Category Archives: Daily Lime

The Beauty of Savusavu

Leave a reply

Savusavu is a delightful place with grocery stores, fresh produce, bakeries, restaurants, chandleries, mechanics, and some tourism.  It’s small enough to be quaint and big enough to meet our needs after being off the grid for so long.

There are 4 marinas in Savusavu.  Two of the “marinas” are very small and only offer a few mooring balls:  Waitui Marina and Savusavu Marina.

Copra Shed Marina has moorings and a few slips at their dock.  They have 2 restaurants, a gift shop, chandlery, activity center, Fiji Airways office, and a Money exchange.

Nawi Marina is the new, big marina that is still in the process of expanding.  They have lots of marina slips and a haul out facility.  Soon, they will have mooring balls.  They have a beautiful pool, 2 restaurants, chandlery, small market, coffee shop, small beauty spa and more.

We stay on a Copra Shed mooring (see green arrow).  We have a nice breeze, very little traffic and a pretty view.

The marinas are all vastly different but there is something for everyone.

Nawi is still trying to figure things out.  They’ve unfortunately tripled their rates so it is not a place we stay.  But, we do love to visit and enjoy their pool, bar and restaurants.

There is a lovely produce market that is open daily.  You can find eggs, potatoes, onions, papayas, bananas, bell peppers hot peppers, cabbage, avocados, passion fruit and oh so much more!

A Month Long Stay

Normally, we would not have stayed for a month.  However, I had to fly back to the states to pick up our boat parts and Matt had to do the repairs.

At least we were “stuck” in a beautiful town with provisions, restaurants, and lots of other cruisers to hang out with!

We had lots of beautiful rainbows.

And more rainbows:

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.

We arrived Savusavu in early May and stayed for several weeks repairing the boat.  Be sure to check out our arrival to Savusavu here.

Descanso Gardens cherry blossom tree

The Sleeping Descanso Gardens

Leave a reply

I met my dearest friend Kathryn at Descanso Gardens in La Canada, California.  These botanical gardens are on 150-acres.  They feature a wide area, mostly forested, with artificial streams, ponds, lawns, and small sitting structures.

There were gravel, wood chip, and dirt paths twisting throughout the property.  Streams with small waterfalls, towering forest and blossoming floral gardens.

The colors were extremely vibrant and the smells are deliciously fragrant.

Poppies, daffodils, roses, stargazers, lilies and more.

There are lots of seating areas, bridges, and water features.  We came across a man wearing a captain’s hat and reading.

Daphne’s Wardrobe

The Descanso Gardens had a wonderful display called Daphne’s Wardrobe Metamorphosis into Nature.  It is beautiful combination of art and fashion. 

The displays consisted of clothing, sculptures, paintings, and photography.

Many beautiful sculptures and carvings were on display as well.

I really wanted to try this on!  Check out the pretty little shoes on display.

This was my favorite spot. 

The cherry blossom tree was in bloom and reflected beautifully in the water.

What a joy it was to spend some quality time with Kathryn! 

We really enjoyed the Descanso Gardens.  Although, I’d recommend going in the spring when the flowers are in full bloom.

Our blog posts run 6 weeks behind actual live events.  We were in Descano Gardens in early March 2025.

We had the best time as we danced through Disneyland, come play with us.

Delusions of Fresh Produce

Leave a reply

Fresh produce has always been a bit elusive in the remote islands of the Pacific.  Most islands are hundreds if not thousands of miles away from the “main town.”   And even the main towns have to have the produce either flown in or shipped in.  Both modes of transportation are long, hard journeys often leaving the produce bruised, damaged, and spoiled.

We were very excited to arrive in Majuro because we heard you could get American products which we craved.  The Marshall Islands often get their food supplies from the U.S. and Hawaii in particular.  So, we had hoped we would have access to some tasty fresh vegetables and fruit.  Delusions of grandeur.

There are several stores that sell produce, but only 2 have a “decent” selection.  The best day to shop for produce is the day after the plane arrives which are Tuesdays and Saturdays.  This photo was taken at one of the better stores.  The worker was literally just stocking the shelves.  Most of this will be gone in 1-2 days.

 

What Did we Find?

We mostly found staples like potatoes, cabbage, onions, small eggplant (aubergine).  On a good day, we could find monster carrots, apples, bananas, celery, grapes.  It is a treasure hunt to find unblemished produce.

If there was produce on the shelves it typically was in some form of decay or spoiled.  Yet, it was still exceedingly expensive.  We find it really hard to believe anyone would buy the produce in the ruined state at such high costs.  So you would assume there is a lot of waste.

Just a little rough….and yet so very expensive!

The pre-packaged fruit is bug free but as you can tell they are poor condition (these were just put on the shelves)

In addition, there often are lots of bugs and critters on or around the produce. 

Exorbitant Prices

Prices for the fresh produce tend to be extremely high.  Understandable considering they are coming from another country by plane or ship.  But, they tend to be a lot higher than expected.  For example

  • Grapes $11.85/lb (so one bag will be over $23)
  • Carrots $3.45/lb
  • Apples $3.39/lb
  • Eggplant  $6.49/lb
  • Avocados $8/99/lb
  • Broccoli $6.45/lb

Not sure how the locals can afford these prohibitive prices considering the average Marshallese only makes $4.00 per hour. 

These were discounted because on Tuesdays they give “elderly” a discount.  Yep, I am elderly after 55!

Some more crazy prices.

Growing Produce in the Islands

Many locals in French Polynesia, Fiji, and Vanuatu had thriving gardens.  Almost every island had banana, mango, breadfruit, and pandanus trees.  However, we have not been so lucky in the RMI.

Most, if not all, of islands in RMI are rock and coral.  Making the “soil” unfavorable for gardening. 

Effects of No Produce

It is so very sad to report, but 75% of Marshallese over 50 have Type II diabetes.  Maybe because they don’t have access to good produce. Maybe because there is too much of an American influence. Or maybe they were never taught healthy habits and there simply aren’t many options.

Our blog posts run 4-6 weeks behind live events.  This blog took place in early March. Check out how we amused ourselves while at the remote island of Enemonit.