KAVA

So, on our way back up to Auckland from Wellington, Joe and I are sitting on the side of the road, finishing up our PB & J’s from the evening (beans were a bit of a luxury), and, as the sun goes down inspiration strikes. Neither of us is very tired, and we’re bored, so we decide to drink the kava I bought in Fiji. It was a genius plan.

Kava is the national drink of Fiji, and from what I’ve been told Mormons are big on it as well (they cannot consume mind altering substances, but body altering is okay I guess). So kava is a basically a root that you mix in water (like tea) and it relaxes your muscles. It’s legal in the US, but I guess just nobody does it.

We thought we were going to need to steep the kava in water using pantyhose, and neither Joe nor I want to buy pantyhose, so we are thrilled to find the packet came with it’s own strainer.

I kept a log of the events in my journal:

(I know that is difficult to read, so I will translate):

8:30 OPEN KAVA

8:35 PREPARE KAVA

8:40 DRINK KAVA

8:45 JO BRINGS OUT HEADPHONES. WE LISTEN TO PIXIES

8:50 FINISH FIRST ROUND OF KAVA. I CANNOT FEEL TONGUE

8:51 SPILL KAVA ON D***. CANNOT FEEL D***.

9:00 STILL W/ BASIC MOTOR SKILLS WE MAKE ANOTHER BATCH

9:05 MOTOR SKILLS BEGIN TO FADE

9:20 VERY NUMB

9:30 (Juvenile drawing of a kiwi bird)

I then pass out in the car. When I wake up I have scars on my face. Joe is sleeping in the middle of a riverbed.

In short, kava is a great way to relax my muscles from all the hiking and walking we’ve been doing. I sleep like a baby that evening, wake up around 7, and hit the road for Auckland.

(Full disclosure: Kava is not this gnarly. I completely exaggerated the results)