SUN 13OCT 2002 ~ NUKUBATI

I woke this morning to hundreds of birds with song I've never heard before ~ except for that noise of one lone bird I knew too well: roosters. I'm writing this in my bed under a mosquito netting canopy~it's fun~and like everything else I've experienced at NUKUBATI .. totally indulgent. I haven't seen a mosquito yet. I arrived at Nukubati a little worn out. Flew from Nadi across the island to Suva, then north to Lhambasa. I can't get used to getting on the scale with my luggage at the airport to be weighed! These little planes are for the birds... the turbulence I can get used to--it's the "swaying" that I can't. When I arrived at Lhambasa airport, Anil from Nukubati met me in his "air-con" truck with ice water .. what a treat! Over the course of our hour long drive on mainly dirt roads, Anil pointed out lots of stuff: cane fields, tree groves for timber, pineapple fields (am I still in Maui?), the "popo" trees (papaya), the tapioca trees (hey, I didn't know tapioca grew on trees!). We passed through several Fijian villages & Fijian schools with schoolgirls running in their purple dress uniforms. As we pulled up to a clearing in the road, I could see in the distance the island of Nukubati. I walked down a long pier, and a motorboat picked me up... it was so exciting. From the distance I saw grass huts, bures, coconut trees and a white sandy beach. A minute later we landed, and I received a welcome like I had never received in my life. A group of smiling faces clapping & singing in the softest of voices for me-and-only-me! A complete stranger. I've gotten my first Fijian welcome. After shaking hands, exchanging names and bula! bula! with all of the staff, Gordon, the manager, walked me into their large pavilion This is Nukubati's restaurant/bar/lobby/library. And every Wednesday night it becomes the stage for the villagers to sing, dance & drink kava...hmmm, could I make it back here on Wednesday? Gordon offers me the most delicious drink this weary traveller could ever ask for: coconut juice in a green coconut shell with fresh flowers all around it. Beats a diet coke anyday.

Gordon gives me a tour of Nukubati pointing out the new grass hut bar looking very Gilligan's Island-esque, the boat/activity center and the 7 bures that make up the resort. All bures have beautiful front porches facing the ocean, and private porches in back, if you wish a "complete" tan. Three bures are free-standing, and two bures have 2 units per bure with a shared wall. My bure, #7, edges the property. I have my own private white sand beach with a red umbrella and beach chair. A dish of water with floating hibiscus' is on the porch for me to clean my sandy feet. As I enter my bure, I sigh.. flowers everywhere: on the bed, the bathroom sinks, by the stereo, etc. etc. The bed is calling me..."Sue! Sleep off your jetlag" but alas, the last meal I had was a bag of cheetos in Honolulu so I'm on my way to the pavilion for lunch. I dined on a delicious hot & sour thai soup with prawns and roasted eggplant with sundried tomatoes and a fresh salad from their gardens. After lunch, I met with Alan & Masai to go snorkeling. Both had lived on Nukubati all their life. Alan's family originated from Germany. As Masai manned the boat, I looked out onto the distance to the green mountain, with bright blue water and visible reefs below. Alan went snorkeling with me, as Masai gently following in the 150 horsepower speedboat. At Nukubati, you don't swim back to the boat~the boat follows you. So fish like I've never seen before: bright blue starfish, giant clams, sea cucumbers, sea horses, florescent blue schools of fish, and multitudes of reef-life. And then something caught my eye.....a shark! Yikes! Get me out of the water! Alan tried soothing me, "it's only a reef shark, relax"...obviously he did not see the film Jaws during his formative years. What, reef sharks don't get hungry?? Back on the boat for me. We rode for awhile~it was such a beautiful sunny day: sparkling blue water, verdant green islands...magical. What a cure for jetlag. Came back to my bure just in time for a good old late afternoon tropical rainstorm. All was fine.. I was resting in my bure after a full day in the sun. After the storm died down a bit, the staff started lighting the tiki torches that dotted the pathway... must be time for dinner. Gordon joined me at the bar to talk story, while Sara poured the never-ending glass of champagne! I dined on fish marinated in coconut milk and smoked chicken, with fruit & hot pepper salsa. An interesting blend of cultures and flavors. Had such a full day~only wish I had time to be "marooned" on my own island. When the tide is low, little sand islands form in the middle of the ocean. The staff leaves you with a cooler full of food, some beach chairs, and a walkie-talkie in case of an emergency like running out of ice or something drastic like that!


