December 2005
Merry Christmas!
and for our many guests who ill be staying in participating villages over Christmas and New Year this is one thing you will not have to worry about!
Nukusere joins FijiBure.com
Following my last trip to Fiji I have now included the
village of Nukusere
into our project.
The village is handily located just minutes from Namuamua which means that larger groups of up to fifteen people can now be accommodated at one time by sharing across the villages (both villages have a normal limit of six adults).
Nukusere is in a beautiful location downstream from Namuamua on the Navua River. Your host is Sakiusa, a relatively wealthy Fijian villager who owns three of the water taxis which ply their trade up and down the Navua River.
The village of Nukusere is better known for
its day trips - with hotel guests paying about F$100 each to spend a few
hours at the village before returning to their western styled way of living.
There is nothing more satisfying than staying at a village while day-trippers
have to come and go. My wife and I had this experience back in 2003 at Namuamua
when a group of back packers on a trek passed through the village as we were
preparing for our wedding... dressed in traditional tapa cloth! You should
have seen their faces... that's us on the right!
Some more signs seen on my travels:
On the menu of a Polish hotel:
Salad a firm's own make; limpid red beet soup with cheesy dumplings in the form of a finger; roasted duck let loose; beef rashers beaten up in the country people's fashion.
and another....:
As for the trout served you at the Hotel Monopol, you will be singing its praises to your Grandchildren as you lie on your death bed.
Warm water showers now at Namatakula:
Simon and Judith Batigasaga at Namatakula have now installed a warm/hot water shower in their guest house. This new innovation has caused a lot of excitement in the village and we understand that more will be appearing soon in places like the ablutions off the community hall.
Record year for FijiBure.com
This has been a very big year for the villagers. Over five hundred guests have been entertained in our villages over the last calendar year... with bookings for 2006 coming in thick and fast. We thank the many guests who have written glowing testimonials and offered comments and support for this project. The villages are now starting to see very real benefits from this support with renovations, employment, new buildings and new paths being constructed.
Have a wonderful but safe festive break.
Until 2006...
Scott Balson