Phil Gregory of Sicklebill Safaris, a highly respected bird watching guide, came to Daku for a week in June. His report of the week follows – or you can open the pdf to see it with pictures.

Fiji Bird Week Jun 13-20

Led by Phil Gregory

This was a very enjoyable, laid-back and successful inaugural Bird Week, set up by Daku Resort at Savusavu as a part of their programme of diverse activities, focussing on the accessible endemics of Vanua Levu and set during the winter season when the temperatures are very pleasant and the nights even cool. Rain is theoretically much less likely, though in fact we hit a few days of distinctly adverse weather, so much so our Islandhoppers flight from Nadi to Savusavu was cancelled and we came on one of the larger ATR 42 planes of Pacific Sun later that day. Weather for the rest of the time was mixed, but it stayed overcast and cool for the important Silktail trip and we had were able to work around the conditions and relax most afternoons.

Itinerary
Wed Jun 13 Nadi to Labasa depart 1200 and transfer across to Savusavu, Daku Resort 1430 on. Heavy showers.
Thurs Jun 14 Daku Resort area, showers.
Friday Jun 15 Daku Hill walk 0700-0800 Savusavu Bay boat trip 0930-1045. Drive to Tukavesi Village along coast of Natewa Peninsula (3 hrs) for overnight stay. Overcast but dry.
Sat Jun 16 Tukavesi village to Natotovo D 0530 A 0630-1100. Return to Savusavu after lunch. Overcast, some sun later.
Sun Jun 17 Waisele NR D0600, A 0700-0900. Rain. Birding roadsides back to Savusavu
Mon Jun 18 Oneva 0700-0900; Waisele 1030-1130 Rain and fog.
Tues Jun 19 Savudrodo 0630-0800, overgrown and slippery! Birding road around Waisele in bright sun.
Wed Jun 20 Depart Savusavu on Islandhoppers for Nadi 1115.

Daku Resort was a very pleasant place to base and we made ourselves at home amongst sundry Tom Robbins motivational course participants, snorkelers and sundry beaders from Australia and NZ. JJ was an excellent and convivial host, and the staff were great, particular thanks to multi-tasking and hard working Keni who bore the brunt of our early mornings and odd requirements, and to his lad John who helped us on the Waisele day and clearly has some talent at bird-related things- I am glad he did not get suspended over the stone-throwing punch-up at his school! Thanks to Sue Gregory and Delia Rothnie-Jones who put together the logistic framework, we look forward to future bird weeks.

Thanks also to an easy-going and convivial group, I hope you enjoyed the birding and the various activities, sorry about the lack of Many-coloured Fruit-Dove, Blue-crested Flycatcher and Polynesian Starling on Vanua Levu, but those who went to Colo-i-Suva after the bird week saw all except the fruit dove, a night or two here may be worth adding to the itinerary for 2013. Vinaka vakalevu.

Phil, Kuranda, Queensland June 2012

Species List

Endemics or near endemics in bold; Introduced species (I)

Pacific Black Duck Anas superciliosa
One en route from Labasa and two near Savusavu at the fishponds.

Pacific Reef Heron Egretta sacra
Small numbers seen, all dark phase except for one white phase that flew over the resort one afternoon. A bird on the sports field near Savusavu looked like a pale grey type Reef Heron, with a white chin and throat, but also seemed structurally more like a White-faced, raising the intriguing possibility do they hybridize here/ I have some good photos and will ask the great and the good for their opinions. Personally I think it is an immature White-faced Heron.

White-faced Heron E. novaehollandiae
A couple near Labasa airport, this is quite a recent colonist of the islands.

Brown Booby Sula leucogaster
A couple seen on the boat trip off Daku Resort. A distant booby seen from Daku may have been a brown morph Red-footed but I left it uncertain.

Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel
3 seen over Daku in the stormy conditions after we arrived, with one next day.

