The Red Centre .... Uluru and Kata Tjuta

The Ghan Railway overnight sleeper train from Darwin was rather an interesting way to get into the back country! It certainly was perhaps the tiniest sleeping quarters I have yet to lay my head on and this was AFTER I upgraded to their "larger" berth! ..... but the dining car and lounge more than made up! A great place to intermingle with other guests, enjoy a great meal, good wine, while swapping travel stories ...... we chugged (not much chugging going on actually, as the ride was surprisingly smooth) along to the dusty little town of Katherine, a first stop in the vast desert known as the Red Centre. The scenery for hundreds of kms. is made up primarily of very rich burnt ochre earth, dotted with spinifex grass, dry scrubby low growing bush, and thousands of termite mounds, some several meters tall ..... The rich red sands of the outback are a reality, much like the travel brochures suggest, contrasted by a sapphire ocean of endless sky ...... a place of limitless space ....... quite mesmerizing. The Ghan Railway was named for the early Afghanistan pioneers responsible for opening up Australia's interior using camels, brought in from both Afghanistan and Pakistan ...... Camels seemed to adapt easily to the climate and have multiplied since they first arrived here a hundred or so years ago ..... currently there are around a million wild camels in the outback!! They are becoming a concern environmentally, not being indigenous to the country, with no real predators, so growing in numbers yearly, causing some concerns for the desert eco system. One way of dealing with the excess, has been to slowly introduce camel meat to the Australian palate, hoping it will appeal ..... As they seem to enjoy kangaroo, crocodiles, why not camel? Yummy ..... my vegetarian tendencies are definitely back in full force! I have been in Australia for almost three weeks and have yet to see dingo, koala, kangaroo or snake in the wild, but herds of wild camels particularly in the Uluru/Kata Tjuta region were a rather common sight!! Yes, who would have thought!!? Now, back to Katherine which totally reminded me of the many sleepy prairie towns that dot our own landscape in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Half the population is from the Anangu Tribe of Aboriginals . Katherine was basically my first encounter with the indigenous people, something I had initially been looking forward to very much ..... more on that in a bit. Estimates maintain that the Australian Aboriginals (and there are as many different tribes within the country, as we have Native Indian tribes in Canada) have lived here for anywhere from 20,000 to 50,000 thousand years!!! .... could well be one of the oldest known indigenous cultures. They are certainly a different kind of people from any I have ever met during my many years of travel ....... their features are very distinct. However, they did not appear to be nearly as easy to get close to as I would have hoped and thought . Smiles were not very prevalent, in fact, they are rather aloof. Intermarriage with the white Australians is rare, and by and large, the further into the remote outback one gets, the less likely that is to happen. I will try and post a few faces of the locals in Katherine and Alice Springs (those that would allow me a photograph .... most will not, and refused me rather bluntly, no matter how polite I was!!) ......... Now, back to my first encounter ...... I was standing in line at a grocery store in Katherine, surrounded by rather smelly people for some reason, and behind me, a very scruffy looking, quite drunk Anangu man (sadly, alchohol dependency is a problem for some of the indigeneous population here, much as it is for our Natives in Canada) ...... Now, as anyone who knows me well, my sense of smell is bar none, my most acute sense! I have never ever in my life come across an odour so instantaneously vomit-inducing! NEVER EVER!! ..... it was way beyond organic in nature, beyond mere bad body odour, beyond the smell of clothing that had, I am sure, never been washed ....... In fact, I had no reference point whatsoever for this odour ...... but what I did have, unfortunately, was a totally involuntary reaction .... I gagged, making all manner of gurgling noises, looking desperately for a bag or something to throw up in. I briefly contemplated using my hat ...... At this point, I was beyond embarrased and mortified with myself, snagged a plastic bag from the startled clerk ..... I was a sight alright, but at that point, I didn't care! I have no idea what the people in line, the clerk, or the poor aging Aboriginal man thought ...... I just wanted out!!! ..... I ran out the door, gagging and gurgling, with a bag handy until I hit the fresh air outside ...... So, there I was, having wished with all my heart to meet and chat up an honest to goodness outback Aboriginal, almost throwing up into a plastic bag at my first opportunity!! ..... Not a very auspicious start to what I was expecting to be a connection to the wise old ones of Australia!


