Category Archives: Daily Lime

Life as a Pack Mule

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We were exhausted after visiting 3 countries and sailing over 1800 nautical miles in less than one month.  However, one of us had to be the pack mule. 

We needed boat parts to repair the boat and they were not available in Fiji.  So, we ordered all of the parts and had them shipped to my sister in California.

Imagine our surprise when we discovered it would cost $900 USD to ship a 20lb box (18″x18″x6″) from Los Angeles to Savusavu.  

In the past we used Fiji Freight and they were amazing!  However, they are no longer doing consolidated shipping.  They are only focusing on commercial shipping.  We looked at many shipping companies and shipping agents.  The cheapest price was close to the price of an airline ticket.

We decided it would be best to physically go to the U.S. to retrieve our valuable boat parts.

Savusavu to Los Angeles

A flight from Savusavu to Nadi and then Los Angeles will cost about $1,100 USD and will take 21-22 hours (depending on layovers).  

The one hour flight from Savusavu is on 21-passenger plane operated by Fiji Link.  This small plane pulls up to the equally small, single-building airport. 

I sat in the last row on my departing flight.

We had beautiful views of both Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Markedly, a beautiful day!

I love that you can see the shadow of our airplane in the water.

Coming in for a landing at the Nadi International airport. 

The bottom left photo shows us making the approach to the airport. Can you see the air strip?

The Domestic terminal is super small.  One baggage carousel, a small cafe, bathrooms and 2 desks. 

It is a short 3-minute walk to the International terminal.

The flight from Nadi to L.A. was huge! Close to 250-300 passengers.  It was cruel that they had us pass by the business/first class area to get to our tightly packed economy area.

Hermosa Beach

I took a few extra days with my sister and her sweet 6-month old puppy Luke. 

We went on lovely walks each day, ran some errands, and gathered boat parts.

The only person I got to see was my uncle Matthew.  He came by for a short visit and lunch.

I enjoyed lots of walks between Hermosa Beach (above) and Manhattan beach (below).

Pack Mule

Enough funny business.  It was time to earn my pack mule title. 

It was time to remove all packaging and organize this chaos in a way that meets the strict luggage guidelines.

I was allotted one checked bag weighing 30 kilos (66lbs) and one carry bag weighing 7 kilos (15lbs).  

Lots of heavy bearings, a wash down pump, a full stainless tool kit, 2 sets of dive gauges, snorkel gear, and some clothes.

As it turned out my checked bag came in right at 30 kilos!  Man was I lucky.  My carry on was 5 kilos.

Matt took a photo of our plane coming into Savusavu:

Our blog posts run 8-10 weeks behind actual live events. 

I was a pack mule for Matt the first part of May 2025.

Be sure to read about our passage to Fiji here.

Bombing of Funafuti Celebration

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We are invited to celebrate Te Aso o te Paula which translates to “The Day of the Bomb.”  This is a ceremonial day for Funafuti where they celebrate surviving the WWII bomb and the minimal loss of life.

The main atoll of Funafuti in Tuvalu received the U.S. Marines on October 2, 1942.  Funafuti became a significant army and navy base housing a total of 350 aircraft and a brand new airport.

The Japanese didn’t know the Americans built a base in Funafuti, Tuvalu.  They were looking for other bases to the North of Kiribati, not to the south.

The Japanese bombed Funafuti seven months after the airport was completed on April 23, 1943.

Even though one local and two servicemen lost their lives they still celebrate this day of survival.

Fun Fact about Funafuti

There are two main villages on the island.  To the south of the Presbyterian church is one village. The other village is located to the north of the church.  The church sits in the center of the island between both villages.  

There is one chief over the entire island and the priest is “over” the chief.

Celebrating in Funafuti

The two villages participate in games all week long to see who is the superior village.  On the celebration day, the compete in dance and song.

A group of men surround a platform that they use as a drum.  Singers surround the drummers and the dancers face the opposite village.

The celebrations start out with lunch and speeches.  The U.S. flag and special plaque are on display.

The villagers decorate the hall with beautiful, handwoven crafts.

The Dancers

Every song and dance tells a story.  Threaded through every story is the gratitude for the gift of life.

The women dancers delight with their beautiful smiles and gentle hand gestures.

The men show their fierce nature with strong movements and stomps.

A few of my favorite performers.

The 80th Anniversary Celebrated in NZ 

A beautiful video of the celebrations in New Zealand on April 23, 2023. 

A survivor recounts the Day of the Bomb. 

She remembered over 40 locals running to the church.  And shortly after an American soldier told them to evacuate as the church was an easy target. The church was later destroyed.

Our blog posts run 8-10 weeks behind actual live events. 

We celebrated Te Aso o te Paula on 23 April 2025.

See more information on No Foreign Land 

In our last blog post I share the dramatic failures on Sugar Shack.

Tuvalu and its Charms

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Tuvalu is such a small country but it is rich in its charms and culture.  We’ve met so many lovely people who have welcomed us with big smiles and hardy waves!

Formation of Atolls – David’s Drill

An great attraction in Funafuti is “David’s Drill.”

Scientists from the Royal Society of London conducted experimental drilling in the late 1800s.  Their goal was to test Charles Darwin’s theory of atoll formation. Darwin, the famous formulator of evolution theory, believed that all coral atolls rest on a volcanic base. The deepest bore at David’s Drill reached over 1,000′ and proved Darwin’s theory. The boreholes can still be seen to this day in Fongafale village.

Funafuti has the oldest, most comprehensive geological map of any atoll globally.  This provides a unique dataset for on-going contributions to the geological sciences.

Tuvalu Stamps – Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau

The Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau is located at the southern end of the township of Funafuti. Stamps depicting facets of Tuvalu are printed overseas and are highly collectable.

Since 1975, collectors from more than 60 countries around the globe have eagerly sought new issues of Tuvalu stamps.

There are over one hundred stamps on display that you can purchase.  You tell the worker what stamp you want and she searches the boxes (2nd row, left photo) for your stamps).

The popularity of these unique and original stamps grew rapidly.

These are the stamps I purchased:

Public Gym – Fitness Area

Near the beach with a beautiful view is a fitness area donated fitness equipment.  It looks a bit old (2019) but it all works.

Amazing Garden

It is very difficult for the people living on atolls to have any type of garden.  The reason is because they do not have any soil or dirt. 

However, the clever people of Tuvalu have created and maintain a spectacular community garden.  With much thanx to the Taiwanese. 

The Taiwanese provide the seeds, tools, and soil.  The locals built an area above the coral, covered it, added enriched soil, and started planting. 

They have dozens of enormous rain water tanks to keep things hydrated..

The locals use pig and chicken manure to enrich the soil. 

It also gives them an opportunity to sell the eggs and pigs for additional income.

The result is a rich, thriving garden. 

They sell tomatoes, cucumbers, cabbage, eggplant, peppers, bananas, lettuce, bok choi, squash and more.

To purchase items from the garden you arrive at 6:00am on Tuesday or Saturday. There is no shopping cart or bag.  A list is passed around that you write your order on. Then you wait for your name to be called to collect your bag.

Our blog posts run 8-10 weeks behind actual live events.

Did you read about Tuvalu’s status as the 2nd smallest country in the world in our last blog post?