Great Frigatebird Fregata minor
This proved to be the commoner frigatebird this trip, with up to 6 seen and some nice white-headed birds over Savusavu

Frigatebird sp. Fregata sp.
Several unidentified distant frigatebirds were seen from Daku.

Swamp (Pacific) Harrier Circus approximans
Just one single over mangroves near Tukavesi, unexpectedly scarce.

Fiji Goshawk Accipiter rufitorques
Common, with 3 or 4 seen each day, often heard calling.

Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva
6 on a reef near Tukavesi and then 28 at Savusavu airstrip.

Wandering Tattler Tringa incana
5 on a reef near Tukavesi, and one near Savusavu.

Great Crested Tern Sterna bergii
A few off Daku Resort.

Black-naped Tern Sterna sumatrana
12+ on the boat trip out of Daku, fishing with Black Noddies.

Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus
3 offshore from Daku Jun 14 then 2 out in the bay on the boat trip.

Black Noddy Anous minutus
Fair numbers >60 off Daku during the rough weather earlier in the trip and 40 on the boat trip.

Feral Pigeon Columba livia (I)
A few in Nadi and Savusavu, much to Dugald’s delight….

White-throated (Metallic) Pigeon Columba vitiensis
Great views of up to a dozen near Tukavesi, one at Waisele and then 10 on a tree near Jerusalemi village near Savusavu.

Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis (I)
A few around Daku and Savusavu.

Orange Dove Chrysoenas victor
A male at Natovotovo Silktail site gave fantastic views, and we saw another up on the Waisele Trail in the rain, with one heard at Savudrodo and another near Savusavu. The birds were singing well, depressing the tail slightly with each call so the bird gave a quiver, and making the bizarre “click” call.

Peale’s Imperial-Pigeon (Barking Pigeon) Ducula latrans
Common and very vocal in the forests of Vanua Levu.

Collared Lory Phigys solitarius
Great views of them feeding in a bottlebrush at Daku Resort, and small numbers were around in the coconuts at various sites.

Maroon (Red) Shining Parrot Prosopeia tabuensis
Distant and rather frustrating views of singles and twos near Tukavesi and up near Waisele, they were both uncommon and secretive on this island even though we had 5 day records. It’s a striking large parrot with a very strange flight, with deep slow wing-flaps, the wings raised very high over the back.

White-rumped Swiftlet Aerodramus spodiopygius
Quite common, we saw 10+ per day.

Collared Kingfisher Todirhamphus chloris vitiensis
A very distinct form, and the whole complex of 49 taxa is way overdue for radical splitting. We saw the pale and rather Sacred Kingfisher-like vitiensis on Vanua Levu, which looks to be sexually dimorphic with one sex being whitish beneath, the other a rich warm buff, and both very unlike Collared Kingfisher.

Orange-breasted Myzomela Myzomela jugularis
Small numbers daily on Vanua Levu, where we had up to 6 per day. it’s a very striking species with red on the rump.

Wattled Honeyeater Foulehaio carunculata
Common at Daku where they were coming in and chasing around the bottlebrush, this is the race taviunensis with a well-developed orange wattle.

Fiji Wood-swallow Artamus mentalis
Quite common on Vanua Levu with up to a dozen per day.

Polynesian Triller Lalage maculosa
Quite common out in the wooded areas, this is the race woodi which has quite dark blackish upperparts in some birds, more brown in others, presumably a sexual dimorphism.

Fiji Whistler Pachycephala (pectoralis) aurantiiventris
We saw two rather distinctive taxa on Vanua Levu which were new for my collection of “Golden Whistler” taxa: The nominate aurantiiventris was quite common in tall forest and is entirely orange-yellow below, with dark blackish upperparts and no yellow collar; the female is drab brown with a pale throat and buffy underparts.

The Natewa Peninsula race ambigua has a narrow black breast band and yellow underparts, and a richer coloured female. I wish I’d been able to tape the calls, but at least I got a good series for aurantiiventris, which is very vocal at dawn at Daku.

