Sun, Sand and Surf in Paradise

Day 64, Grand Asia 2017

Monday, Dec. 4, 2017 – Dravuni Island, Fiji

I didn’t have much expectation of our visit to Dravuni Island today. We would arrive at noon and tender in. It is a small island with seemingly not much to offer. There were no shore excursions offered.

But what a wonderful surprise! This is just what you expect of a South Pacific island: a long white beach, clear sparkling water, coconut palms lining the beach, a thatched roof pavilion and colorful local wares for sale.

Even the weather, which was solidly cloudy with occasional rain yesterday, cleared up by the time we arrived.

In watercolor class yesterday our instructor Jack encouraged us to plan to do some plein air painting – sketching and painting outdoors. By the time I got to shore, a half dozen of our class was already seated under the pavilion, surrounded by several young local children. They were a few of the approximately 100 Fijians who live on the island.

Most passengers were lying in the sand or relaxing in the water. A few took up locals on the offer of a boat ride around the island (1.3 miles long and 300 yards wide) or hiking up the small mountain at one end. A group of local men were sharing the pavilion, sitting on mats on the sand.

I joined the art class and began sketching a nearby house sitting under a palm, with colorful laundry hanging to dry. After filling in my rough sketch with a permanent pen, I got out my paint box and palate. Soon a young girl joined me, naming the colors as I used them. After a while others joined her, and by the time I was finishing my quick painting, I had several helpers, suggesting which colors to use for the drying shirts and agreeing that my palm trunk was a little too thick. They eagerly helped me clean my brushes and paint palate and then posed with me in front of the scene we had drawn. Jack left their school with some art supplies after making cute sketches of many of the kids.

Before I took the tender back to the ship, I waded in the warm water and wished I had worn my swimsuit. I had time to take some photos.

Earlier in the day, I finished my deck walk just in time, as the crew blocked part of the lower promenade to prepare the tenders to take us to the island.

[Careful followers of this blog might ask “what deck walk?” Yes, I admit, I finally met my commitment to walk two miles daily around the outside promenade on deck 3. And yes, this came on day 64. I have no credible excuse….]