Lovo and Kava with the Martz's.....

When you're away from home, it's always really lovely to see some friendly, familiar faces once in a while. Here's a snapshot of a chilled and fun-filled weekend in the Coral Coast with the Martz's. Thanks Colleen for sending me some fantastic pics...I've got to get myself a better quality camera!...

View from inside the villa.

View of the beach from the villa.

What a handsome devil.

View of our villa from the beach. (The picture captions will get more interesting, I promise!)

The beach just outside our villa.

Natalie and one of our new Fijian friends make baskets for the meat in the underground 'lovo' oven. It's crazy how quickly a basket can be created from some leaves!

Patrick and I have eaten a 'lovo' feast before, but this was the first time we'd seen how it was made. First, coal was ignited and left until just glowing. Then the leaf-wrapped meats were put on top, more banana leaves on top of that, then the whole kit and kaboodle was buried under the ground and left for a few hours. After those hours are up, out comes some yummy grub!

Colleen, Natalie, me and Patrick enjoying the lovo feast.

Patrick gulping down a kava bowl...half tide.

I take bongo-playing very seriously, apparently. That shell necklace was given to everybody on arrival at the villa.

A bloody great bonfire on the beach; we had to sit quite a way back!

There I am again with my bongos- and a French braid, courtesy of Natalie. Nice to get out of my hairstyle rut for one night!

Dean, our new Fijian friend, passes over the first kava bowl.

The kava making process...pouring water into a bag full of kava powder, then squeezing it into the wooden kava bowl. Bit better than Patrick and I's attempt last year!