The whole complex of 64 “Golden Whistler’ taxa is way overdue for a massive split-up, which the IOC have now begun with Fiji and White-throated Whistler (Kadavu) here in Fiji.

Streaked Fantail Rhipidura spilodera

This was fairly common on Vanua Levu but only in good tall forest. The race here is erythronata, and Fiji birds seem pretty different to the New Caledonian birds too in both calls and morphology.

Fiji Bush Warbler Cettia ruficapilla
Common by voice but hard to see, with the race castaneoptera on Vanua Levu. We saw one quite well up at the Silktail site. Sorry John!

Slaty Monarch Mayrornis lessoni
First seen up at the Devo Silktail site, the harsh scolding call is diagnostic, then again at Oneva.

Fiji (Lesser) Shrikebill Clytorhynchus vitiensis
Good views up at the Silktail site at Natotovo seeing a couple of birds, then a nice look at one at Oneva in regrowth forest. This is the race buensis with 8 taxa recognized here in Fiji, differing in minor colour and size characters.

Vanikoro Flycatcher Myiagra vanikorensis
Quite common on all 3 islands, we saw rufiventris on Vanua Levu. It is virtually a Fiji endemic, as the nominate is only on remote Vanikoro in the Santa Cruz Islands, Solomons.

Silktail Lamprolia victoriae
Probably the highlight of the stay was the finding of the rare kleinschmidti taxon of Silktail in the forest at Natovotovo, at the site of the former Silktail Lodge. Eddie the landowner took us right to the spot after a fairly easy walk crossing one shallow creek, and we had nice views of at least two birds. I was surprised at how small they seemed, and the way they were foraging high in branches and creepers, picking about like a creeper. The head had a dull bluish iridescence, and the tail was silky satin white with a narrow black border and tip. No vocalizations were heard. It occurs only on the eastern part of the Natewa Peninsula and must be pretty darn rare as the forest is pretty disturbed and not too extensive, though they have 2500 acres here, which they are currently preserving. It’s also amazing how Blue-crested Flycatcher does not overlap with it.

Pacific (Scarlet) Robin Petroica (multicolor) boodang
Good views of a male at Oneva and another at Savudrodo next day, this is the race kleinschmidti. It was heard up behind Daku Resort as well but was very skulking.

Pacific Swallow Hirundo tahitica
A few around Savusavu.

Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer (I)
Small numbers on Vanua Levu; it’s actually quite an attractive species!

Layard’s White-eye Zosterops explorator
Common in the wooded habitats.

Silvereye Z. lateralis
Not as common as the endemic white-eye, but still seen most days with one or two birds.

Jungle Myna Acridotheres fuscus (I)
A few around Daku and Savusavu, much less common than the abundant Common Myna.

Common Myna A. tristis (I)
Common around the coast on Vanua Levu.

Red Avadavat Amandava amandava (I)
Small flocks abound Savusavu and at Tukavesi, quite an attractive small finch and probably harmless here.

Fiji Parrot-Finch Erythrura peali
A group of about 4 feeding by the roadside en route to Waisele was a good find and gave nice looks.

Mammals

Samoan Flying-fox Pteropus samoensis
A few up near Tukavesi may have been this species, they looked paler and more silvery, but these Pteropus are hard to distinguish in the field.

Pacific Flying-fox Pteropus tonganus
This was quite common on Vanua Levu with camps of 40 + and 100+ in day out in the degraded woodlands, and often seen flying over Daku. The buffy neck fur seemed to go onto the mantle, which I think, makes it this species and not the rather larger Samoan Flying Fox.

Indian Mongoose Herpestes auropunctatus (I)
Regrettably seen every day on Vanua Levu where it is obviously abundant and explains the lack of Buff-banded Rails and Purple Swamphens!

