Thursday 4 August Diving Split Rock and a meke

It was all go today. First led by local dive guide Cewa, we and the Oso Blanco bunch did a dive at Split Rock on the west side of Ono. Cewa used to be a guide at the local dive resort and claims to have done 2000 dives which I expect have all been in the same reef. It was a dive of spectacular scenery and visibility, not a lot of sea life but the swim throughs and canyons made up. We went back in the afternoon for a second dive on another part of the same reef. The water was a cool 26c, the coolest we've seen here.
In the evening all the boats (Jarana and a French catamaran had come in) were invited by the villagers to a meke to raise funds for the church. In the meeting house the villagers were gathered at one end, a large cava bowl set out and the palangis sitting cross legged at the other end. First we were formally welcomed with a speech and passing of the cava bowl. Then five buff chaps entered wearing sulus (sarong), floral garlands and beefy six packs and performed a series of traditional dances accompanied by guitars and the massed choir of the village. This wasn't a tourist show; it was the real deal, a true Fijian welcome in a dusty bure lit by paraffin lamps. The ladies set out plates of sweet treats made from casava, taro, coconut and gave us lemon tea in china cups. The tea is leaves from the lemon tree steeped in hot water and as delicious as any expensive tissane. The water might have been a bit smokey.

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