Another Day in Paradise: Friday, May 26, 2017

I was not looking forward to this day for several reasons. First, it was our last day in paradise. I didn't want to leave. I like the people  here and I enjoyed their Island time. Second, check out was 10:00 am and our flight was at midnight. What were we going to do from early evening to our check-in time?

We cleaned the AirBnB well and then enjoyed the warm sunlight laying on the lounge chairs for the last time until 10:00 am. Beverly offered us a later check out but we declined. We headed toward Fruits of Rarotonga for snorkeling. It was a quick and easy ride. We secured our gear to the bikes and the bikes to each other on the beach away from people. We easily found the coral and the numerous schools of fish as they gathered together in the crystal clear water. As the waves broke over us we hovered amongst the schools watching them snack on the coral. At one time we were side by side giving each other the thumbs up signal. The sights are so unique that we never did get used to them. I heard a mechanical sound and I looked to my right and saw two snorkelers coming toward us. They weaved through the water being pulled by an electrical propulsion device. They came right up to us. I sensed they were showing off. They watched the same school we were observing and then they surfaced and talked loudly about the unbelievable sights. 

We paddled away from them and continued finding different schools of fish to hover over and observe. I finally reached my breaking point for being cold and we headed toward shore. Wonderful snorkeling experience. We dried off and warmed up as we talked to an older lady from Australia. We discussed the health of the coral and the condition of the Great Barrier Reef. Afterwards we continued riding around the island by going counter clockwise. We found a nice cafe to replenish our calories and warm up more. We continued biking and I felt warm again. 

Once back at the airport area we encountered intense traffic and more tourists. We had a beer and a small pizza at a bar on the shoreline and then dropped the bikes off at the bike shop. A short walk later we were in the parking lot for a market. It was around 3:30 pm and we wanted to buy some wine and munchies and sit on the beach and pass our last hours in paradise. We didn't know the open container laws on Rarotonga so I approached a man getting out of his car and questioned him about the drinking on the beach. He said it was illegal but in the same breath he said he had a beach he would allow us to use for such purposes. We accepted of course and he said he would be back in ten minutes to pick us up. 

We had the beach all to ourselves!

Ellen purchased the goods in record time and he arrived as he said he would. He drove us three street light poles pass the entrance to the airport and down a dirt road and through a gate to a clearing next to the beach. He showed us the hutch which had lighting, stove, refrigerator, and chairs. He also showed us the restroom and shower and offered everything for our use while we waited for our check-in time. We expressed our thanks and I told him he was another example of Cook Islands hospitality. He left and we had the entire beach to ourselves. We finished the goodies and then wandered a mile down the beach to a beach bar. It was crowded with locals and tourists who we assumed had the same flight that night. Once back in our chairs on the beach we relaxed until a few minutes before check-in and headed to the airport. We stood in line for about 45 minutes (everyone else had the same timing) and then we walked the short distance back to "our" beach to shower and change clothing. Back at the airport we waited in another line for security check and then sat and waited to board the flight. In the air after midnight we settled in and watched the movie Silence. I didn't care for it. Ellen slept most of the time and I struggled with sleep throughout the nine hour flight. In LAX we breezed through customs thanks to their kiosk system. Ellen then downloaded Uber's app and we requested a ride to Getty's Museum for some culture. Minutes later the young man arrived and briskly drove to the museum. I enjoyed the museum immensely. I had always wanted to visit it. We used Uber again for a more leisurely ride back to LAX and we cruised through security once again. Our flight back to Seattle left at 9:30 pm. Ellen sat on my left and a "gamer" sat on my right. As I reviewed our adventures in the Cooks I thought about his world which is a two inch screen. Sad.

We arrived home at 1:10 am Sunday morning.

John

We didn't get the hoped for sunset, but that's OK. Friday morning I woke around 6:30 and was ready to start the day. We had another breakfast of Cheerios and paw paw, otherwise known as papaya, and polished off the left over beans and rice from last night for some protein. 

We relaxed on the chaise lounges until check out time of 10:00 am, and then we made our way to Fruits of Rarotonga for one last snorkel. I followed John this time. The tide was fairly high, so I followed him as he drifted across the tops of vast coral with fish feeding everywhere. At one point we came across two large schools of fish, more of our silver translucent with yellow stripe and some other gray ones. They circled round us as we swam through them. It was a magical experience. I really love snorkeling!

