Wednesday, November 24, 2004

working hard in paradise . . .

Savusavu, the town where we are staying, is called "Hidden Paradise" by the locals. Apt.
I think i said something about this last time i posted as well. we've been having a great time. and working hard. really hard. i know that you all feel sorry for me, but it's true!
sunday, after our cruise in the bay on a 52 ft yacht and snorkel (mind blowingly great, better than anything i've ever seen), we went and did our first recording. a 5 piece string band (3 guitars, 1 ukelele, 5 singers). we got a nice recording, which will be on the BBC this friday (american time). i'm not sure of the show, but it's the one that features some world music at the end of the show.
monday, another string band recording, and then on tuesday, we started with the big live concerts. CSM, the video guys here, have 2 crews of Fijian camerman shooting the shows with 4 cameras, doing live mixes. all pretty crazy. and of course, this being the developing world, none of the technology works exactly right, so we've been doing a lot with duct tape, chewing gum and chicken wire (well, not really, but you know . . . )
i've been getting in the water most days, which is very nice. today, we're off to a big ceremony with the big chief on the island. should be pretty amazing. so, i should get going, because we leave in a few minutes and i have to go back to the hotel and figure out how to wear a sulu (skirt) cause everyone has to be in a skirt in these village ceremonies.
much love to you all.
vi naka.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Erich,
As I sit here on a rainy night in Medford after reading your post, I am ready to book a flight to fiji tomorrow. It sounds like you are having an amazing trip personally and professionally I am so jealous..If you have some time send an email. Glad to see things are
going so well.

Christine

Anonymous said...

Well, it's Thanksgiving Day here in California, on a mostly overcast day as I overlook San Francisco Bay from the Berkeley Hills. Fiji sounds awfully nice now, though the weather report says that it's raining there. Perhaps, as in Hawaii, the rain is only an interlude between many hours of sunshine. At any rate, though we are sure that Soungalo and friends are really working hard (really!), we know that they are also having a heck of a good time and adding to their life's store of adventures.

Happy Thanksgiving to all from Erich's Dad. We are thinking about him, and wish that the whole family were together for this holiday. We have a lot to be grateful for.

Thanks. A lot.