At Alice Springs, I left The Ghan Train behind ...... goodbyes were exchanged with the group of mostly Australian travellers who were all continuing on in various directions, unkrinked the body, checked into a hotel on the outskirts of town and took off for a good solid walk after that long long train ride ...... As I got closer to town, noticed there was a street market in progress, always interesting wherever I have been! A great place to stretch my legs .... Alice Springs (population 27,000) is about five hundred kms. from Ayers Rock (now known as Uluru ....... in recent history, Australians have attempted to make amends with the indigenous population and as such, many historic places have reverted back to their original, Aboriginal names). Alice Springs is fairly close to the center, within the Red Center, of the Northern Territory! ..... quite charming, full of little bars and cafes to grab a respite from the heat of the day, a grocery store to replenish supplies, but even more importantly, a place where I could get a good walk in, something that had been missing for the past few days! Interesting art shops, museums. All good! I boarded a bus the next morning, heading for Uluru. Six hours later, Yulara appeared in the distance, a town/settlement of 1,000, made up mostly of a handful of small hotels and staff apartments ! It is a few kms. away from the base of Uluru and Kata Tjuta, now a National Park and the main reason anyone travels this far into the outback. Despite the small numbers of tourists, the availability to just explore on your own is not exactly encouraged ..... actually, in many ways, it is quite regulated. Still, in the space of two days, I was able to enjoy a beautiful sunrise at Uluru, sipping coffee as we waited for the sun to rise in the stillness of the desert. Uluru changes colour frequently during the day dpending on weather conditions, and available light, changing from a deep purple, to a golden red and when the sun is completely up, a deep ochre red. Beautiful sight, with a lot of good mystical energy around it. This peaceful start to the days was followed up with a fun little hike into Kata Tjuta and Olga Gorge nearby which has it's own beauty but is still somewhat overshadowed by the fame of Uluru! The evening concluded with a delicious "Sounds of Silence" sunset dinner overlooking Uluru, tables and a "back country kitchen" set up in the desert ..... canapes and champagne served as the sun set! It was a veritable UN at the dinner ..... about sixty of us and just at my table alone, a couple from Italy, Spain, England, Canada (me) and one Austrailian!! During champagne toasts, I met a couple from Iran with their two daughters, one of whom is studying at a university in Sydney. Entertainment was provided by a local, playing the didgeridoo. This wind instrument sounds very much an integral part of the desert echoing beautifully in the otherwise silence .... sent shivers down my spine. After dinner, an Anangu elder shared stories of our "star ancestors", pointing out various constellations as he spoke ...... a very magical evening with candles, stars and a full moon as our only source of light. Just awesome in every way ......... hundreds of kms. from the nearest city, no commercial lights anywhere, middle of a red desert, clear sky with a zillion stars twinkling all around us, an ancient monolithic mountain as a backdrop...... aaaahh!! ...... I am so glad I made the effort to get to this special spot, even though, with only three weeks in Australia, I was pushing it a bit, trying to get here! Some things are just worth the extra effort :)



Again, I opted for expediency, cancelled bus and train connections into Adelaide, and flew, cutting about 24 hours of commuting time ...... figured I had already seen enough back country at that point! Adelaide is a very attractive and friendly city with beautifully restored colonial houses, and churches ....... felt rather British. Again, a great city for walking and exploring, parks, botanical gardens, churches ....... as seems to be my way when I travel, I took in an church service Sunday morning ....... oldest church in Adelaide and just happened to be next door to my hotel ..... Though must say, the sermon was rather boring, conservative beyond belief, so I opted to tune out, meditated, and almost fell asleep!! ..... to perk things up and to complete my Australian experience ...... a venture into the Barossa vineyards nearby, for some great wine tastings! I was teamed with a group of fun-loving Australians ......... A perfect ending for my intro to life down under :) It was a brief look at life in a country I had never particularly wanted or expected to visit, deviating far afield from early plans. Australians are an easy people to enjoy being around ..... they are fun loving, have a self-deprecating sense of humour, are helpful, kind, curious, adventurous, yes racists and bigots amongst them like anywhere, but the general population is quite likeable, and comfortable to be around. It is a country in transition .... multiculturalism is the new Australia, with Asia, Africa, India playing a large role in the changing faces of it's people. It may well be that in the not too distant future, the indigenous tribes of Australia will retain their status as the only true full-blooded Australians!! Interesting times as Australia, and indeed our world, becomes ever more a global village .....