Phil Gregory, Daku Resort, Vanua Levu, Fiji June 20 2012

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Open up this file Report Fiji Bird Week June 2012-1 to see the same report with pictures.

Lessa and Jenny (left)

When doctors go on holiday, they are all too often beset by other people asking them for a quick opinion on whatever aches and pains they have that day. When quilters go on retreat, it’s a prime opportunity for the rest of us to sidle up to them with rips and tears in our favourite garments and ask if they couldn’t just…….well, I was shameless and thanks to Jenny, my husband now has a beautifully mended shirt.

Kay at her machine

Which is all slightly irrelevant to the quilting itself but it’s a nice little story about quilters, who are some of the jolliest, best natured and most obliging groups we ever get. The sheer volume of laughter they produce is wonderful. What’s so funny each day? I have no idea, but whenever I walked up to see them and admire their work, I approached on a rising wave of burst of gaiety.

They had a lot to be happy about, of course. A week with one of Australia’s best teachers of traditional quilting. A truly stunning location : we put them up in the yoga shala with its fabulous views of the sea over the tops of the swaying palm trees. Good weather: sunny days with enough breeze to stay cool. Cheerful company, augmented by the enchanting Angelique, the baby granddaughter of one of the quilters Cheryl, who was enjoying a 3 generation outing: herself, her daughter and her granddaughter. And some fun outings, including snorkelling on the reef which was a first for both Lessa and Jenny.

Lessa demonstrating a technique on the machine

And in between all this, they produced marvellous work, swirling swathes of colour in the Fractured Circles design, and intricate patterns in the Mariners Compass design. On the last evening we had a Show and Tell, and all the other guests at the resort gathered to admire and applaud the work on display. A very happy week and Lessa will be back next year in August.

A lovely start to 2012 – a dynamic yoga week with Michelle Jayne. We were up every morning to start the first workshop at 7.30 – and soon sweating hard.  Her practice is influenced by the Power Yoga approach, but her major mentor has been Ana Forrest. She first met Ana when she trained with her in 2008, and immediately found a deep sympathy with her verbal descriptions of body placement. It

A different sort of sun salutation

gave her a deeper understanding of how to create space in your body, and how to move from a sense of suffering (interpret this in the sense of finding an asana difficult / challenging / tiring) to finding curiosity and joy. So as we moved through the morning practice she encouraged us to hold certain poses and find the joy in them – often an attitude of mind, but sometimes a sense of discovery in what we could do.

Two-legged down dog

The afternoon workshops explored ideas of patterning of the mind and how to respond when you hit the edge in an asana, and then the late afternoon practice allowed us to find relaxation in extended stretches. This was the time when we had some others join us to explore and enjoy the benefits of working with long poses and the support of straps.

Stretching it out

And then there was time for the beach, for snorkelling on the reef, for shopping in Savusavu and for a cruise on a yacht. Altogether a great start to the year’s yoga programme.

Out on the yacht

An extraordinary week with Noah Maze: the experience of learning from him was a daily endorsement of his huge reputation. Noah leads a very strong practice, well beyond the normal comfort zone of at least half the class. But with his meticulous work on the preparation of each pose, and the Anusara based emphasis on correct alignment, every student found that they were able to grasp the requirements of each new asana. As each day went by, although not every pose was mastered, everyone was astonished (and gratified) at the leaps in confidence and achievement they experienced.
Every morning practice lasted for two and a half hours, with a focus on standing and balancing poses and a lot of work on the strength based postures of headstands and handstands. Noah worked through each pose in different ways, teaching his students how it could be approached from sitting, standing and lying down. And, delightfully, he laces his teaching with humour – mimicking the New Joisey ATTITUDE of “whass da big deal?” as he hooked his arms under his knees and spread his hands in mock challenge in order to show the class how to prepare for astavakrasana (Eight Angle Pose); the shrill cry of the peacock he let out in pincha mayurasana (Feathered Peacock Pose)……making everyone relax, laugh, pause, refresh their mind and absorb the confidence he exudes.