Next, we went to LBV, a bakery and deli in Muri where we actually found vegan food. We had roasted local veggies which consisted of pumpkin, eggplant, onions, and some chickpeas for protein, and a salad of penne, rice, and similar veggies. We finally got a mocha (our third try) made with coconut milk. It was delicious and nice to have something hot.

Ever onward, we biked our way north to Avarua where we stopped at Trader Jacks for a veggie pizza no cheese and beers. Next we returned the bikes to Ride Rarotonga and then walked back to CITC, the grocery store. There, we asked a local if it was OK to have wine on the beach. He said no,  but that we could use his property, which was just a shot walk south of the airport. Sambo met us ten minutes later and drove us to his place. Turns out he is the owner of a safari tour and the property is where he bases his business out from I guess. It was amazing. We had this beautiful shady palm area and a beach entirely to ourselves that was sheltered from the wind. There were chairs for us, and a bathroom and showers. We spent the rest of the afternoon and evening there.

A short walk away was Vaiana's, a bar we went to Wednesday night. We had fries and two beers each. The beach bar was hopping when we arrived and slowed to a modest crowd when we left at eight thirty for the airport. 

As we made our way to the beach bar just south of our local spot, one of the many dogs who roam the island joined us. They are friendly but numerous.

We enjoyed a couple of beers and some "chips" as the sun set. 

We were surprised to see half the flight already there before nine, waiting for someone to show up at the Air New Zealand counter. The line moved quickly, though, so we were able to go back to our beach and take a cool, refreshing shower. 

What a lovely day! 

Ellen

Saturday

The flight to LA was not too bad. I slept most of the way but managed to get through the movie Silence, which I liked in a literary sort of way. The woman next to me blew her nose and sneezed the entire time. Food was more difficult on the flight home. We'll have to make special requests in advance next time. 

Customs was a breeze at the kiosk and we were out of the airport before one and our plane was supposed to land at twelve thirty. I downloaded the Uber app to my phone and before we knew it, we were at the Getty museum. 

There, we saw quite an array of European paintings. I really enjoyed the work of Canoletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal). His paintings looked three dimensional. Besides that, I really enjoyed the impressionist exhibition, particularly Cezanne, Degas, Monet, and Renoir. It was a lovely afternoon.

A Renoir painting we both really liked.

The Getty Museum had a garden display where they made sculptures of re-bar that looked sort of like trees. They grew bougainvillea on them.

A short Uber ride back to the airport with little traffic put us at the airport three hours early, so we got a cheese-less pizza and beer. And here I am blogging. John's turn now.

Ellen

The Sun Smiles on Rarotonga: Thursday, May 25, 2017

We had a relaxing morning with a walk to a cafe for coffee. They did not have soy or almond milk so we went without. Once back at our villa, Ellen made us coffee. At 9:00 am she called the bike shop to inform them about the flat and location of the bikes. We put the lounge chairs in the sun and relaxed. At the designated arrival time of our bikes I walked out front and waited about one hour. They gave two newer bikes which were the wrong size and only one lock. We adjusted the seats and headed to Fruits of Rarotonga for snorkeling. 

The view from our deck. The beach is just beyond the plants.

The sun made every earthy color so very vibrant. The water had its many tones of blue. The palms were brilliant green with some yellow. The sky was a deep blue. The clouds leisurely floated over us. Everything was stunning. The natives that cruised by us on their scooters smiled at us as if they were as happy to see and feel the Rarotonga sun once again. We headed out into the crystal clear water and to the right. We soon encountered huge coral blocks with numerous schools of colorful fish. Some of the larger coral had canyons we swam through. It was as beautiful as Wednesday's snorkeling. What sights! Fish everywhere and the sunlight playing on coral and the white sand beneath us. The fish did not care that we were swimming amongst their schools. Individual fish would come up to me and as I would reach out to touch them they would scamper away quietly and effortlessly. Once I got cold, I signaled to Ellen to head for shore. 

While walking the beach the sun warmed me and the wind started to dry me. Back at the bikes I ate my sandwich and I stopped shaking. We headed for the vegetarian restaurant but they had closed at 3:00 pm. Once home we found our spots in the sun and enjoyed munchies and wine. The sun was warm and it allowed me to relax. I think I fell asleep. Dinner was great. We used our lounge chairs to view the Southern Hemisphere night sky. Wow! It was beautiful and very different from what we are used to. The Milky Way stood out. The lack of light pollution increased the number of viewable stars. We never did see the Southern Cross, something I wanted to see on this trip. I slept well.