MON 14OCT 2002 ~ COUSTEAU
After breakfast, Alan & I go for another snorkel. It's such a treat to go out with someone who literally knows the waters like the back of his hand. He points out a sea turtle, that he tried to gingerly hold onto to bring up to me~ the sea turtle was having none of it. But it's still a magical sight. When we returned on shore, I got a tour of the resort from Felice. He showed me their vast vegetable & fruit gardens, their tennis courts, solar panels (all electricity at Nukubati is from solar panels, a generator, and a few wind mills). Although it was almost ten am, and my driver was scheduled to pick me up to go to my next resort, Gordon insisted I could not leave Nukubati without dining on their locally caught lobster. Was I to let him down?... certainly not. The lobster was fantastic! Completely fresh, grilled in a light butter sauce. What luxury! Said goodbye to my new friends, and as they sang in their other worldly voices a goodbye song to me as I boarded the boat to leave the island, I had to shed a tear.... on the road to COUSTEAU with Hussein, a very enterprising muslim taxi driver/real estate agent. We stop in Lhambasa, which isn't exactly on the way, to pick up his computer and then take the bumpy road to Cousteau--right outside the town of Savu Savu.

Arrive at Cousteau 4 hours later, a little rumpled to say the least. Met with Karen & Greg, the managers of Cousteau, a lovely couple from Australia. I go straight to my bure #5. It's done in such good taste: italian tiles in the bathroom, french-pressed coffee for your room, thick egyptian cotton towels, the best mattress I've ever slept on! with pillows to write home about. All done in reds, yellows & greens. Take a very quick shower .. because in the lobby I spotted a fish-stamping t-shirt painting class which I must attend! Although class was over & they were cleaning up, the staff was very helpful in letting me make my own mess! With my fish t-shirt in hand, I race out to the pier to catch some snorkeling. One word to describe the snorkeling at Cousteau: brilliant! The clearest water I have ever seen. So much fish life & coral, I had to run to the dive shop and purchase an underwater Kodak camera to capture it all. Swam out to the raft for a little rest under the sun. Ahhhh....paradise.

Sala, a sales manager at Cousteau, gave me a tour of the bures. Sala is wonderful, and my new best friend because she convinced me that I needed not one but two pairs of seed pearl earrings as souvenirs. Cousteau has 25 bures in all: two 2-bedroom bures that sleep up to 5, and charming split-level bures that sleep up to 4. All the rooms are decorated in the same fantastic style. They all have private porches, with hammocks and "do not disturb" coconuts for all the privacy you could want! They have lots of families that come to Cousteau. And have a fantastic Bula Camp for the kids. We walked in the camp, and I saw one fijian woman rocking a baby so sweetly~I was blown away. Each day at Cousteau has a theme--and the adults enjoy it as much as the kids. Today was "Reef Day" .. hence with snorkeling tours, evening lecture on the reef, etc. After my tour, it was my time for an hour long massage. Not only are fijian woman the best surrogate mothers in the world, based on my massage with Binaka, I think they are the best masseurs as well. Afterwards, I ambled over to the lounge for a discussion by the resident marine biologist on the coral reefs (hard & soft) of Fiji. Really interesting. I didn't know how different soft coral can appear in strong compared with mild currents. He discussed the bleaching problem going on throughout the reef world due to, possibly, global warming. Hung out at the bar with Steven, another sales manager at Cousteau, another single female traveller, and JJ, an Australian chap that spends 3 months of the year in Savu Savu. We all shared a delicious dinner poolside, with lanterns lighting the way. Grilled fresh fish in a caper, brown-butter sauce, and an amazing banana filo-dough caramel & whipped cream dessert. The food was superb. As we sat around chatting, some of the staff started singing & playing guitar in the background. Then, out came the Kava, which I had never tried. Yes, it tasted like liquid earth, with a numbing effect on your tongue. Odd, not bad, just odd. But, when you're sitting on a woven mat, listening to the beautiful fijian music....when in Rome, do as the Romans.

I wish I could have stayed longer at Cousteau. It had such a good energy. The staff really works hard to make sure everyone is enjoying themselves. And you can tell they purposely set Cousteau up so that families and honeymooner's can share the same space and both have a marvellous time. While many people are there for the outstanding diving, they have lots of other activities for folks to do, or you can just spend the day lounging around in your beautifully appointed bure.

TUE 15OCT 2002
Traveling and Site inspecting

WED 16OCT 2002 - TAVEUNI ISLAND RESORT
Took boat back to Taveuni Island, and was taxi'd over to Taveuni Island Resort. ahhhh.....the view from the dining room cliff at Taveuni Resort! Breathtaking! Not surprisingly, many weddings take place at Taveuni, and one was taking the place the night of my arrival. Couples can choose a wedding on the beach or cliffside with dramatic views of the ocean below. Doe, the owner of Taveuni, welcomed me & took me on tour of the various
bures at Taveuni. The honeymoon bures were to-die-for! Tiled floors, queen size beds with jeweled mosquito nets, ample bathrooms, and all with private decks facing the ocean. From the decks, you can have a candlelight dinner for two...Inside all bures, there are mini-fridges stocked daily with delicacies such as homemade peanut butter cookies. Very hard to resist...Doe's latest project, is a deluxe bure for two~an amazing space with a master bedroom, guest bedroom, living room, dining area, private chef with seperate kitchen. Huge deck with jacuzzi to come. Taveuni also has a wonderful small gift shop. Doe has a great eye for Fijian wood carvings. You can get dining utensils from the days of cannibalism; warrior clubs; or more domestic carvings like a carved sea turtle bowl~which I had to get!

