FIJI: At Road's End...

...or at least our turning point.

In a far corner of Fiji, 50 miles east of the farthest point on Vanua Levu, lies Naqelelevu Lagoon—an idyllic spot where visitors are extremely rare.The family that lives there greeted us with “Welcome to Paradise!” With unsurpassable beauty, a bounty of fresh food, and the most generous couple imaginable as caretakers of their clan’s land, we soon felt we had come, in fact, to Eden.

Cockpit view by night:
Venus courting the moon (or vice versa)

Cockpit view by day:
Impossible blues

Coconut crabs are endangered in most places but Mika and Alice harvest them responsibly, taking only large males…

...which they turn into heavenly meals!

Boiled crab legs and claws (with bananas) surrounding the stomach, which cooks into a natural dipping sauce

Grilled crab in a broth of local lemon juice and chilies; scrumptious!

(They also shared the best spiced fish we’ve ever had.)

Their son Leonard hacked an overgrown path across the island with his machete,

past proof that coconut crabs are plentiful here,

(how many crabs can you find in this picture?)

to colorful coral-filled tide pools.

A PR photo? Nope.

Photoshopped? Nope.

Eden? Close as.

Only a change in the weather could have pried us away, turning southwest to head back across Fiji’s broad expanse of water and islands. 

But Eden—Naqelelevu--will always be etched on our hearts.