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Deep thoughts on friendship…

Tuesday, December 26th, 2006

It’s funny how easily friendships are formed. A few days before we left for Aitutaki we met an Australian couple, Rob & Linda, who were vacationing with their daughter, Bridie, and were supposed to be staying in the beach bungalows next to us. Unfortunately for them, through an administrative glitch, they had ended up double-booked and with no place to stay. They had arrived at 1AM the previous night and had had to sleep on the couch in the common room of the hostel. We met them as they waited good-naturedly by the pool the next morning while Paul, the hostel’s owner, scrambled to find them accommodation elsewhere on the island. Alexa and Bridie quickly became new best friends and played happily together while Rob and Linda and I sat by the pool and got acquainted.

From cook islands

They were warm and friendly and the girls got along famously and even though they ended up staying elsewhere on the island, a connection had been made and we invited them to dinner the next evening. The kids were ecstatic to have a new playmate and Claude & I soon felt like we’d known Rob & Linda for years. Alexa actually decided that she didn’t want to go to Aitutaki because she would miss Bridie too much. [read on]

Aitutaki

Monday, December 4th, 2006

When we first decided to include the Cook Islands in our RTW itinerary, I did a little research and discovered that Rarotonga is only one of 15 islands that cover an area in the South Pacific the size of India. We couldn’t visit just one island! Aitutaki is one of the smaller southern islands and is famous for its huge sparkling lagoon that is a startling shade of blue. This tiny sleepy island is the perfect place to truly “get away from it all,” so we decided that a three-day side-trip to Aitutaki would be our first big splurge of the trip. So after ten days in Rarotonga, we caught a 5:30AM flight to Aitutaki and it was worth getting up at 4AM just to see the sunrise from the plane.

From Aitutaki (Coo…

The flight only took about 45 minutes and the view of the lagoon from the air was breathtaking. [read on]

Cook Islands – Our Cross Island Adventure

Monday, December 4th, 2006
After a week of sun, snorkeling and relaxation in Rarotonga, we were ready for a little adventure. We had heard and read about the fabulous “Cross Island Walk” which traverses the island through deep jungle and reaches some of ... [Continue reading this entry]

Chillin’ in the Cooks

Tuesday, November 21st, 2006
If you ever want to really mess with someone’s head, ask them to figure out dates when crossing the International Dateline. Somehow, our itinerary has us crossing it three times on our trip. The first time was when ... [Continue reading this entry]

The Place Where People Say Bula!

Tuesday, November 7th, 2006
Have you ever sat on an airplane and been the only person not watching the in-flight movie? You’re enjoying your book or just gazing out the window when, all of a sudden, the cabin erupts with laughter and you ... [Continue reading this entry]