Scenes from The Red Center

Kangaroo at a sheep farm near Uluru

Wild Camels in the outback

Lovely views of Uluru

Indigenous Art

Faces of the Indigenous People of Australia

More Uluru, Kata Tjuta and the Red Center ...

Smaller, small and smaller yet :)

Cairns was a delightful little tourist town....down from Sydney's six million to hundred thousand....perfect. Clean place, friendly folks, most making a living from tourism....the Great Barrier Reef trips, the Daintree Rainforest, Tribulation Bay, Tip of the North excursions, national parks everywhere...... makes for some peaceful exploring and hiking. Seems the rest of the population is made up of students!!! Lots of them as there is a great university nearby and thanks to all the students, mini rock/folk concerts in the parks during the afternoons and evenings every day! Not everyone's cup of tea, but was mine, one fine afternoon, as I sat on the grass along with everyone else, enjoying the musical ambiance along with a cold beer. It is often so much more fun to be around young people who are just full of so much, well, fun!! Growing up seems to make for crabby people by and large, no matter what fun and free spirits they may once have been! They say a young toddler laughs up to four hundred times a day, an adult, once or twice!! When one travels on their own as much as I have been these past few years and certainly the last two months, I notice how few adults (and older married couples in particular) smile, laugh, hug each other or seem to enjoy each other's company at all .......hmmmmm. I have taken a page out of my friend Mickey's book and will act stupid and goofy just for the hell of it.....how can anyone not laugh!! .... and it works to rid me of my own grumpies!! Maija is another who just cracks me up ..... maybe Maija and Mickey are long lost twins!!

I am moving along into my third month away, and the loneliness can be pretty intense at times ..... I wonder if I am as crazy as some of my family and friends believe me to be, going solo for such an extended period of time!! Missing family produces an actual physical ache .... hard to describe, but very real ..... that is when I head out to search for an internet cafe, tune into facebook and look at pictures of everyone!!! :) Hurray for internet cafes!!

It is winter in the Southern half of Australia, or really all over the country....winter in Cairns however, is mild, and it is also their dry season, where the temp hovers around mid to high twenties.....very tropical and pleasant....back to flip flops, errrr thongs as the Australians call them :) the helicopter ride into the GBR was spectacular! I opted out of the slow party boat route to the reef, cutting the day from a twelve hour one to five! The reef is enormous! ..... and so far away .... 40 - 50 km from the shore and over 2,900 km long ..... the views from the air ....... stunning aquamarine landscape! ........ Lucked out with the day as well ..... clear blue skies, little wind, and of course, here I was at yet another World Unesco Site!!!......wonder if it will be so wherever I go in this vast country?? A tour with an environmental group into the rainforest was on slate for my other day in the area ..... a small SUV truck, with seven hearty souls, all keen for some exploring.... really quite remote. We hiked on paths throughout the rainforest, some well trod by tourists, some not, took a little side trip along the Daintree River, viewing the bird life, a number of crocodiles lazing in the mud along the banks, soaking up the sun (refueling their energy) ..... no snakes, although they are present everywhere ..... they don't like us much either and keep well hidden. Patrick the guide, was missing a few fingers on his right hand and although we were more than curious, hesitant to ask how that happened ..... if I was a betting sort, I would say something to do with crocs....lots of strong hints about not dangling our hands out of the boat while on the river .... there are tourists that ignore this advice every year at their own peril! Apparently, the teeth of a crocodile are not that great for chewing and they merely drown their victims, leaving them under a log or somewhere to rot first, making it easier for them to eat! Yucky thought! Even though it is dry season and the box jelly fish are supposedly not in the ocean, there are warnings everywhere.....they mean, there are not MANY stingers around .... the box jelly fish prefer the warmer ocean temps of the summer when the temperature can reach the high forties on a regular basis!! .... I am a big chicken and opted to just walk along the shores rather than enjoy a swim, despite the warmth of the day!

