Solas Award Winner
My feet crunch along the sandy foot path that leads to our thatched hut. Just ahead is the island guide, a bare-chested Sumo wrestler-looking guy, with a plumeria-patterned wrap hugging his enormous brown torso. The sweet smelling plumeria flower, that comes in yellow, orange and pink, flourish across the landscape of this “Garden Island”. Along the path, wide bands of dark green palm leaves shade us from the piercing sun that being close to the equator brings. From a distance, the musical sounds of Conway Twitty are heard trilling and trailing from a boombox. To our delight, the location of the hut offers natural shade and the tranquility of a thundering waterfall nearby. My friend Ruth and I agree with the scuba article; Taveuni, one of the 100 habitable Fijian islands, is “paradise”. The sea, dressed in turquoise and blue, circles the island with a wide hem of foam. Current-wise she holds an unwelcoming surprise, and she’s biding her time to share it.