Ball in the fish
WHAT started as a dinner to welcome a Fijian in Honiara turned into an investigation. A steel ball bearing, believed to be a musket ball, appeared in the delicious flesh of the rock cord that was on the table. It wasn't there when the fish gut was cleaned out but stuck out of the flesh in the curry lolo. The host from Solomon Telekom was looking for the fish seller yesterday.
Taveuni taxi
JUST when all hope was lost, a taxi appeared and the driver was a kai from Taveuni. At the festival as an official, the good man did not hesitate to rescue the two tired Fijians who were looking for wheels. The good Samaritan does not want to be named. Asked how he happened to be driving a taxi while on a two-week break here, he said: "A man rented his taxi to me. I asked a policeman on the road and he just said, 'fire, you can do as you please, you are our visitor'."
Just text
THE Uto ni Yalo's special crew, Manasa Narita, can be a real joker. Given a phone like each of the rest of the Fiji delegation, Manasa — who has hearing and speech impairment — let the phone continue ringing when some of friends on board kept calling him. Tired of the rattling phone, he sends back a text. "Stop fooling me. Just text." He lit up the faces of his friends. Just as he does on board, they say.
Sea rescue
THE 350-strong sailors of the tomoko, the traditional Solomons canoes, were low on food in the first week of their stay in Honiara. They had sailed into Honiara and were part of the opening ceremony with the 120-member Pacific Voyagers. Local sympathisers came to their aid at the Marine School area on the Honiara waterfront with food supplies. Sailors eat a lot, they say, and a plea has gone out for more supplies.
China counting
AMONG the items on display at the festival is an ancient Chinese calculator. The Chinese Abacus, on display at the Chinese community stall, has drawn a lot of interest from the locals here. Henry Mar, who mans the stall, said his people in China still use the calculator, which was developed in 3000 B.C.E.
Kiwi stare
THE Rotumans stunned the crowd with their hypnotic chanting sounds but the Kiwis stole the show with their fearful stomping performance. The Fiji group followed on stage the mesmerising flip-flop chanters from Guadalcanal. But it was the Te Mataarae I Orehu Kapa Haka at the Pasifika Village who bared their best with their matapula dance.