Australia is a strange cross section of multiculturalism today ..... I am currently in Darwin, in the Northern Territory, another small town of around hundred thousand, but made up of at least fifty different nationalities or heritage rather, for of course they are all now Australians. Twenty percent Aboriginals, the rest, Chinese, (they came for the gold rush of the 1800's and stayed), Indonesians, Pakistanis, Indian nationals, Japanese, Europeans, British of course, and a host more......multiculturism seems to be working here. Darwin was a town of 45,000 in 1974 when Cyclone Tracy hit, levelling the town....everyone was evacuated and the town has been rebuilt, with strict cyclone reinforcements on all building codes..... Darwin is very tropical and a popular holiday destination for Australians from the southern regions of the country during winter time (now) as the temperature lingers in the low thirties most days, dry heat with a gentle ocean breeze cooling things down. Their summers are rainy, humid, and very hot, with temps in the high forties for months, lots of flooding and of course, cyclone season....Darwin has experienced many smaller ones over the years and is due for another big one.....for as long as someone has kept count, it seems every forty years a big cyclone hits somewhere in the Northern region and Darwin is exposed. Don't think I will head to Darwin in the summer any time soon :) I love the energy of the place, and interesting to hear theAussie accent from Asian, Indian, Pakistani faces ..... most have been born in Australia and are probably into third and fourth generations! Did find out that Darwin is where you will most likely see a crocodile along the river beds, or even in the ocean. They trap around two hundred of them yearly just in Darwin center, using rotten meat as bait ..... don't know if this is a commercial venture, keeping things safe for tourism, or just getting rid of an excess of crocs. I got a different answer from everyone I asked :) Saw barbequed crocodile skewers at the Mindl Beach Market one night ..... I passed .... don't care to eat the meat of something that itself eats rotten crap!! In fact, I have refused kangaroo, snake, and croc meat at various functions ........ my vegetarian dining preferences have resurfaced. Off to the "outback" tomorrow via the Ghan Railroad to Alice Springs, and Uluru!

Daintree Rainforest and Tribulation Bay

Hauntingly beautiful and so remote
....only our small group of seven (seen in one picture) in the area, accessible only by 4wd

Croc watching us as our boat cruised :)

Great Barrier Reef ....

Small landing in the middle of the GBR where my

helicopter ride landed ..... I was then ferried off in a small boat to the main snorkle boat, seen in the distance ..... this is about 40km out from Cairns .... reef is about 2,900 km and total area is way way more in sq.km. Absolutely stunning from the air .... I don't think you can possibly get the same perspective from a boat ......

Various ..... Sydney, Australia

Bondi Beach Surfing

Sydney Opera House from various angles

Back online mates .....

