Amphi in Fiji
Mermaid and I had a wonderful time on
the islands of Fiji. We did an amazing
amount of snorkeling, diving, jungle
hikes, and relaxing. But one of the
highlights had to be our stay in a real
Fijian village where we were invited
to stay as guests with the villagers. As
part of our welcome to this remote
location (visited by fewer than a dozen
Americans per year) we partook in the
Kava drinking ceremony. Kava is a
mild narcotic derived from the roots of
the Kava plant which are powdered and
soaked in water to form a sort of tea
that is shared amongst honored guests
and the villagers. Mermaid and I drank
several dozen cups of the Kava brew
while surrounded by a dozen Fijians in
their grass hut. No electrical power, no
appliances, no nothing... just Kava and
the villagers broken English to decipher.
As the Kava numbed our minds we did
our best to keep pace with the tradition.
As the evening wore on into the early
morning the natives began to pass
around polaroid photos of their family
members. I took this opportunity to
pass around my personal business card
which depicts me in Amphi in the water
on one side and a cut-a-way view of
Amphi on the other side. I proclaimed
that I was the owner of a "water car"
that can be driven on land and in the sea.
This concept was so foreign to them
that it took several minutes to explain,
but once understood it became the stuff
legends are made of. The business card
was past around many times with each
Kava intoxicated villager howling with
uncontrollable laughter followed by a
series of quick Fijian phrases of praise and
wonderment. Shortly after that Mermaid
and I passed out cold. The next day we
were still amazed to see the Amphi card
making the rounds to each grass hut to
the shear delight of everyone who saw it.
We became known as the "Water Car People."
Hope you enjoyed the story as much as
my Amphi did. And yes... it is a true
story my fine finned friends.
Amphipoda
`64 Turquoise
San Diego, CA
PS - I've got a lot of Amphi-Lovers
postings to catch up on, but want to
also remind everyone to send in your
nominations for the Amphibian of the
Year Award (AYA) direct to my email
at "
amphipoda@yahoo.com" So far I
have about 5 nominees and 20 votes.
Need at least 50 votes to make this a
proper contest. Thanks to all who
have and will participate.
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