the island living with a Fijian family to assist some of the local women with their health issues. We were located in a rural area only 2 minutes stroll through long grass to the beach. Most mornings I tried to scoot down for a swim. The local women were quite overweight so we monitored their blood pressure, discussed diet alternatives with them, tried to inspire them with exercise & cooking demonstrations but I think more than 2 weeks is needed as they all did things in their own time (Fiji time). The staple foods of casava and taro don't help the situation, so we tried to inspire them with delectable raw food recipes. Slowly slowly :) A good experience.

Tash & I were introduced to some traditional healing methods as well as traditional food - all vegan (this particular family)...yum! Food preparation was a massive part of our day as there were alot of mouths to feed. Some of the delicious foods we enjoyed were tropical fruit salad with the sweetest pineapples, yummiest pawpaws and endless bananas. Roro balls were delectable - taro (a root vegetable) leaves boiled up in coconut milk with some chilli & other spices added, rolled into patties & cooked again in coconut milk. These amazing patties had the texture of a lindt ball that just melted in your mouth - but full of green goodness! We also ate lots of bharji - greens fresh from the garden cooked in coconut milk, curries - my favourites were eggplant & pumpkin, dahl, plenty of casava & taro - these I didn't warm to until the very end as they had the texture of clag glue, however a good staple for the locals as its easy to grow. Everyone had it in their yard as it's also easy to plant - you just have to break the stem off & stick it back in the ground. Tash & Nader needed some fattening up so the family fed it to them at almost every meal. The solid build of a lot of Fijians could be attributed to casava. The markets were a great experience - most people hire wheelbarrow men to carry all their items which get paid a small fee at the end ($2 Fijian). All food is sold in neat bundles, instead of by the kilo. The upstairs section of our nearby markets had stall after stall selling the local herb Kava, used as a sedative &/or an alcohol.

On my first bus trip across the island I had to keep pinching myself to remind me of where I was...all of these Indians kept hopping on at each stop & I started to become confused about whether I was in Fiji or India...I thought I was heading to India next?! I didn't realised the ratio of Indians to Fijians. Apparently they were brought over by the British about 130years ago to cut cane because the Fijians were just too lazy - working on 'Fiji time' obviously. Tash, Nader & I all found it hard to settle into 'Fijian time'...adding an extra 2-3 hours onto any specified departure time seemed to be a pattern. Once we realised this things became easier ;)

We all participated in a salt water cleanse in the second week where we had to drink a 2 liter concoction each morning of salt water, tank water & boiled water. Once the difficult task of downing the liquid was done (a tequila lemon suck followed each mouthful) & a few hours passed, we would begin dreaming & talking of anything related to food. Most members of the household participated. After enjoying such healthy amazing vegan food leading up to the cleanse it was tricky to go cold turkey. We all lasted until the second day when someone caved & we all followed suit..ha!

My last night with the family finished with a bonfire at the beach! A perfect end. The following day the 3 of us headed north to an island off Fiji - Nanu-i-ra. The bus ride was gorgeous - with parts of the island showing dense areas that reminded me of PNG jungle. The northern part of the island was quite mountainous and very dry. A real contrast. The mainland is alot bigger than I imaged as it took 6 hours to travel from Nadi to Suva (west to east) & four hours north from Pacific Harbour to Rakiraki. Nanu-i-ra was a peaceful simple island that had coconuts, snorkelling, amazing sunrises & sunsets & the perfect company of friends. What more could I ask for? I got a little too much sun though & am still in pain wearing clothes 5 days later! I've latthered up on Calendula cream, neem cream, lavendar oil, homeopathics, aloe vera, you name it...I've given it ago. So far, no peeling!

Thanks for all of your birthday wishes! I spent yesterday baking a strawberry, banana and apple birthday cake with my little cousin Ben & we all enjoyed it at a birthday dinner last night at a cosy pub in Camden. The weather is a little chilly here in Sydney but my internal heating system (sunburn) seems to be working a treat. I'm off to India this afternoon!

Love nellieoxo