Noah helps with a back bend

If I were to single out the greatest gift he gave us during the week, I think it would be exactly that: confidence. He is uncompromising in his demands – but his unwavering belief that it can be done pushes each student into fulfilling intentions they had no idea they could achieve. The class was of very mixed ability: two teachers, several others who had a well established and confident practice and several more who had only practiced yoga for 2 or 3 years – and one man who was just one month in. Each and every one knew they had taken bounds in their practice and in their understanding of what was possible for them.
There was more: time for teaching the life-affirming philosophy behind the Anusara practice, for meditation and chanting, for friendship and laughter within the group, for good food and dancing, for Fijian music and kava drinking. And for falling into a deep, exhausted and happy sleep every night. Namaste, Noah.

Everyone

Noah demonstrates a pose

Noah teaching inversions

John Ogilvie is a teacher who challenges and cajoles his students into things they’ve never thought they could do before – and their practice is greatly enhanced in the process. His recent course at the beginning of June had every student doing a handstand by the end of the week – some with his help and some without. Initially nervous, the students worked their way into the posture and found its reward in new confidence. And that’s the way John’s week worked – he introduced new and demanding asanas to the class, helping everyone through with humour, encouragement and, where necessary, a helping hand.

New possibilities opened up. He spent an entire session focussing on Virabhradrasana III, using the wall and the floor to attempt the pose at different angles, encouraging a thorough exploration and understanding of it.

He taught the class how to help partners into poses that stretched the back, working feet into shoulders and pushing in and up. It was quite uncomfortable, but afterwards everyone – and particularly those who had sore backs – found their back muscles relaxed and their overall posture far more comfortable.

One of the students was 5 months pregnant and inevitably John had to adjust the poses for her. It became a lesson in letting go for her, as she realised that her usual command of her body had to be softened and she had to give in gracefully to the demands of the baby.

There were two practices a day, one as the sun rose and one in the evening as it set. In between there was time for all the good things Fiji has to offer – swimming, snorkelling, kayaking, visiting local villages, having a spa massage and just relaxing.

He’ll be back same time next year!

Diana Plater attended Jan Cornall’s writing retreat in March and this article appeared in The Weekend Australia on 23 April 2011.

The benefits of a creative writing course at a simple resort on the island of Vanua Levu.

by Diana Plater

TEN years is a long time for a manuscript to sit in a bottom drawer, especially when it hasn’t been completed. But that’s the situation with my latest book. I’ve done most of the research and interviews, written an outline and a couple of chapters, given it a title, attempted to turn it into a play and considered a chick-lit conversion.

But two chapters do not a novel make.

I am greatly in need of inspiration and ways to break writer’s block. As Jackie Collins once advised: ‘‘Write, don’t talk about it.’’

So when an invitation arrives to do a creative writing course in an exotic location how can I refuse? And especially when it’s titled Breakthrough Writing in Fiji.

The course, taught by playwright, novelist and performer Jan Cornall, is one of several types run each year at Daku Resort, on Fiji’s northern and less-visited island of Vanua Levu, just a kilometre or so up the road from the colourful town of Savusavu.

Cornall runs courses in Australia and overseas destinations and this is her second at Daku. Delia and John Rothnie-Jones, who own the resort, have been running courses since 2004 in subjects as diverse as literature appreciation, painting and bird watching.

This year they are also including painting, singing, beading, snorkelling and marine life and yoga workshops on the agenda.

Daku Resort offers friendly, no-frills accommodation, which in some ways makes it easier to concentrate on the craft of writing.

The lush gardens and gorgeous views through the coconut palms help play on the senses, another aspect of the course.

As I arrive earlier than the other five members of the group, Delia takes me on a boat trip across the bay where we swim and collect shells. That evening the group arrives, looking a bit worse for wear. They’ve flown from Sydney to Nadi and then Suva to Labasa followed by a hairy taxi ride across the mountains to Savusavu.

