bush bunnies

I wish I had pictures of this weekend. I went to my buddy Siti's village to hang out with him since I'm stuck in Suva and am beginning to see the city as a curse rather than the blessing that city life usually affords me.

So I skipped town and went 'bush' for the weekend. Drank wine on Friday night, hungover Saturday morning, but after one of those I-just-puked-up-my-dinner-from-two-nights-ago kind of releases, I rallied and was reeling to go. Armed with machetes and an old flour sack, Siti and I hiked out into the woods.

We hiked all day, gathering food along the way. If I had to choose one PCV to be stranded with in the jungle, I'd pick Siti. 2 reasons:
1. He's got a beard. (It just fits the part.)
2. He's completely competent in the jungle.

He could spot the fresh-water fern (ota) from 10 paces away. He hacked a bamboo pole into submission to reach a breadfruit high in the trees. He found guava trees, cocoa trees, and orange trees and even caught a fish with his bare hands! (ok I made up that part about the fish, but he did everything else.) I forgot I was with an American and just assumed Siti had been raised in the bush and had never been to town due to his ease of movement and knowledge.

I am quite an awkward person, especially when it comes to forging rivers and bush-whacking. I made a ridiculously pathetic side-kick, and Siti and I laughed about how terrible I am at spotting curly green ferns amongst the green background of the jungle.

To be fair though, he grew up in the woods and even admitted to mushroom hunting as a wee lad. The only thing I've ever hunted was cute boys at the mall. And I dare say, I'd kick his butt any day at that competition.

After a long day of hiking, gathering, and swimming in the cool pools of the river, we headed back to feast on our food that we had found on the land. It was incredible to have 2 meals, free of charge, that we gathered and cooked ourselves. Very empowering. I have vowed to do more bush-related activities when I go back to my village. Maybe even try to grow a beard.