We are happy to land in Nadi, *Fiji after the long flight from Vancouver via Hawaii. We stop overnight at the colourful Tanoa Hotel international in Nadi for a good nights's sleep. Early next morning we are driven to the airport, for the 40-minute flight across this lush green island of Vitu Levu, to Suva, the capital city.
We are met at the airport by a man carrying a sign with our name on it. He is very friendly and accomodating and regales us with information on his city, a bit of politics and the local soccer team. He drives us to Nakelo Landing, on the bank of a muddy river. A boat awaits us there. We roll up our pants, wade out and climb aboard the launch, which will take us to our destination, the tiny island of Toberua. We are told the trip will take one hour. As we motor down the river we see Fijian villagers on the river bank, some who wave and call out friendly greetings. The vegetation is green and tropical and very beautiful.
Before long we reach the mouth of the river and head out to open ocean. The water is calm, clear and blue and the sun is shining overhead. Soon in the distance we see a tiny spot on the horizon, and the spot gets bigger and bigger. It is our tropical island paridise. Toburua dead ahead! The island is everyone's fantasy of what a tropical island should look like. White sand beaches surround tall palm trees and interspersed between the vegetation are individual thatched cabins.
A small group of people are on the beach waiting to greet us. One of them has a guitar and they sing a greeting as we step onto the white sand beach. Each of them welcomes us individually and shakes our hands. "Bula! Bula" "Hello Hello"
We are then led through the majestic coconut palms to our Bure, which literally means "house in which you will be staying while you're here." Our Bure is charming, with its palm thatch roof, and covered porch. Inside there is a living and sleeping area, with walls made of a traditional woven texure, which rises to a high tapered ceiling. There is also a small bathroon. The furniture consists of a huge bed, some comfortable chairs, a coffee table, and a small fridge, stocked with cool water. There are flowers placed here and there. I appreciate the simple beauty of the place. Out back we face in a grove of very tall palms. On the water side we have our own patch of sandy
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Here's the follow-up discussion on this article: | View all related messages |
For a complete listing of article comments, questions, and other discussions related to Mary Ellen Bradshaw's Virtual Journeys topic, please visit the Discussions page.