So our glorious week has come to an end. When I visit lakes and isands in Europe I am always oerwhelmed by their beauty but finding myself on a South Sea island in the Pacific Ocean is just so totally different it is difficult to find words to describe it. The lushness, the glory of the flowers, the blue skies, the warm winds, the dazzling sunsets, the moon and the stars in the sky, so easy to see as there are no city lights to blind the eye. And after the rain, the flowers are drenched and are even more aiive and colourful than they were the day before.
Kathryn and I stayed at the Sheraton Tokoriki Resort, we had a bungalow to ourselves and a beach just eight feet away from our front door, down a little rocky path where nobody came and in the morning I would nip down and have a swim in the warm silky sea. One such morning I walked all the way along to the end of the shore where we were situated and saw nobody, I just walked and soaked up the peace and the silence.
The resort itself is wonderful just newly opened after being rebuilt after a hurrican of a few years ago flattened it and it was only 25% full and at the start of the season. This meant that it was soooo quiet and we had the place more or less to ourselves with the other lucky occupants. There were never more than five or six holidaymakers around or in the pool at any one time though by the weekend when we left it was filling up and giving an indication of what it would be like later on in the summer. Glad we went when we did.
On the day we left, Along with a few others, we were given a delightful goodbye with a lovely speech and the staff singing farewell to us as we clambered aboard the boat which took us out into deep water where the bigger cruiser was there to take us to Nairu. On the way back passengers were dropped off and picked up and we had the most marvellous view of the islands until we reached harbour.
When we got there we realised that the tickets we had bought that morning did not mean we could get on the coach to take us to the airport. Kathryn went and spoke to a member of staff who shrugged her shoulders, said no worries and told us to get on anyway. So we did.
And now I am back in Sydney. Kathryn back at work today to find over 700 emails waiting for her and I spent the morning sitting on Bronte Beach watching the surfies. An overcast day but still warm and I already find it hard to believe that I have left enchanting Fiji behind.
