THE OLD AND THE NEW

When I went to church on 9/20 on Waya Island I took a picture of the little church.

In the background you can see the church. In the foreground, and this is why I took the picture, you can see a solar panel and a sattelite dish. These are UNHEARD of in small Fijian villages. It is apparent that this village is the beneficiary of the employment and generosity of nearby Octopus Bay Resort.

I was very impressed by the way the owner of Octopus Bay Resort looked after his employees and their famalies. A good example of this was the evening the "International Crab Races" was held. It worked like this: The Fijian boys collected several hermit crabs from the beach. Each person who wished to participate bought a crab for $FJ 3.00, that's $ 1.50 US. Each entrant is assigned a number and their number is placed on the hermit crab they've chosen from the "stable" gathered by the Fijian boys.

The entrants are next placed in the middle of a large circle drawn in the sand and the "race" begins. The first crabs to get out of the circle are the winners.

Several "heats", or elimination races, are "run" until a select few are ready for the "Derby". The "Derby" is "run" and the entrants with the crabs which "ran" first, second and third are awarded prizes of bar credits. Fun is had by all, even the crabs, as they are not harmed and lated released to resume their forraging on the beach,

The really good part about it all is that the proceeds are donated to a scholarship fund for the Fijian children of the adjacent village.

I spoke with several of the Fijian employees at Octopus Bay and they ALL seemed very happy with their jobs and their employer.

Well done, Octopus Bay Resort.