Fiji

Fiji is one of those island daydreams you can't believe still exists. The ocean is warm, turquoise, clean, and little in it stings or bites. The people are exuberantly welcoming, the drinking water is filtered. The food is safe and, in the upscale places, worthy of Michelin stars. Despite a spate of recent development, it's no Bora Bora, where development stacks upon development.

South Pacific resorts seem to cater mostly to two types of travelers: those living on a trust fund or backpacking twentysomethings. My husband and I fall in between. Our middle-aged backs won't allow us to put up with saggy beds, and we won't pay $500 a night. Tahiti's prices blew us out of its waters. Could we afford a slice of paradise? In Fiji, yes.

A powerful tropical cyclone packing gusts up to 155 mph headed toward northern Fiji, where islanders braced for heavy rain and coastal sea surges today, officials said. Cyclone Daman, rated Category 4 by the South Pacific nation's Nadi Meteorological Center, was expected to cause major flooding and "pretty serious damage" to houses and low coastal areas, senior forecaster Matt Boterhoven said.

A powerful cyclone packing winds of up to 155 mph pounded some small islands in northern Fiji, but missed heavily populated areas as it swung to the southeast, officials said today. Cyclone Daman remained a Category 4 storm, forecaster Daini Donu said, but was slowly weakening as it moved toward the Tonga islands. Worst hit on the northern Fiji island was Cikobia, which was out of contact with disaster officials.

TAKE a tribe of international adventure-seekers and a remote South Pacific island and what do you get? In this case, not reality TV. Two 26-year-old British entrepreneurs, Ben Keene (a.k.a. Chief Bengazi) and Mark James (a.k.a. Chief Marika), are seeking 5,000 people to join Tribewanted.com, a sort of tribal timeshare with a three-year lease on a Fijian island. The goal: to build a sustainable eco-community and keep at bay developers with dreams of massive hotel complexes.

The remains of a U.S. fighter pilot are on their way home from a deep jungle ravine in Fiji, 64 years after his airplane disappeared during World War II. A 12-member team from the Hawaii-based Joint POW and MIA Accounting Command on Wednesday accepted the remains of the man, whose identity the U.S. Air Force has yet to disclose, from the residents of remote Naivucini village on Fiji's main island. Boar hunters stumbled upon the wreckage in 2004.

Fiji's military commander announced today he had taken control of the country from the elected government, confirming the South Pacific nation's fourth coup in less than two decades. "As of 6 o'clock this evening, the military has taken over the government, has executive authority and the running of this country," Commodore Frank Bainimarama told a news conference.

Fiji's military ruler declared a state of emergency today and swore in his choice for caretaker prime minister, one day after seizing control in a bloodless coup, local radio reported. Commodore Frank Bainimarama, who seized power by claiming presidential powers and dismissing the elected government, swore in political novice Jona Senilagakali as caretaker prime minister at a ceremony in the main military barracks in the capital, Suva.

NOT ALL Pacific Islanders dance the hula, and their places of origin -- a multitude of islands -- are more than just tourists' tropical paradise destinations. That bit of consciousness-raising is the point of "Pacifika: Young Perspectives on Pacific Island Art," the first in a series of community exhibitions at the Pacific Asia Museum in Pasadena. Featuring an eclectic selection of artifacts and adornments, the exhibition was created in an effort to broaden the museum's cultural scope and reach young and diverse audiences in Los Angeles, home to thousands whose origins include Hawaii, Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti, Guam and Micronesia.

Regarding "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Cares," May 18: I've been to Fiji six times and have found the best places are Matamanoa Island Resort and the Wakaya Club on Wakaya Island. The Cousteau resort asked guests to save water and, thus, did not change the sheets each day. Gertrude Glick Solvang