Bula!

It's those changes in latitudes

Changes in Attitudes

Nothing remains quite the same.

With all of our running and all of our cunning

If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane.

- Jimmy Buffett, Changes in Latitudes

I took my jandals off as soon as we arrived on Treasure Island and went barefoot for the rest of the week.

Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Vanuatu ... names of places that conjure up images of tropical paradise in most North Americans' minds. In Australia and New Zealand, they are just places people go to on holiday. Last week, we went to Fiji ... along with seemingly every other Kiwi family on school holiday. Actually, almost everyone we met was from Australia, but I digress.

We started planning our tropical holiday at the last minute ... and by "last minute" I mean 7 months ago. We thought we were jumping the gun and getting ahead of the game. In the U.S. and Canada, there's just no point in trying to book rooms and airfares much more than about three months out. If you do, you pay a premium. Quite the opposite is true here. As we started looking for places to stay, we discovered that everything was booked, not just in Fiji but at every other South Pacific destination we considered. For sure, there were a few posh, adult-style resorts with openings, but anywhere even remotely interesting for a family was locked up. We would later learn that Kiwis and Aussies book their holidays as much as 10 months in advance.

I wish I could tell you about the South Pacific
the way it actually was.

The endless ocean. The infinite specks of coral we called islands.

Coconut palms nodding gracefully toward the ocean.

Reefs upon which waves broke into spray.

And inner lagoons, lovely beyond description.

- James A Michener, Tales of The South Pacific

After several weeks of trying to sort it out on her own, Kari finally relented and went to a travel agent (yes, they still have those here).  She managed to cobble together five nights at Treasure Island, then 2 nights on the Coral Coast. On TI, we had no telephone, no WiFi (internet access was available, but it's pretty limited). We would wake up and sit on the front porch of our bure, drinking coffee and watching the sun brighten the day. After getting Little H off to Kids Club (more on that later), we would sit on the beach for an hour reading our books. An hour was about all we could take ... by 11 am it was blazing hot. After lunch, we would do a little snorkeling, and then it was cocktail hour.

Sailboats and drinks at Vuda Marina while waiting for our boat to Treasure Island.

As you might have guessed from our previous posts, this was a total departure for us. Our typical holiday usually involves a list of things we would like to do. We use the list as a guideline rather than an agenda or a series of check boxes. More often than not, we don't get to everything on the list, but we are usually up and going for most of the day. This time, by design, we had a completely disconnected week. There was nothing to do but ... well, nothing. Treasure Island is small ... it took us less than 30 minutes to walk the entire length of its shoreline at a leisurely pace. It's just a hort boat ride off-shore and sits in the middle of a marine sanctuary. There is lots of beach and water time, tons of snorkeling, and plenty of hammock time.

Blue starfish (Linckia laevigata)

It was important to us to find a place that had some kind of organized program for kids. Little H travels well, but being stuck with us all the time probably gets a little old. That and I didn't want to hear the dreaded "I'm boooooored" all day long and be compelled to provide her with entertainment. Plus, as mentioned above, Kari and I planned on doing nothing for 5 days.

The Kids Club at Treasure Island Resort far exceeded our expectations. There were three sessions daily, and kids going to the evening session ate from a buffet before the main dining room opened so parents could enjoy a leisurely dinner while the kids were away. The list of activities was extensive. Each morning, they went out on a boat to feed fish in the marine sanctuary and then returned to the island to feed the turtles in the turtle rescue program. The rest of the morning program, and the afternoon and evening programs, consisted of various activities and games. Among other things, Little H got to clean the turtles (with a toothbrush!), hunted crabs (and fed them to the turtles), learned how to husk a coconut, braided floral crowns, made a shell necklace, and danced the limbo. All of this surrounded by a mix of kids from different cultures (but mostly Australians).

Little H and friends.

We've never had to worry about Little H talking to strangers. We have a running joke in our family ... my brothers, me, my nieces and nephews, none of us are very adept at meeting people and making small talk. Little H doesn't like to talk to people she doesn't know and our normally gregarious daughter tucks her head and becomes mute when put in situations where other people are unavoidable. She generally does very well traveling with me and Kari, but when I see her in a group of other kids, smiling, laughing, and playing, I see what she is missing when it's just the three of us. At Treasure Island, LH met a number of other kids and it was through her that we met their parents. Laughing, joking, and sharing our experiences with other parents made our week that much more enjoyable.

After 5 days on Treasure Island, it was time to head to the main island of Viti Levu. It was great sitting around doing nothing for 5 days, but our wander-lust and need for adventure prevailed. We were surprised out how much we enjoyed our "stay-cation" and have decided that future travels will include 2-3 days of just hanging out.

Goodbye, Treaure Island. We will likely meet again.

The oral tradition for the origin of the Fijian people is one of travel by canoe from Tanganyika in Africa, and this is what is taught in school there. Historians and other cultural scholars dispute this and claim the Fijian people and culture are more likely descended from the early Polynesians and Melanesians. What is not in dispute is that, even into the 1800's, Fijians practised cannibalism. This period is known as na gauna ni tevoro (time of the devil). While the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman visited Fiji in 1643, and James Cook landed there in 1774, the ferocity of the people deterred further European exploration and Fiji remained unknown to the rest of the world well into the 1800's. Throughout the South Pacific, the Fijians were feared and respected warriors. Our experience in Fiji couldn't have been more different. The people were warm, friendly, inviting, and proud of their culture.

Tui (Treasure Island Resort) shares the oral history of his ancestors.

We were invited to attend church services (conducted in Fijian) in the village of Namada. Tambua Sands, our home on Viti Levu was built on village land.

Our main purpose for staying on the Coral Coast of Viti Levu was so that we could meet up with friends from the U.S. who were in Fiji to visit family. Going from the slow, lazy pace of the Mamanuca Islands to the hustle, bustle, and traffic of Viti Levu was a little bit of a shock, even after only 5 days. Our Bure at Tambua Sands was set back from the beach and adjacent to the road ... the sound of traffic zooming by was actually a little jarring. It was only a short walk to the beach though, and the lagoon was perfect for snorkeling and exploring. Little H and I even got to play a little touch rugby and table tennis.

Beach-side bure, Tambua Sands.

Lagoon and reef flats, Tambua Sands.

Touch rugby, Tambua Sands.

... the rare sight of moonlight upon tropic waters

With palm trees along the shore and a ship at the dock.

The world was beautiful that night.

It was beautiful as only a tropic night on some distant shore

can be beautiful.

- James A Michener, Tales of The South Pacific

Treasure Island sunrise.

Treasure Island sunset.

Tambua Sands sunset.

Temperatures in Palmy when we left were 12-14 C ... cold, wet, and grey. We landed in Fiji to temperatures in the 30s with clear skies and a light tropical breeze. We spent time together as a family, and had a little time to ourselves. I averaged just over a book a day! We got a little sunshine in our souls and on our skin, and had a great visit with old friends while also making new ones. Our winter week in the tropics was just what the doctor ordered ...

Vinaka ...