Had no idea I would end up in Australia, country/island/continent, way back in May when plans were somewhat "solidified" (they never ever are in my case, in any case :), but as that 'make hay while sun is shining' bit goes ........ I arrived, to a clear blue-sky sunny winter day in Sydney, temperature hovering around 18 degrees celcius, where the locals load up on wool scarves, jackets and winter boots! ...... and there I was, still in my flip flops, capris and light cotton shirt ....... all of which I am having a hard time abandoning but also just because I did not bring any wintry clothing with me:) ! Flips flops, by the way, are called, thongs in Australia....finally get to call them what I did throughout childhood! :) If this can be construed as winter, I'm sold! Sydney ...... home of the iconic Opera House and I, along with a zillion other Japanese and Chinese tourists, snapped away, capturing every angle of that rather amazing structure. My knowledge of about the building was, well, zip, so ......I took in a tour with an entertaining chap, who had me in stitches, if not exactly the Japanese and Chinese folks! ..... English and particularly Auzzie humor, takes a bit of getting used to :) What an amazing history the Opera House holds .... after putting a tender out worldwide, a Danish plan won the bid. The foundation work commenced in 1959. It did not open however, until 1973!! ..... designed by Danish architect Jon Utzon, who, in 2003 received, for his monumental efforts, the Pritzker Prize, International Achitecture's highest honor. The fact I found the most amazing was that construction started on the building with no concrete plans in place for how the roof would be engineered!!! The Opera House had cost overruns galore, (reputedly from a very early estimate of $3 million and three years to completion to an astounding $108,000,000 and almost 14 years to ribbon cutting!! .... the Australians, being the gambling adventurous sorts they are, put on a country wide lottery to offset the costs, and the total was paid off shortly thereafter, simply amazing or rather, "am-I -zing"!! ..... the lottery was one of the country's most successful fundraisers ever!!! The Sydney Opera House, as of 2007, is a World Unesco Site ..... Meandering along, back to how I ended up down under ....... When Air New Zealand added a direct flight from Raro to Sydney, I abandoned plans to remain in the South Pacific for another month .... had toyed with the idea of more tropical warmth in either Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa or Kiribati, but somehow, despite no strong desire to explore Australia previously, I was one of the first to sign up for this inaugural flight .... no special awards or deals were forthcoming unfortunately, just a big welcome at Sydney airport! But must add here ..... what a culture shock ...... after seven weeks on a wee island, such sudden exposure to six million souls and all the big city accoutrements, I almost had an anxiety attack!! Yikes.....back to bumping into folks texting on cell phones, talking on cell phones, ear buds in seemingly everyone's ears, shops, restaurants, coffee shops, businesses, of every kind, in every possible square inch of space. Sydney reminds me of a larger Vancouver.... with a fun accent. The British left their mark. There is a Hyde Park, Oxford Street, Bond Street, Paddington Saturday Market, Kings Cross. The Sydney Harbour was lovely to walk along, just for the sunshine and fresh air alone and Bondi Beach, famous for it's beach cafe society and surf, and a short bus ride away, was sheer heaven for an exhilarating seaside walk in the early morning air. People watching was fun as I enjoyed a grilled fish sandwich and a local cabernet at lunch along the beach boardwalk. This is "billabong" country hence lots of handsome young dudes running around pouring into winter wet suits for a spot of surfing! Still, after living in such peaceful quiet island ambiance for such a long time, totally devoid of any real commercial enterprise, this was still all just too much for me on every level...... my body must have gone into shock......it was like I was dropped off on some alternate commercialized universe ..... I developed a fever and was in bed for a few days shortly after arrival!!! I did manage to enjoy Sydney for a the few days before that! Nonetheless, after the fever subsided, I was quite happy to scout out somewhere less cosmopolitan.....Cairns it was.....pronounced by the way, as Cans (I was still a rookie on that Auzzie accent at the time) ..... had no idea what the agent at FC meant ...... (here I thought she was the lost one, thinking I was asking for a trip to Cannes, France!) We both enjoyed a good chuckle at my expense :) Heh....how about that Australia? ...... a lady Prime Minister....... how cool is that??!! (she still has to actually be voted in however and elections are sometime in late August) ..... Julia Gillard appears to be a real straight shooter, and being that I am a bit of a political junkie, have been paying attention to everything about her in the papers and on the telly while laid up with that darn fever. I am starting to form the opinion that she is rather an awesome woman ...... very forward thinking, honest, straightforward as a politician can be (kind of reminds me of a female Barack Obama). Will see how the election turns out and how this young woman will hold out in the rough and tumble world of politics. Interesting times for Australia.

Yes, love learning about the world wherever I travel, including or rather, especially it's politics! Photos of my early intro to Australia will hopefully follow this journal entry ...... I gave up trying to keep up with both journal and blog for the timebeing, so, my apologies for such long and tedious entries, but for now, they are my main journal musings ....... Onward to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef. Later, mates Seija xo

More scenes of Raro

Homes in Raro normally have tombs of ancestors
and indeed there are few graveyards on the island
.... most people are buried on their land. Kind of
a permanent land claim!



Just another lovely sunset in Raro :)

Children getting ready for a cultural dance'

performance at the Saturday Punanga Nui

Market

Colorful Pareaus for sale at the market!

rooster and chick, tootling about near the market

My last few days in Rarotonga.....various shots

A mama selling her garden wares :) Love the
etiera (head band) she is wearing!

One last walk along Muri beach ......
















Lovely ladies who served us tea and sandwiches
after church!














