Who would have thought?
Cruises take us to places we wouldn't have thought of in our wildest dreams, especially in remote and inaccessible parts of the world that would require special effort and a rather undaunting adventurous spirit to travel to. We are in the Kadavu Island group of Fiji.
A huge ship at a teensy weensy island
Here we are on Dravuni Island. We have to tender from the ship. We step onto a pontoon and sway into the island's beautiful and welcoming quaint village.This volcanic island is only two km long and 0.5 km wide. The population of the island is less than two hundred. The cruise passengers are 5 times that. Gladly, the various cruise visits have not corrupted the indigenous culture. We definitely must ensure that we are not in any way a threat to the natural environment.
Not your typical tourist destination
There are no paved roads into the interior. There are no ATMs. The village has a school where donations of stationery and books are not accepted. There is no power grid. I want to believe every penny made from tourism goes into conservation.
The summit: take a deep breath. . .
We find a trail that leads us between shady trees, small vegetable gardens, pig pens,etc. All very rustic. Then there is a hike uphill which is gentle enough for me. DrInk chooses to nap along the beach while I join umpteen others, including an 80 year old with a trekking pole. As we climb higher the trees are sparse and the slope much steeper. Even the bushes on our trail seem frail. A few of us are attracted to strange looking wild flowers.There are no easy footholds as we near the summit. I huff and puff! I clamber and crawl the rocks that are naturally far and few between..
. . .before a breathtaking view
Once at the summit we are wowed by stunning views of the clear waters, surrounding the island, in shades of turquoise, blues and greens. Snorkellers would have revelled in the coral reefs.
It wouldn't be hard to imagine what the local sun set would look like– the oranges and purples all bringing forth an aura of tranquility.
Non chalance
The villagers are friendly even as they contentedly go about their chores.
Locals ply us with home-cooked meals, crafts and coconuts for a nominal price. We gladly sip and savour young coconut sitting under the swaying trees and then along the sandy beach.
Other tourists have sailed to the outlying islands and reefs.
What is it like 10 years hence?
Does it remain unspoiled? Our trip was 10 years ago. The island may have modern facilities now. I hope Fiji has found a way of bettering the lives of the villages without blemishing its unique characteristic.
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