What time is it there?!

There are many places in Fiji where you can see Meke (traditional dancing) or attend a Lovo feast (the Lovo is the underground ‘oven’ lined with banana leaves). In most cases these are in the larger resort hotels, but sometimes they take place in the villages.

We were fortunate to be able to experience the latter and contribute to the local community rather than a foreign hotel company. The wife of our hotel owner was from neighbouring Naselesele village where they are raising funds to rebuild and extend the school. (Apparently they receive some help from New Zealand which sends old school desks when NZ schools are refurbished.)

So, once a week they invite visitors to a Lovo which is prepared by the parents of the schoolchildren. We only expected to have the meal but we were also treated to a singing and dancing performance by the kids themselves. Possibly not as polished a performance as we might see at the Sheraton, but much more worthwhile. The food was excellent, and we even picked up some cooking tips from the ‘chefs’!