John

We slept in until 7:30 and had Cheerios and mango for breakfast. We walked to a coffee shop but they were out of soy so we came back and I made made vanilla lattes from instant coffee and vanilla almond milk. We called the bike shop at nine when they opened and made arrangements. They finally delivered two different bikes at 11:30. A medium is a much better fit for me. Then we had lunch of crackers and homemade, fork-smashed hummus and shared the last beer. 

After lunch we snorkeled Fruits of Rarotonga. It was stunning. With the sun out and the water clear, the colors in the coral and fish came alive. We went through one section of coral that was huge and tall and the water well over our heads even with the tide being low. Weaving in and out of coral canyons, we saw so many beautiful fish. I swam through a school of silvery fish with a yellow stripe down their backs and they didn't mind me at all. It was by far the best snorkeling of the trip.

The lagoon is beautiful now that the sun is finally out. We spent the afternoon relaxing. I read and John blogged while we enjoyed some wine, fruits, and crackers. For dinner we are having brown rice with pinto beans, red pepper, and salsa with a squeeze of lime. I have to be pretty creative with food here. We spent the early evening planning our next trip here in July of 2018. We should have a beautiful sunset tonight, the kind Rarotonga is famous for. 

Ellen

Day Trip to Aitutaki: Wednesday, May 24, 2017

We got up at 5:00 am and prepared for our day trip to Aitutaki. The sunrise is after 7:00 am and sets a little after 6:00 pm. Our flight was at 8:00 am and we had been told to be there an hour early. Knowing it took us about 53 minutes to ride the bikes from the airport to our villa, we figured we should start biking at 6:00 am. We used our headlamps to guide us around potholes and palm debris in the road. The gusts of wind were to our backs and from the side often times making us slow down so we would not be pushed over by the wind. The traffic was light the first half hour of the ride. At one point Ellen's hat was blown off her pack. Before I could turn my bike around and retrieve it, the wind had taken it down and off the pavement. Ellen eventually found it. 

It was fairly light by the time we arrived at the airport. We secured the bikes to bars in the parking lot in front of the departure entrance. Lights were off inside and no one was visible. We figured the tour was canceled due to the weather. Activity in the area began after 7:30 am. The plane was being fueled and more tourists appeared. We loaded the plane after 8:00 am and were soon flying north to the island at 13,000'. The small plane had one seat on aft side and two seats on port side. Seats 7D and 7F put Ellen and I together. We never did figure out the seating numbering. 

After a 40 minute flight we were greeted by our day tour guide who instructed us to board their "tour bus". The guide gave the usual talk about the landscape, plants, and history. The landscape was not what I had envisioned. It was hilly. The tour stopped at the only market on the island in order for us to leave our money by buying their goods. Our guide was 28 years old and seemed to understand the value of the tourists to his community. We surveyed the available goods for a future and longer stay on the island.

Ollie was an enthusiastic tour guide.

The buildings of the school were open air. Kids waived as we went by.

The tour bus drove up a hill to show us the island's only school. The classrooms seemed small with no more than 12-15 students in uniform reacting to their teacher and to us. Off we went to load us onto the tour boat. There were about 30 tourists on the day tour after we had picked up several from resorts along the way. The day consisted of three stops at three different small islands located in the huge lagoon. The snorkeling stop was actually away from land at the underwater preserve. I stepped off the boat and into chest high warm, crystal clear water. A huge fish (one of three swimming around the boat) came up to me and put its head out of the water to greet me. I reached out to pet its head. Just like the pups would request a pet. Amazing. 

The snorkeling was breathtaking. A large variety of fish and colorful coral complimented the unique and multiple blue colors of the water. Under water the sunlight brightened everything and danced as it sparkled on the sandy lagoon floor. The underwater world seemed so unearthly as we swam amongst the many different schools of colorful fish. We were gathered back on the boat for lunch and our last stop which was One Foot Island. Ellen and I snorkeled for a while but it was not as colorful as the last stop. We decided to hike around the island. The palms leaning out from the shoreline and over the blue water reminded me of Paul Guagin's 19th century South Pacific paintings. Beautiful. Breathtaking colors. The palms looked healthy with their vibrant green spreads with a splash of bright yellow mingled with the green. The dark blue sky was spotted with puffy white clouds and the water was a mix of dark blue, turquoise, and green. 

John chats with some tour mates on the beach of One Foot Island, located in the lagoon of Aitutaki.

We relaxed as we headed back to the airport, listening to our guide and boat hand sing and play the ukulele and bongos.

