One of the unexpected joys of spending four days on a remote island like Tuvalu was getting to know my host, Niu.

He is barely in his late twenties, yet carries himself with a quiet maturity. He now runs the family lodge that his father started. The lodge is called NiuEti, named after Niu and his younger brother, Eti, who passed away at a very young age.

Life had more challenges in store for the family.

A few years later, Niu’s father, who is younger than I am, developed kidney failure. In Tuvalu, there is no dialysis beyond basic support, and certainly no possibility of a kidney transplant. Niu did not hesitate. He volunteered to be the donor, and fortunately, he turned out to be a match.

Finding a hospital was the next challenge. Even Fiji does not perform kidney transplants.

Eventually, father and son found themselves headed to New Delhi, to Fortis Hospital. But fate intervened once again. They had traveled to Fiji for preliminary tests before flying to India when COVID shut the world down. They ended up stranded in Fiji for two years. Thankfully, Fiji at least had dialysis centers that kept his father alive until they could finally make the journey to India.

Later, I had the pleasure of meeting Niu’s father. He could not stop talking about India.

“What do you remember the most?” I asked.

“The cars honking on the streets,” he said with a broad smile.

We all laughed.

Here I was marveling at the rooster crowing and the pig squealing in Tuvalu. And he was marveling at the cars honking in India!!

Over the next few days, the three of us had many conversations, ranging from life to business. One mystery was finally solved. I had always wondered why they had never asked me for a deposit when I booked my stay.
The answer was remarkably simple.

There was no practical way for me to send them money, and no practical way for them to receive it.

In Tuvalu, cash is the only way to do any business. And not Tuvalu dollars. Tuvalu has some coins, but they cannot afford to make paper money. So, they use Australian Dollars.

NiuEti Lodge receives some of the highest reviews online. Of course, everything is relative. Most visitors to Tuvalu are seasoned travelers who know that luxury is not the point of coming here. But what Niu offers cannot be measured by thread counts or room service. He is unfailingly kind, always ready to cook a meal at odd hours, help a guest solve a problem, or simply sit down for a conversation.

As I left, we promised to stay in touch.

The only practical way, of course, is through the lodge’s reservation email.

Some people leave you impressed by what they have accomplished.

Others leave you inspired by who they have become.

Niu belongs firmly in the second group.