Air Pacific assures us that when its two new TwinOtter aircraft arrive in June it will resume frequent services to Savusavu and other islands from Nadi andvisitors won’t be faced with cancellations
and mountainous taxi trips (although I do enjoy the ride on the way back).

The next morning we get stuck into the first of our daily three-hour lessons conducted in an open-air room overlooking palms and sea that Delia says is the only ‘‘custom-built yoga shala in the south Pacific’’.
We are working on a variety of books on very different themes: a memoir, a historical novel, a war history-cum-memoir  and three contemporary novels, including mine.

I am pleased to see the other writers have similar problems to mine. They have their stories, characters and themes worked out, but are stuck and none has a completed manuscript. A couple have some trepidation about reading to the group, but we all find the encouragement gentle and genuine. And breaking into pairs to work on mapping plots and themes is also helpful.

Cornall’s aim is to help you focus on what’s swirling around in your mind, access it and get it down on paper in your own voice. She uses meditation and creative visualisation; yoga on a few mornings as well as swimming and snorkelling also help, giving us time to think (or not think), as does the solitude and
peace of writing in a bure.

After a daily 6pm reading session together, we have group dinners with other guests at Daku; meals are simple but substantial with all meals included in the week-long course’s cost.

I’ve had a few distractions since returning home but I’ve almost completed another chapter and I’ve made a big decision: this book is definitely not chick-lit. The course has given me the breakthrough I needed.

Jan returns to Fiji in 2012 for another week of Breakthrough Writing from 17 – 24 March, 2011.
Read more here »

Writers Get Creative Amid Palms in Fiji – News article from Yahoo!7

This one’s all about pictures – an unfolding scrapbook of how to make a quilted landscape picture.

Gloria Loughman, the teacher, is an immensely talented quilter who teaches all over the world and creates stunning landscapes herself. This week she was guiding her class as they sat up on the deck of the Villa and looked out over what she said was the best view she had ever had in a workshop. Most of the quilters had brought along photos of the landscape they wanted to create as a quilt, although one person, Caz, chose the view in front of her. I’ve included that in my panorama. Hope you enjoy the story!

Caz’s Quilt…

Caz's first layout of the view from her balcony at Daku

The actual view

Caz stitching the landscape

Almost finished...

The final quilt of Daku with backing

Jenny’s Quilt…

Jenny's quilt - laying out the main elements

Stitching up the background

The trees are put in place...

Painting in some water features

The finished quilt

Rosie Scott’s course Mentoring Manuscripts took place in August. Afterwards, I took the opportunity of asking her a few questions about the process of teaching a retreat like this.

When you are teaching a new group, what are the things you are looking for in your students to help you focus on what they want?

It’s a matter of communication- before every class or course I do, I always go round the class and find out what each person hopes to achieve in their writing from the group. Also at the end I always do a check of what each person has achieved. Sometimes they are quite different, as during the course people discover new ways of writing and/or new goals!
The other way is during the workshopping of their manuscript- the very process means that the writer can talk about what they want to achieve in great detail and specifically, and I can then give very direct suggestions about how to get there.
In the Daku group everyone knew exactly what they wanted, they were very clear and focused.

What do most students find the main stumbling block / the hardest thing to do?

I think for all writers, and my students are no exception, the main stumbling block is staying on track, continuing to write though you’re feeling deeply discouraged and feeling very low in self esteem. It’s regaining inspiration and confidence that can sometimes seem impossible and this is what I want my teaching to provide. This is particularly so with writing a novel which is a huge undertaking and needs so much stamina, self belief and sacrifice of time.

What’s the best aspect of teaching a group?

