After a recent divorce, was certainly a turning point in my young life of 30 years. In early October 1979, Bruce and I flew fourteen hours Nandi, Fiji. We had a plane ticket incredible introduction to Continental Airlines to return five hundred dollars, including Hawaii, and good for a maximum of one year. During the ’79, Brooke Shields was busy filming the Blue Lagoon in Fiji. Would soon be our neighbors, the island is concerned. In the Nandi airport was the first thing we hear Bula, Fiji to say hello. We had just got off the plane to another world. The hot tropical night air felt so good after the frost of cold in the Pacific Northwest. Hindus in Fiji is fifty percent, it is ironic that this city is named after Lord Shiva bull, Nandi. Even the capital city of Suva is very similar to Shiva for me. But these are just observations of a Hindu mind. Who knows, maybe Fiji really blow my mind.
A day at the Suva market, Bruce and I luckily found a native of the island very friendly external named Joe. He offered to take his people Gunu on the island of Naviti in the Yasawa group. At first I believed him. We needed to get the public going to. We also asked the government to take a punch or kava, rice, flour, sugar and salt, carrots, bread, jam and peanut butter. That way no pressure on its economy from low-income people self-sufficient. Finally we left a five-hour trip by 24 feet long full of copra or dried coconut boat, went to the island of Naviti Joe. The total cost was $ 5.50 each. Cold waves splashed us all day, we were soaked and we had the wind and burned by the sun, without sun visible in the sky. On this trip 36 miles, in fact, my fingers got numb. This was the first time he had been cold since leaving the Pacific Northwest. Since the waves were splashing me and shook all over, all I could think about was the possibility of a Hindu woman. In the back of my head I could hear my mother saying his mantra: “Oh God, Bob.” Many native friends here and had put this idea to me. Bruce had a similar idea, the possibility of marrying a Rotuman woman. Rotuma is an island 300 kilometers north of Fiji and is known for its beautiful women and the sweetest fruit in the South Pacific. Now it is a good idea. We had met before a couple Rotumans here. One, called Julian, had been our friend, the planting of this idea and also suggest that it absolutely had to see your beautiful island on our trip. It seemed a good idea at the time of the marriage thing, I think, as I was already in the Hindu mind. I imagined a young pretty woman from the East Indies, probably would make a hip guy like me a great teammate. Now I was flipping over the idea. So maybe you might be able to live in Fiji full or part time. In fact, when my head was in the bouncing of my divorce. And look Rotuman women and their island does not sound like a bad idea either.
Finally, Naviti saw looming in the distance. The water here is so blue, splashed to the waist, which went ashore. It was a vision of Hollywood dreams were. No wonder they are filming The Blue Lagoon here! Where’s the music? This beautiful tropical scene blew me away. I totally forgot how cold it was a moment ago. Most tourists in Fiji will never see this side of native life, unless they are invited to her and us. But there is a price to pay for it too, like the physical aspect. After taking the breath on the beach, we started walking five miles of jungle trails, incredible views is view of other islands in the Yasawa Group and numerous white sandy beaches are scattered in all directions without tourists, the real Fiji. Soon it became dark on the road and after Joe was not an easy task. After slipping and sliding in the dark, we met a native who had the most amazing banana I have ever tasted. After her sweet snack, take a swim in a saltwater lagoon with black lightning above. My God! Where are the dinosaurs? Cocos fell into darkness and bananas were scattered everywhere, with a warm breeze blowing to beat the band. This refreshing shower sense, but I wish it could have been clean water instead of saline. By the time they reached the village of Joe, was the moon, casting a beautiful glow of the bay he had seen in Fiji. Already have Bruce and I like that they were allowed a glimpse of heaven on earth, or at least a completely different culture to ours. Here was a paradise.
The next day we took the punch / root or kava yongona Chief Johnny. Conducted serious prayers to the gods of mana and Dina or fate and truth, followed by subdued applause ordered us permission to be part of his people. Johnny then thanked us. You should always give yongona during their stay in a village in Fiji, to be accepted. In the days that followed, we tested the green coconut milk, was our first Sulu or wrap around skirt and learned to weave palm leaf baskets with great difficulty. Soon the fishing lessons began in the blue lagoon. harpoons were basically a clamp in combination with a hanger. You can imagine how hard it must be to shoot a fish in this way! You have to calculate the refractive nature of water as well.
Joe has had doctors, scientists, engineers, hippies and God knows who else lives here in his hometown Gunu. Joe is a holy man to me, and physically Mahavatar reminded me in his previous incarnation. In 1974, when my wife Jolene and I had made a pilgrimage to Ecuador, we made a little book with us, Hariakhan Baba-Known, unknown Baba Hari Dass. Joe looked a lot like the cover photo of Babaji. Who was this man, Joe, for giving us an amazing experience? Babaji was perhaps unknown to us. Ironically, eight years later, when my house burned down, drew the cover of this book does not get burned!
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