A few months back, I blogged about Tribewanted.com’s social experiment: a 5,000-member online social network with a three-year lease on an undeveloped Fijian island to use as their own personal paradise. James Vlahos went along with the “first footers” who kicked off development on Vorovoro, and lived to tell the tale in National Geographic Adventure. It’s a suitably cinematic story, all about the challenge of making a virtual community into a real one (in the space of a year), balancing the relationship between the genuine tribe and their idealistic tenants – it even includes rituals and a tribe-dividing brush fire! There’s a gallery of photos to accompany the story here.

– Tagged: Fiji
– “Tribewanted.com’s Fijian eco-experiment opens”
– “Tribe Wanted: Welcome to Vorovoro” (National Geographic Adventure)

In May 2004, Jono Lewarne and a childhood friend set out from the UK for a 12-month round-the-world trip. Little did he know, then, that it would turn into an odyssey that would run through April 2006. Starting in San Francisco, they headed across the Pacific, splitting a month between the Cook Islands and Fiji. A three-month roadtrip of New Zealand followed, and then Australia, where a free place to stay and a pressing need for cash led them both to eventually apply for work visas – which they got in a snap. Instead of a trip, Jono got a new home base, living and working first in Brisbane, then Perth, and using Oz as a launchpad to travel through Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam during the next year. His camera, of course, went with him everywhere, and so far he’s uploaded fantastic footage from Australia, Fiji, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand and New Zealand to Travelistic:



Now back in the UK, living in Bristol, Jono says the most important part of the journey was the confidence that comes from living successfully on the road. “I’ve found I almost never worry,” he writes “I know, no matter what, I will always have a bed to sleep in and food to eat. Even if they are not my own!” His favorite stops along his extended route? The Cook Islands; Wanaka, New Zealand (“a village that reminded me of my hometown. But with a mountain perimeter and a serene lake, instead of imposing cliffs and Atlantic coast”); and Koh Phi Phi in Thailand (“a lot of people say how commercial it is but I looked past all of that and really got into the vibe of the place. I really got the most out of my camera on Phi Phi and would say the footage I got there was some of the best I have ever shot.”) In his spare time, he can be found working on graphic design and video projects, and says that more clips– from the US, Canada, the Cook Islands, and various European destinations–are coming soon.

The Fijian military seized control of the islands’ government in Suva on Tuesday. While the coup is so far bloodless, the military faction under the control of Commodore Frank Bainimarama has declared a state of emergency. This gives Bainimarama the power to impose curfews and checkpoints, and call up army reservists in the event of an uprising. The coup, the fourth in 19 years, stems from ongoing political tension between native Fijians, who represent around 50% of the population, and the descendants of Indian laborers brought to the island under British colonial rule, at 44%. The international community has quickly condemned the actions of the coup leaders: the UN has called for for the restoration of Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, the US has suspended aid, and Australia and New Zealand have imposed sanctions and are urging Fijians to peacefully resist the takeover. This development is bad news for travel to Fiji. Tourism accounts for a quarter of the archipelago’s economy, roughly $700,000, with 400,000 visitors each year, while the Fijian population is only 900,000. Most tourists are drawn by the idyllic “paradise lost” vibe of the islands’ many beach resorts, which doesn’t jibe very well with thorny political realities. (Here’s how Tribewanted’s faux-islanders are taking the news) Already tourists from New Zealand, the second biggest share of the market, are staying away, and TVNZ is reporting that bookings to Fiji are down by a third. The NZ government is warning travelers to limit non-essential visits to the islands, but the U.S. State department has yet to issue any advisories. What to do if you already have a trip booked? Thus far, conditions are stable and most of the resorts are, indeed, far from any of the action; Fiji’s Tourism Action Group is not recommending that anyone cancel their trip. But you’d do well to keep an eye on the news, check for any late-breaking advisories, and be sure to have your embassy or consulate’s information handy.

Elsewhere:
– “Fiji’s military chief seizes control of country” (Globe and Mail)
– “Fiji imposes state of emergency” (BBC)
– “Fears for Fiji tourism as unrest hits” (Hotel Travel News)
– “Tourists shy away from Fiji” (TVNZ)
– “The trouble with paradise takes many different forms” (Telegraph)
– “Background Note: Fiji” (US State Department)

Back in January, two brits, Ben Keene and Mark James, had the idea to lease part of a barely populated Fijian island, and in a very Web 2.0 twist, create a low-impact South Seas escape there using the membership fees of “tribe members” recruited through their website Tribewanted. Their stated goal is to have a maximum of 5,000 tribe members stay on Vorovoro Island for one-to-three weeks, for fees of $220 -$660, over the next three years. Subscription levels are designated “Nomad,” “Warrior” or “Hunter,” and there are 955 members thus far. The first batch landed this month, accompanied by a USA Today reporter, and kicked things off with a kava ceremony with the members of the local tribe that’s leasing Vorovoro. Said the nephew of the local chief: ””A lot of people here don’t understand why people who live overseas would pay money to come and live in a shed.” No sheds so far, though; the amenities consist of a giant communal thatched hut, somewhat leaky eco-toilets, bucket showers, and food prepared by the locals until the kitchen facilities are completed. Other than that, visitors get to play castaway, with nowhere to sleep but their own tent or the dirt, and a whole island to explore, complete with a nigh-inaccessible “secret beach.” Of course, USA Today’s piece summons up the obligatory paradise-lost specters of The Beach and Lord of the Flies. Survivor, though, is a more likely , bloodbath-free referent for the future of the Tribewanted bunch, with their pseudo-primitive lingo, all amenities voted on and constructed by tribe members, and the whole thing filmed for broadcast on “Tribal TV.” Also, the real Survivor is apparently filming just a few islands away.