Kioa

 3.5 miles across the strait from Naqaiqai lies the island of Kioa.  Kind of a strange history.  It is not Fijian in culture, the entire island coming from Tuvulu.  Their own language and customs.  I had always seen the village when exiting Naqaiqai and thought 'some day I have to go visit.'  Well today was the day.  I motored over and anchored in 50 feet of water with a sand bottom.  The bay shallows very quickly - I think I could hit the shore with a rock.

When I came in there were boats coming from all over, people dressed in white shirts and unloading all sorts of paraphernalia like chests and rolled up things.  Uh oh - I've come during a religious ceremony.  But, not to be daunted, I loaded up the eyeglasses and paddle boarded to the beach.  Found the first adult I could and asked to see the headman.  This guy was a visitor, too, but he asked somebody else and I got directed to the headman's house.  Where I found out that they didn't do sevusevu, so I sort of wasted a bunch of kava.

The headman said there was a big meeting in the group house and that I was free to join them.  I declined, saying I was sure they had their own agenda to keep and that I didn't want to intrude.  I offered to come back to the beach at 2 pm with the glasses if he would spread the word.  He agreed, found some glasses that fit and I left to have lunch back at the boat.

Come 2 pm and I'm back on the beach, sitting by myself for forty minutes until Louisa took pity on me and came over to inquire what I was doing.  She invited me to her house and said there would be people there to try on glasses.  So I followed her to a second-floor balcony, met her husband David, and sat on the mat while she invited people up to see the glasses.  It was only then that David told me the 'meeting' at the group house was a wake for a cousin that had just died.  That explained all the people coming in boats and the white shirts.  I had walked right into a funeral!  And had been invited to it!  No thanks.

Well, I distributed a half-dozen glasses and then excused myself to go back to the boat.  Headed to Buca Bay tomorrow.  There is a mission there run by the Seventh Day Adventists.  I am hoping they will take donations of the strong prescription glasses that I have that are hard to match with people.