Around 7 pm I ventured over across the street to Maravu Plantation Resort, for their Meke Night. The local villagers come in and put on a show. Beautiful singing & harmonizing, dancing, and the cutest 7 year old boys
dancing and dressed up as warriors. While at Maravu, I met with Jochen, the owner. Maravu has a great laid-back feel to it. Large bar/dining area where guests congregate, nice bungalows. A few of the bures have ocean views, but for the most part, you'll need to cross the street to see the ocean. One bure, set off in the hills a bit, was big enough for two couples or a family. Maravu markets itself to eco-tourism, and has an activity desk where guests can sign up for hikes to Lavena Falls, coastal walks & village tours.

Went home to Taveuni for my favorite meal of my entire stay~a delicious Indian curry feast! Curried fish, spicy chutneys, roasted eggplant~delicious. Stayed up late hearing stories from Doe, on her life in
Auckland & Fiji. What an interesting lady!

THU/FRI 17-18 OCT 2002 - QAMEA RESORT
....on the road to Qamea from Taveuni you will find the absolutely friendliest Fijian's! Kids playing in rain puddles, women doing laundry in the river below, everyone with smiles on their faces and waving. Had to say good-bye to my new friends (I brought some candy along for all the kids) and took a quick boatride over to visit the island of Qamea. Qamea is such a peaceful, soothing place! Lots of coconut trees along the beach, greenery everywhere, surrounded by rainforests. All the beachfront bures have grass thatched roofs which softly meld into the surroundings. And with only 12 bures, it offers a very private experience. Qamea is a great island for birdwatching. Lots of birds including the rarely spotted Orange Dove. During my stay I was bound & determined to locate the elusive bugger! I heard the cooing of the dove, but couldn't seem to find it anywhere in the trees. And when I'm talking orange, I mean O-R-A-N-G-E. Bright orange. Finally, on my last day, Sake called me over from my bure to the woods~he'd found the dove way up high in the trees. It took me awhile to locate it--it was up really high, I don't know how he found it. But then, when the dove flew away, I gasped--the most amazing colored bird! At Qamea, there was a nice mix of guests visiting from Japan, Italy, Australia & America. Even though there was somewhat of a language barrier, there was a nice social atmosphere ~mostly due to the wonderful staff: Laieta, Amelia, Sara, Randy & especially Sake, who seemed to have a mastery of not only English but basic Italian & Japanese.

Sake took me snorkeling one day, and I saw another reef shark~I'm now an old pro and have little to no reaction to the animal. There's a great reef just off of the resort for snorkeling, and saw lots of beautiful, bright fishes. Also, Qamea has the best shells! I found beautiful shells that I can't wait to take home & somehow make an art project out of! At night the local band, the Bad Boys, plays on their straw mat with one band member dedicated to the tending to & pouring of Kava....kava's starting to grow on me. And by day 6 in Fiji I'm now up to 5 "half-tide's"--that's about half a coconut shell full of Kava. Feeling rather mellow, as I join the others for dinner in the grand bure...

BEST OF FIJI
BEST SNORKELING: COUSTEAU
BEST WHITE SAND BEACH: RAINBOW REEF
BEST BIRD WATCHING: QAMEA
BEST DINNER: INDIAN BUFFET AT TAVEUNI
BEST COFFEE: FRENCH PRESSED COFFEE IN BURES AT COUSTEAU
BEST RESORT FOR FEELING LIKE YOU'RE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE: NUKUBATI
BEST ACTIVITIES: COUSTEAU
BEST SEA-SHELLS: QAMEA
BEST GRILLED LOBSTER: NUKUBATI
BEST RAINFORESTS: QAMEA
NICEST FIJIAN VILLAGE: ON THE ROAD TO QAMEA
BEST TOWELS & BED LINENS: COUSTEAU
BEST OUTLOOK POINTS: RAINBOW REEF
CLOSEST PROXIMITY FROM BURE TO BEACH: NUKUBATI & RAINBOW REEF
BEST IN-ROOM SNACK: HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES AT TAVEUNI
BEST CLIFFSIDE VIEWS: TAVEUNI

Sue Clemons