For mid semester break I found myself on the island of Taveuni. Taveuni, known as the “Garden Island” is the fourth biggest island in Fiji. The island has no towns (at least in the sense of the towns that we know in America). The vast majority of the island’s 12,000 inhabitants live in traditional Fijian villages.
The most memorable experience of the trip came at the Lavena Coastal Walk. We took a taxi, from our backpacker’s lodge, which brought us along the coastline on a dirt road with views of deep turquoise waters, waves breaking on outer reefs and green mountainous islands in the distance. About an hour later we reached the beginning of the coastal walk. The hour and a half walk brought us along the shore, through mangroves, along cliffs, climbing over rocks, over suspension bridges, along beaches, through palm groves, past villages and across crystal clear mountain streams entering the ocean. Words cannot capture the varied, beautiful scenery (hopefully the pictures attached at the bottom can). Unfortunately, I brought no camera, so the pictures are from a friend’s iphone (word of advice to any future study abroad students, bring a decent camera…its well worth it). At the destination of the hike we found a truly unique Fiji site. After heading inland over grassy mountain plains, the footpath ends on a rocky river bank. Up the stream, a waterfall is visible through a ten foot gap in a rock face. To reach the waterfall we swam about 75 yards up stream through the gap in the rock face and emerged into a pool. The pool contains the smaller (maybe 20 feet high) waterfall seen from further down the river but intersecting the smaller waterfall is a 45 foot tall waterfall. The twin waterfalls both empty and intersec in the pool. We climbed the rock face next to the smaller waterfall and had great fun jumping off of it into the freezing mountain waters of the pool below. We also lay down in the sun in a small pool overlooking the smaller waterfall. I will never forget the sheer beauty and uniqueness of the twin waterfalls.
Photos:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/organize/?start_tab=sets
<a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/109185869@N08/13867481534″ title=”10169388_10203630095011604_107949320298341311_n by samantha brown, on Flickr”><img src=”https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/13867481534_72b8a90245.jpg” width=”500″ height=”193″ alt=”10169388_10203630095011604_107949320298341311_n”></a>
<a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/109185869@N08/13867100405″ title=”10157124_10203630090931502_8008277404914318172_n by samantha brown, on Flickr”><img src=”https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3749/13867100405_1bed44eab6.jpg” width=”375″ height=”500″ alt=”10157124_10203630090931502_8008277404914318172_n”></a>
<a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/109185869@N08/13867123213″ title=”1979750_10203630089291461_1366495394762824750_n by samantha brown, on Flickr”><img src=”https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3705/13867123213_479d2b4d2c.jpg” width=”375″ height=”500″ alt=”1979750_10203630089291461_1366495394762824750_n”></a>
<a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/109185869@N08/13867095035″ title=”10157374_10203630088771448_2281987856984327626_n by samantha brown, on Flickr”><img src=”https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7454/13867095035_0f257a99fc.jpg” width=”375″ height=”500″ alt=”10157374_10203630088771448_2281987856984327626_n”></a>
<a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/109185869@N08/13867473694″ title=”10250217_10203630067730922_1858250172743626989_n by samantha brown, on Flickr”><img src=”https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2889/13867473694_aed745a515.jpg” width=”375″ height=”500″ alt=”10250217_10203630067730922_1858250172743626989_n”></a>
<a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/109185869@N08/13867091145″ title=”10246498_10203630067530917_8430343444358452098_n by samantha brown, on Flickr”><img src=”https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3702/13867091145_616a515b40.jpg” width=”500″ height=”375″ alt=”10246498_10203630067530917_8430343444358452098_n”></a>
<a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/109185869@N08/13867470574″ title=”1509123_10203630065730872_4905720561467591666_n by samantha brown, on Flickr”><img src=”https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2836/13867470574_227425ef34.jpg” width=”375″ height=”500″ alt=”1509123_10203630065730872_4905720561467591666_n”></a>
<a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/109185869@N08/13867114653″ title=”10256954_10203630065290861_1524459986387694698_n by samantha brown, on Flickr”><img src=”https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2908/13867114653_4720f8c93b.jpg” width=”375″ height=”500″ alt=”10256954_10203630065290861_1524459986387694698_n”></a>
<a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/109185869@N08/13867467164″ title=”10006951_10203630062330787_205438227554943767_n by samantha brown, on Flickr”><img src=”https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7433/13867467164_bd7c4e5c2a.jpg” width=”375″ height=”500″ alt=”10006951_10203630062330787_205438227554943767_n”></a>
<a href=”https://www.flickr.com/photos/109185869@N08/13867079705″ title=”1010223_10203630060810749_6564560407957769746_n by samantha brown, on Flickr”><img src=”https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3805/13867079705_631322f24b.jpg” width=”375″ height=”500″ alt=”1010223_10203630060810749_6564560407957769746_n”></a>
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