Included Sai Pe Women’s Group Cultural Experience
-
Port
Vava u, Tonga
-
Activity Level
Moderate Activity
-
Excursion Type
All
-
Wheelchair Accessible
No
-
Starting At (prices in USD)
$0
-
Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
-
Duration
Approximately 2.5 Hours
-
Meals Included
Meals not included
Enjoy a ride through the town areas of Vava’u as you head down to the village of Houma. Here you will be warmly welcomed by the SAI PE WOMEN'S GROUP.
SAI PE WOMEN’S GROUP is a group of local women who started with 5 members and has now increased to 20 and is still expanding. The idea of the “SAI PE” GROUP was conceived out of the survival instinct and need of our women to face the challenges imposed on our families and communities by the devastating COVID-19. It has dawned on us that the solution lay not in our strength to fight and rebel against the constraints, but rather to be wise and learn to live with them.
To live with it means to CHANGE OUR LIFESTYLE.
The Sai Pe Group, mindful of the below-average or no-income means of most families, vowed to start their journey of progress with the very basic needs, addressing the welfare and sustainable capacity of each family. There are going to be small-scale projects funded through communal fundraising and a Cultural Experience Tour initiated to enable and offer opportunities for women to work together, fellowship together, journey together, and feel they have earned what they worked for.
Experience the true meaning of “The Island Life.” Within walking distance, begin your tour with a stroll through the local plantation area, where you will learn through live demonstrations the processes of planting and harvesting local fruits and yams for local consumption and as a source of local income. You will have the opportunity to harvest what is in season to enjoy later in the tour.
Heading back to the main tent, the SAI PE WOMEN'S GROUP has set up a variety of stations. In no particular order, you will witness live demonstrations including:
Kava Ceremony: A ceremony displaying respect through the offering of a ceremonial drink that marks friendship.
Traditional Herbal Medicine: Broaden your mind on Mother Nature’s creations and learn how local remedies were made and continue to be used as traditional medicines.
Coconut Tree Demo: Witness firsthand what can be made from the fruit to the leaves of a coconut tree. A cool hat and hand fan are woven for a hot sunny day. Enjoy a fresh drink of coconut water and be amazed at how one fruit can be made into many things, including coconut cream and coconut oil.
Natural Beauty Products: A variety of products made from local produce. You are able to purchase and try some of these products and learn more about how they are made.
Tapa Making and Mat Weaving: Get a glimpse of how traditional attire is made as local women demonstrate the processes of tapa cloth making and mat weaving.
Traditional Cuisine and Dessert: Watch how an ‘Umu (Tongan Earth Oven) is prepared to cook traditional dishes such as Lu (taro leaves and coconut cream). This is your chance to taste traditional desserts and fruit drinks, not forgetting the fruits you harvested earlier in the tour. What better way to conclude your tour than to sit back and enjoy the seasonal fruits you were able to harvest at the beginning of the tour, alongside a variety of traditional cuisines and desserts?
Please Note: To make your day as enjoyable as possible, please ensure that you wear comfortable shoes and clothing suited to the weather conditions, and bring a hat, insect repellent, sunscreen, and bottled water.