A GPS reading will indicate you are at Latitude -18° 03' 13.20" S and Longitude 177° 17' 7.80" E. Just a tiny blip on the map really but a place where authentic
Fijian culture is at it’s finest.
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| Reception area at Robinson Crusoe Island |
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| Robinson Crusoe Island |
Robinson Crusoe Island is a
laid back, eco-friendly, casual island, only 25 acres in size, located off the
southwest coast of Fiji's main Viti Levu island. A place where you can do everything listed on
the daily activities board or you can do nothing at all.
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| Activities available on the island |
First
known as the sacred island of Likuri, this stunningly beautiful tiny island has
a history that dates back 3,500 years to when the first Polynesians landed in
their outrigger canoes. A recent pottery
site discovered on the island dates back to 1500 BC.
Not
to be confused with an island of the same name located off the coast of Chile, Fiji consists of 322 islands in
the beautiful South Pacific with only 106 being inhabited. The islands of Viti Levu and
Vanua Levu account for three-quarters of the total land area of the entire country. The
island is only accessible by boat, which includes a scenic 30 minute jungle
river cruise followed by a short trip across the lagoon.
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| Check in booth at the jetty |
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| Loaded and ready to head to Robinson Crusoe Island |
Robinson
Crusoe Island places high emphasis on cleanliness and serves fresh, healthy
Fijian style cuisine, offering the freshest seafood, typically caught that
morning, along with chicken, fresh fruits and vegetables from nearby
villages. Drinks include water, soft
drinks, wine and beer and are served from a thatched roof bure. No need to bring money, they will just put it
on your tab.
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| The morning catch of the day |
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| Lali drum used to announce meals were ready |
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| Buffet Line |
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| Sesting area |
Checking
in was a delightful treat. As the boat
reduced it’s speed and began slowly making it’s way to shore, you suddenly realize
that the people standing on the beach singing and waving are staff members,
exuberantly greeting your arrival. As
you get closer and closer to shore you see the true sincerity on their faces. They are genuinely glad you have come to
their island to experience their culture.
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| Welcome to the island |
Now
what would an overnight stay on a private island be like if you couldn’t
experience a private little bungalow. Marci
and I were assigned Bure Levu #4.
These units are built using
local natural materials. Inside we found
coffee and tea making facilities along with free bottled water daily. An adorable private bathroom was located just
a few steps outside, complete with towels and toiletries. I especially loved the open-air shower that
had just been upgraded to include hot water.
Ahhhh. . . . .it was great.
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| Bure Levu #4 |
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| Patio area at Bure Levu #4 |
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| Twin Bed confirguation |
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| Bathroom facility |
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| Private bathroom |
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| Private bathroom |
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| Open-air shower with hot water |
You
might notice the red container of water on our deck. This was fresh each morning and used to rinse
off our feet before entering the room. I
loved the added touch of hibiscus floating on top. Just such a tropical feel.
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| Our little bungalow |
Now
that we were all settled in the bure, the next question was “What do we do
now?” A quick look at the activities board listed the choices for the day of
snorkeling, weaving, lovo digging, fire walking, lunch, island entertainment,
bush walk, turtle viewing and crab races.
So much to do. . . . . . so little time.
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| So much to do. . . . .so little time |
Soon
it would be time for lunch but first would be the lovo ceremony, followed immediately
by the famous fire-walkers of Fiji. One
of the main reasons I made the stop in Fiji was to witness the world famous
fire-walkers. I had read that the walkers are Sawau
tribesmen from Beqa, a small village of only 3,000 inhabitants located 7 miles
north of Viti. Here is the legend of the
Fiji Fire-Walkers:
It’s said the Sawau lived in a
mountain village on Beqa called Navakeisese. When they weren’t off to wars with
other tribes (and chowing down on their prisoners), they enjoyed lighter
moments listening to tales told by Dredre, their tribal storyteller. In return,
it was customary for the people of the village to bring gifts to Dredre.