Happy Hour at rooftop"Whatever Bar" in Avarua
Harbour ..... Julianne, Gail & Ray, Paula

Albert, a Takitumu favorite of mine, came up to me after church .... apparently

he is here every Sunday :)

More scenes from Punanga Nui Market


Aaahh, my favorite paw paw (papaya)

Ka Kite Rarotonga ..... Kia Manuia

It is a beautiful clear blue sky afternoon and my New Zealand Air flight is on time ..... sigh .... taking off down this now, very familiar runway (I drive or walk beside it daily) ..... my heart is full, sad, poignant. From the air, the stunning beauty of the island is so clearly evident ...... the turquoise ocean, the deep green of the central rainforest, the vibrant and varying hues, fragrant scents .......hibiscus, frangipani, the paw paw orchards, coco palms and I love how the women just pluck a flower from a roadside hedge, dressing up the hairdo :) ...... yes, it was a good decision to start this journey of the heart in Rarotonga ...... so very healing to open up again, breathing deeply of life ..... inevitably, it is children that are the catalysts! The joy, love and the open spirit they so willingly share, warms my soul beyond measure. This is a third visit in twenty years and so little has changed that it almost feels like a constant in my life, despite the many years in between. I guess I am just drawn here by something inexplicable ...... I will surely even miss the noisy roosters :) the chickens, geckos, (no, not the cockroaches!!) the pigs, goats and oh so many dogs that roam the streets ..... well okay, maybe the goats and pigs are somewhat secured ..... I had a good hearty chuckle when dropped off at the airport ....... a rooster ran into the terminal ahead of me from God knows where! So typical, maybe it was Randy Rooster from the Kii Kii, my first wake-up call on Raro, coming to say good-bye!! The simple small town life holds much appeal ..... the Kia Orana spirit permeates everything. The island and it's people are not without fault, but it is easy to forgive and forget when the majority of life is so pleasant, kind and caring. It kind of fits my personal philosophy at any rate ...... if 85% is pretty darn good, who the heck cares about the other 15% ..... balance will find it's way in there somehow and it usually does! It is just so easy to brush off the negatives when living in such slow paced beauty ..... hours spent helping young children with English hardly feels like work, the long leisurely walks along the coast, visits with Teiva and Purotu at the internet cafe in Avarua town center, Saturday mornings at Punanga Nui Market, which is most definitely the highlight of everyone's week and is the social hub of the island (only in a small town is this even possible .... everywhere towards the end of the week, one is asked "are you going to market tomorrow?"), a place where I could not walk twenty feet without a student, teacher, parent or someone I had met in church, town, out at dinner etc. etc., coming up for a chat and a delightful hug and one cheek kiss that is standard greeting here. Everyone takes time to truly visit, even in the midst of a work day. No one frantically checking watches, if they even have one, to say "I have to run, got a meeting, show, work, shopping, kids to pick up from soccer, take to soccer, etc. etc. to attend" .... there just is never that sense of urgency on an island ............ everything is always on "island time"!! This place is so remote in every way from the modern world!! Yes, there is internet available, cell phones do exist, but they are far from being the central part of anyone's lives. I realize now how seldom I have even seen a cell phone, or anyone texting ..... it is just such a pleasant change of pace, that I can scarcely describe it. Small and simple ...... not a utopia by any means, despite my gushing, but just a lovely spot in the middle of the Pacific, full of kind, generous people, breathtaking landscape, a peaceful pace of life, an amazing array of delicious fresh grilled fish and mouth-watering fruits to keep the taste buds satiated and oh my ..... the little Polynesian barefoot children of Takitumu ....... so many gifts ..... :) ....... and darn, just when I was getting used to left side British style driving ...... finally trained my brain not to turn on the windshield wipers when turning!!) . Kia Manuia Rarotonga

