Arieh here. Here we are in Savusavu, on the island of Vanua Levu, sitting on our balcony overlooking Savusavu Bay (picture).
This is Fiji's 2nd largest island and this little town is quite the "yachtie" hangout. Rhonda and Israel (and of course my mother's relatives--maiden name was Yacht) need to put into port here. We arrived here yesterday by a 4-hour car/passenger ferry ride from Taveuni, Fiji's 4th largest island. (picture). In Savusavu we have 24-hour electricity. On Taveuni we had generator-electricity for 3.5 hours/day (until 9:30PM). We could have stayed in a fancier resort where they run the generator 24 hours, but at $300-$400 U.S./day we thought we would let some of you enjoy those resorts. In any case, from the "Honeymoon Suite" at Bibi's Hideaway we had a nice view of his grounds and and surrounding area (picture). 
Jim Bibi, a "real" Fijian (unlike the Indo-Fijians or Europeans) owns the land, cultivated and landscaped the property and is quite happy to talk your ear off. He is quite proud of the fact that of the 27 resort owners on Taveuni, he is the only Fijian landowner--the other 24 are foreigners and the other 2 are "only" Fijian managers, not owners. His property has coconut trees (be careful as you walk), papaya trees, pineapple bushes, tangerine, lime (they look orangish inside), mango, and wild flowers of many kinds. Everything is used and is there for the picking.We also had "tea" at Audrey's Place. Audrey is a 60-ish year old Boston born, L.A. lived ex-pat. She runs a little teahouse overlooking the north bay of Taveuni island (picture)
and is loads of fun to talk to as she has lived here over 20 years--all by chance after her husband left her. The other big event in Taveuni was our 5 KM (one-way) Lavena coastal walk. Fiji is somewhat like Israel and the Karen Kayemet/JNF. Most of the land is held in trust for native Fijians. However, there are some major differences as to how non-Fijians are treated regarding land. In any case, this coastal walk is the Fijian form of eco-tourism to avoid the cutting of the rain forests. We took a local bus to the end of the unpaved bumpy road and alighted at the "lodge". The whole operation is run by the village. The admission fees for the trail walk go to the village. The guide is local and three of them take turns (based on seniority), the local meals we ordered for after the 3-hour trip are prepared by different households (the $ go directly to them) and so on. At the end of the trail was a beautiful waterfall and natural swimming pool (picture). 
Val even learned to walk on rocks--step on the top.The ferry to Savusavu was quite interesting. As it was only a 4-hour trip, we went economy and not First Class. The ship is an old Russian vessel, lots of rust in evidence, and "pleasant". They even have an air-conditioned sitting lounge for economy and there were not many passengers. The maps on the wall were still Russian and of the "Hellenic" islands. To top it off, they were showing a Clint Eastwood movie marathon! We looked at F.C. and will probably book it for the Tuesday overnight trip. Nice clean cabins and berths. Those in F.C. for the short trip were in a different lounge--lower down and no view. Go figure! Our short trip from Taveuni followed the coast to Savusavu, far enough away from the reefs so as not to ruin our day and run aground. A bit overcast, but smooth waters.
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