It’s that wonderful dynamic when we’re all deeply involved in discussing someone’s work, everyone is buzzing with ideas and inspiration and suggestions. There is a great sense of how benevolent and kind people are and also how amazingly astute, everyone is on a high. When a group has a good dynamic and my first group at Daku was like that (and for this workshopping works really well) it means courtesy, honesty, humour, astuteness and lots of commitment.

Do you have any stories of “aha!” moments experienced by students?

Not specifically- but generally speaking, I’m always thrilled when students go away from a session and can’t stop start writing, it’s as if they’ve been released and it’s all pouring out. This happened at Daku. Very exciting. I only wish it was me!

Have you ever had to deal with a truly impossible writer – and what made them impossible?

A few. Arrogance is a bore though you need a certain amount I suppose to succeed as a writer. I don’t want to be sexist here but there’s no doubt men are more self confident than women on the whole and this sometimes borders on arrogance. One university student asked me for a higher mark. I thought about it and said very politely no because I believed the mark was correct. She complained higher up and when that didn’t succeed wrote awful comments in the student survey. . But luckily comments from the other students were so good, hers was in a distinct minority of one. The other thing she did continually was give very dismissive, long, off the wall and unhelpful comments about everyone else’s work. Awful, enough to put you off teaching.

What happens if a group takes a dislike to one of its members?

I think this is where my counselling experience is a great help- someone who is impossible at first and I’ve had a few – can be drawn into the group, given self confidence and encouraged and eventually become less prickly. I think people will give the ‘outsiders ‘the benefit of the doubt- because they are mostly so perceptive they can see the bad behaviour is sometimes about lack of confidence or whatever.
The other thing is writers are not really ‘group’ people anyway so they probably understand ! I have never had any real trouble with that.

Have you ever been tempted to borrow an idea / character from a student?

No I can’t say I have!

Last week artist Leonie Norton led a group of artists in a botanical art and holiday sketching retreat. The week was spent at a slow and leisurely pace, painting, sketching and drawing in various locations around Daku Resort and Savusavu in general. The yoga shala again proved its impressive versatility providing a fabulously cool and shaded place to paint, with some wonderfully inspiring views – and with lush plant life all around.

The group visited a few beaches around Savusavu in order just to sit and take sketches of the scenery – and here are just a few pictures of the group at work…

Last week Elena Parashko lead a group of artists at Daku Resort. Karen (attending her second art and painting retreat at Daku) writes below:

“This is my second time to Daku Resort to combine some learning with pleasure. I left with some concern as to whether the memories I had retained so vividly from last visit in September 2009 would actually set me up for a disappointment as my benchmark was already set so high.

Painting on the beach

Keni and Raj greeted me back to the ‘family’ as if I had returned home. And part of the Tadulala family we were, from the minute we arrived until it was time to leave. Mereoni made sure that we were well fed and combined Western, Asian and traditional Fijian food to ensure that we did not go hungry. It was delicious and healthy. Who’d of thought that seaweed could taste so good – really! The entertainment provided by the Tadulala children was presented with genuine warmth and an eagerness to please. The accommodation was very clean with bucketfuls of charm.

Despite my initial concerns, I was all the more pleasantly surprised when this trip was even better than the last.

Another day hard at work

Elena Parashko was our art teacher for this course and her teaching skills and ability transformed us all (she had 10 eager students of differing abilities) into artists with greater skills and far more confidence than when we arrived. It surely helped that the pick of locations would be the envy of anyone – paintbrush in hand or not. If the weather chose to spring a tropical storm upon us we also had the new purpose built Yoga Shala to set up our easels and paint away.

In the beautiful Yoga Shala

While there we had the pleasure of meeting another group who were there to appreciate classical music under the guidance of Mike Smith. Mike so very clearly loved his subject matter that he has inspired me to explore this music genre further.

So now it seems that I have presented myself with a real problem now that I have set my benchmark even higher. A challenge I shall gladly rise up to and return again in 2011.

Thank you Daku for being a little piece of paradise.

Karen McAllister

Tony and Demo with my painting