Mangaia Eclipse Mania

I had almost completely forgotten about the eclipse coming up this weekend until, while driving "home" from church last Sunday with Julianne and Paula, we picked up a fellow looking a bit lost along the roadside....not so....just one of those science nerdy sorts, a star gazer :) .... a Brit, who follows the moon, sun and stars. This is his 18th year following the eclipse, partial or complete, doesn't matter to him. He is part of a group that meet yearly all over the world for some serious astronomy :) The ladies and I thought this was rather a cool way to see the world and chatted him up ..... dropped him off at a house down the road where 37 of his mates waited for his arrival ..... must say, they were rather an unusual assortment, varying nationalities, and all in various stages of sleep-deprived jet lag, rather a motley crew! A mere few days later I offered a lift to a young Japanese student ..... with very limited English .... but with some great hand language, grunts, exclamation exhalations, many "aaah yeses" and the odd word thrown into the mix, we managed to locate the little house he was renting with others ..... and yup, without a doubt, ....... another group of star gazers!! This younger group will be travelling in student style luxury, ie. a freighter or old fish boat (not sure which exactly, signing would indicate a fishing boat!) to the island of Mangaia, to view the eclipse. It has taken five weeks, but I do declare, I just may have made the transition to at the very least, an honorary local! I can now find my way everywhere these days!! and that is a miracle in itself, as I am errrr, rather directionally challenged in general :) but then again, maybe no miracle was involved ...... there is only one major road and it follows the coast :) ..... and Sarah, no, I do not normally pick up hitch-hikers, but in the Cooks, if you are driving anything but a motorbike (and even then, it is nice to offer if it is raining :) !!) ..... just polite to offer lifts to those in need or just to be a friendly ..... natural as breathing ..... I rent a car every week for a few days and at one point, all Budget had to offer was a van (no one wants a big gas guzzler on this island so vans are the last to go!) Feeling a tad guilty driving this monster around, I stopped at a bus hut offering anyone a lift to town. The buses are a tad slow, so of course, everyone jumped aboard ..... there may have been a bit of a misunderstanding however, as everyone offered me a few bucks at Cook's Corner where I dropped them off, thinking I was a rather friendly taxi driver ..... too funny! .... but back to the eclipse ..... there is excitement mounting on Rarotonga this week!! A huge yacht/sailboat has been moored near the wharf for the past week ...... after much speculation (this is after all a very small "town" and literally, you could not meet anyone in town without being asked "do you know who owns the fancy boat out there??" ....... a reporter from Cooks News finally decided to row over to see if he could spot an interview with the captain of the boat. Clever fellow ....... the captain was quite forthcoming and the reporter was rewarded a two page article for his effort!!! ..... and the rest of us were thrilled, for we now had at least some answers and pictures of the crew and boat!! The captain, despite being rather secretive about the boat's owner gave lots of other details ...... it is a $25 - 50 million boat, 50 meters long, first owner was Italian, sold to the current owner, an Irishman, boat registered in The Isle of Mann ...... and yes, there is a piano on board!!! The boat is on a round-the-world journey ...... it's second one ...... the first world sail completed with the Italian owner in 2002 .......... speculation is that it could be Bono :) (the name sounded familiar but indeed, I had to ask one of the young ladies at the internet cafe who the heck Bono was :) ..... the crew of eight are mostly American ..... the owner flies in on his own plane, meeting up with the crew here and there, sails for a few days and flies back to Ireland. He is apparently flying in this weekend for ..... you guessed it ...... the eclipse!!! ..... they will be sailing as close to the little island of Mangaia as possible for the three and a half minute eclipse!! Decadence galore!!! Mangaia, one of the tiny Cook Islands, has been setting up bunk beds in their school (the island has less than 1,000 inhabitants) for the past week, in preparation for their guests! Every house has a room to let for all the celestials that will begin arriving Friday. Air Rarotonga will be flying in food, bedding and various supplies for the tourists. I think there is room for a few hundred on the island ..... don't know how the logistics will all work (bathrooms anyone???) but should be an interesting experience for the local population!!) I am sure there will be many boats moored around the island as well, including our current Irish yacht!! I tried to get a spot on a small vaka leaving from the wharf here, but they were booked before I got to it! Ten spots were advertised as available for the three day return journey to Mangaia and all spots were taken before the ink (advertising the availability) on the Cooks News was dry!! That's it for local news, coming live from Rarotonga! Kia Manuia, Seija

Heaven on Earth .... Scenes from Aitutaki

View from my seaside hut

Sea Cucumbers along the beach :)

Young ladies at church, hair braided, or

bunned, with intricate locally woven

hats

Devastation from Cyclone Pat

Beautiful view from the air, of the group of islands that form this lagoon area..... Aitutaki is the largest, main island and the only inhabited one.




Beautiful scenes on the lagoon, One Foot Island and sand bar in the middle of the lagoon....me standing in the periphery of the sand bar :)

View outside breakfast spot at Pacific Resort





Another view from the airplane as we approach Aitutaki .... as beautiful a sight as I have ever seen from the air! A lagoon, & 15 islands surrounded by reef in the middle of the Pacific!!!