March 8, 2018 – Yasawa-i-Rara, Fiji

Overnight, Crystal Symphony cruised slowly from Lautoka and anchored this morning about one mile off-shore from Yasawa-i-Rara, a small village on the long, thin Fijian island of Yasawa.

The Yasawas are a group of about 20 volcanic islands (six main islands and numerous smaller ones) forming the western border of Fiji. The group stretches for some 50 miles in a northeasterly direction from west of Lautoka. If you’ve ever heard of the Yasawa Islands, it might be because Turtle Island, one of these islands, was the site where both the 1949 and 1980 versions of the movie The Blue Lagoon were filmed.

Yasawa is the name of the main island of the Yasawa grouping, as well as the most northerly island of the group. It’s a long, skinny island, with a volcanic mountain range running along its length. Our visit today was to Yasawa-i-Rara, located at the northern end of Yasawa Island. We understand that the “i-Rara” suffix means “village of the chief.” Apparently the chief for all the Yasawa islands lives here. However, this is not a large village; we read that a total of only 200 people claim Yasawa-i-Rara as their home village.

Ginny stayed on the ship, while Jim traveled on one of the first tender boat rides in the morning onto the island. Seas were calm, so it was a pleasant ride from ship to shore, unlike a month ago when our visit on Crystal Serenity to Yasawa-i-Rara was cancelled because seas were too rough for safe tender boat operations.

This is probably what most people imagine when they think of a tropical island paradise ─ remote, unspoiled, picturesque ─ volcanic peaks, white sand beaches, palm trees, and coral reefs enclosing shark-free shallow crystal-clear water. Living here, the Fijian people have natural beauty, and there aren’t any stores, banks, or traffic jams. Most travel is done by canoe or motor boat on the water. Jim didn’t go in the water, but those who did go swimming or snorkeling told us the water was warm and pleasant.

Most of the passengers who went ashore started their visit by walking down a string of simple, small stands in front of homes along the shoreline. Local Fijian people were offering craft products for sale. During a passing rain shower, Jim took refuge under cover that one of the stands provided. While there, he purchased a couple of shell necklaces for Ginny, that he was hoping had been made locally. He then walked at least ½-mile along the beach, in the sand, before turning back to catch the next tender boat to the ship for lunch.

The environment on the island was isolated, colorful, and undeveloped (except for the large Crystal Symphony cruise ship looming offshore). There didn’t appear to be any farming, so maybe the land wasn’t fertile. Or. maybe the Fijian people live off the sea and don’t need to work on agriculture. Everyone seemed to greatly enjoy our stop here.

Entertainment and enrichment continue on Crystal Symphony. A highlight for us was Tim Campbell – a personable, energetic, and talented TV star/entertainer from Australia. He did a fun “rock and roll show,” on formal night a few days ago. The Galaxy Lounge audience was enthusiastically participating. We also attended a cooking show by John Ashton, a guest chef who demonstrated how to make chicken tacos and fish tacos from scratch. He was also entertaining with an excellent sense of humor. Richard Roth, a CNN senior correspondent also had an interesting presentation. He Joined CNN when it launched in 1980 and is currently covering the United Nations, still for CNN – 38 years in the news reporting business. Last, but not least, was Chocolate Tea in Palm Court one afternoon. We think there’s an afternoon tea there every day, but we’re frequently too busy to attend.

We have a sea day tomorrow, as we travel in a southeasterly direction toward Tonga.

Jim & Ginny