A few years back I travelled to Fiji to get the lay of the land with a few other travel and event planners from the States.
One morning we went on a jet boat safari up the Sigatoka River.
We zipped up the river, alongside mountains and tropical forest. We passed fishermen, and naked kids playing in the water. All waved at us excitedly with both arms and palms to the sky.
Our destination? A village reached by trekking up a river bank while grasping at exposed roots.
The village elders prepared the venerable Kava drink for us - which we drank from a communal cup. It tastes like muddy Chloraseptic spray with the same numbing effect.
We feasted on root vegetables, bananas and coconut creamed taro leaves.
As we left, they sang a Christian Hymn, and asked us to drink our Fiji Water when we got back home.
It's their biggest export.