One day, as the legend goes, Dredre asked each person in the audience to bring
him gifts of the first things they found the next time they went hunting.
A day later, one of the warriors
called Tui-na-Iviqalita went fishing for eels in a mountain stream. The first
thing he caught felt like an eel. But when he pulled it out of the mud, it
turned out to be a talking, snake-like “Spirit God.”
Wow, what a gift that would be. Tui
scurried off to present his catch to Dredre, but along the way the god offered
Tui all kinds of bribes to let him go. Tui refused — until the god came up with
this awesome offer: power over fire.
That got Tui’s attention, but he
wanted proof of the power.
No problem. The god changed form,
dug a pit, lined it with stones, and then lit a great fire on the stones. When
the stones were white with heat, the god invited Tui to take a walk on them. He
did it — without burning his feet!
And of course Tui let the god go.
To this day, according to the
legend, members of the Sawau tribe are able to walk on white hot stones, and
direct descendants of Tui-na-Iviqalita still act as bete, or high priest, of
the firewalkers of Fiji.
Whether you believe in this legend or not,
watching this amazing display left me feeling like there must be something to the
legend. I have accidentally put my foot
on a hot rock that had been sitting too close to our campfire and I can say
with certainty that “IT’S HOT”. It
produced a nice blister on the bottom of my foot. Unless these guys soak their feet in fire-proof
gel first, they are, without a doubt, walking on hot rocks and not getting
burned. Believe me, I checked the bottom
of their feet.
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| Taking food off coals |
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| Getty ready for fire-walkers |
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| Fire-Walker |
Lunch was ready and served buffet style with
garden salad, a local root crop vegetable, chicken and fish. It
was during lunch the first day that we were entertained with a Fijian culture program,
featuring Pacific Island dancers, as well as fire and knife dancers.
Next
it was weaving, followed by crab races.
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| Crab races |
There
is a swing located just down the beach.
The ropes extend several feet in the air and are affixed to a palm tree. Hang on when you sit down. The swaying of the palm tree lends itself
nicely to a fun experience.
Now
it was just time to relax for the rest of the evening. Marci and I claimed ‘our spots’ which found
us sitting under slightly swaying palm trees, stretched out on our favorite lounge
chairs. As we sipped our Chardonnay, the
sun slipped slowly into the beautiful blue Pacific. Along with the slight waves crashing onto the
sandy beach and the soft island music playing in the background, one can’t help
but think they have arrived in paradise.
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| Our spots |
You
will want to leave your shoes in your suitcase.
NOT wearing shoes is the norm.
Even as a young child I never liked wearing shoes so I loved this
benefit. The resort features an unfiltered salt-water pool that is filled and
cleaned each morning. The sand on the beach
is also raked each day.
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| Groomed sand paths |
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| Salt Water pool |
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| Salt Water Pool |
At
a cost of $60FJD, $30USD, for a 60-minute massage, my favorite daily activity
became a full body massage with Taru (Tarusila) in the Spa bure. Taru places you in an environment conducive
for relaxation, uses great smelling oils and with her soft-spoken voice and
gentle hands, she applies just the right amount of pressure, always checking to
make sure you are comfortable.
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| Taru |
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| Entrance to Spa Bure |
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| Foot bath before entering |
On
our second day Marci asked if they could harvest some coconuts. She loves drinking the coconut milk, then
splitting the coconut in half and eating the gel. Without hesitation Paka took the group to a
nearby coconut tree. Within seconds he
had climbed to the top and coconuts began hitting the ground. He harvested somewhere between 20-25, enough
for each person to have one.
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| Marci got her coconuts |
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| Grand Finale |
If
you want to experience something truly unique then book a stay at Robinson
Crusoe Island. Margarita and the staff
did a fantastic job in making Marci and I feel like part of the family. If you leave this island and are not
emotionally moved, check your pulse. You
very possibly could be dead.
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| Our new family |
