Doctor No, I Presume?

As the famous french writer hilaire belloc noted, “I have wondered all my life and I have also travelled; the difference between the two being this, that we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfilment”.

- Adam Jacot De Boinod

I went on a cruise in Fiji. Cruises may not be for everyone. They are as restful or energetic as you feel. You are effortlessly on the move and there is a definite passive beauty in viewing the shorelines, in passing gently past static land. And it is not just ‘plain sailing’. There is always something to feast upon. With over 300 islands across Fiji (of which a hundred are populated) the mountain ranges are friendly and green-topped, the waters crystalline and the sand truly white.

The Yasawa Island group, around twenty in all and volcanic in origin, is properly remote, accessible only by a handful of options. It looks out over Bligh Water, named after William Bligh, Captain Cook’s first mate. It’s also famous as the location for the filming of both Blue Lagoon versions (the 1948 one starring Jean Simmons and the more recent one with Brooke Shields). And yet, miraculously, it remains unspoilt and innocent.

I made more of my visit going to the wonderful Matamanoa, a deluxe resort, perfect for honeymooners as soon became apparent. It offered a delightful aspect over the nearby Modriki Island, the setting for Tom Hanks’ Castaway, with the hillock where he buried Wilson.

At nearby Beachcombers Island I finally got a chance to recreate my own desert island experience. Like “mad dogs and the Englishman” that I am, I swam a circle around the island. I had the place to myself alongside a myriad of little creatures. Snorkelling is the best way to enjoy them especially in and amongst these renowned soft coral spots. I had a hat and some water and of course underestimated the distance and the heat, nothing that a drop of iodine and tea tree oil couldn’t restore.