The tour ended late in the afternoon where it began earlier in the morning at the small airport. Forty minutes later we were back at the Rarotonga airport. We were at our bikes by 5:30 pm so we had about 45 minutes of daylight for the ride home. I looked at my front tire prior to unlocking it from the iron bar; it was flat. The bike shop was closed. Multiple options quickly ran through my head; do we take a taxi or a transfer back home? Ellen said, "Let's take the bus." Problem solved. 

We left the bikes and headed for the closest bus stop. At that time of day the buses only run clockwise around the 32 kilometer island. It was due at 6:45. We had time to waste so we had a cocktail and a local brew at the pub next to the bus stop. The bus arrived after 7:00 pm and we were the only passengers on the bus for most of the ride. We engaged the bus driver in a conversation to reduce his boredom and to increase our knowledge of the Cook Islands. He was delightful and helpful. Prior to our departure at Wigmore's store lightning brightened the night sky and the rain started falling lightly and then heavier. As we got off the bus the rain was a torrential downpour. Ellen went inside the store and bought more goods and then we walked the 1/4-1/2 mile to our accommodations. We didn't even try to stay dry. The air and rain felt warm and refreshing as it soaked every inch of us. As traffic approached us we would move off the pavement and away from the oncoming vehicles. We had to be hard to see through the rain and windshield. 

At one point a small car approached us slowly and seemed to want off the road. Even though I was a safe distance from the pavement the car came right at me and at the last moment stopped in front of me. I think the driver was trying to get off the road in order to wait out the downpour and had no idea we were there. We walked around the car and I took a deep breath. That was a close call. We finally made it home soaked but safe. We showered, had dinner and watch the southern night sky as more and more stars appeared. I never did find the Southern Cross. No wind, just the sound of the surf breaking on the outer reef. We slept well. 

John

We arose at 5:00 to shower and eat breakfast. We started our hour ride to the airport at 6:00. There was no one at the airport until about 7:45 when we checked in for our flight to Aitutaki. We flew out of the clouds and into beautiful sunshine and caught our first glimpse of what is considered one of the most beautiful lagoons in the world. It delivered. Right after landing, we boarded an open air bus and began our  tour. Our tour guide, Ali or Ollie, told a little of the island's history as we traveled along. A hurricane in 2010 destroyed 70% of the island so many homes are abandoned. There is little work for locals so many of them moved to New Zealand. Ali is lucky, as he says, to be able to make a living on the island. Hard working is more like it. He's a tour guide, boat captain, fire dancer, and licensed electrician. He was quite entertaining, friendly, and passionate about his home.

After seeing the local school and picking up some other passengers, we made our way to the end of the airstrip where we boarded our tour boat, the very same boat used in filming Survivor. In fact, the series was filmed there and the first island we visited out in the lagoon was one of the tribes' islands. Cool if you are a fan. I'm not.

We explored the beach at Akatami, the island where Survivor was filmed. They also used our tour boat to deliver the contestants to the island.

Remember the hermit crab craze in the late 70s or early 80s? I had a couple as pets. They were all over the beaches.

John examines a mahogany tree that had fallen.

After two Islands stops, one with a nature walk where we learned about mahogany trees, palm trees, and hibiscus, we anchored in the lagoon for snorkeling. I couldn't wait to get out there. Upon entering the water we were greeted by GTs (giant trevally). They were about four feet long and friendly. One came right up to John and hovered with it's head out of the water and just looked at him. I think it thought his cell phone around his neck was food, which is what Ali said might happen.

John's phone died so we can't get his photos of the GTs and all the snorkelling videos, so I found this image on the internet.

And then we were off for a large coral formation in a deeper area where only a few others on the tour ventured. So many fish! And beautiful coral. It was amazing. As I was swimming around, I couldn't believe where I was, the experience I was having, and the beauty of it. I dived down a few times to get a closer look at some periwinkle blue coral. I saw angel fish that were bright yellow, all kinds of neon fish, and many white ones with pointed long snouts near the surface. We snorkeled for about an hour and reluctantly got back in the boat. I could snorkel forever.

We had lunch next while the boat made its way to One Foot Island. Our lunch was grilled yellow tuna, which we ate even though we're vegan, along with local fruits and vegetables. There were potato type salads made from papaya, one from taro, and one from bread fruit. There was guava, star fruit, coconut, watermelon and local bread. Oh, and grilled bananas right in the skin, which you also eat. It was wonderful and healthy.

Lunch!

Once on One Foot, we snorkeled again, though there wasn't much to see. We walked the circumference of the island and sat in the sun. It was hit! Finally! Then it was back on the boat for more Ali entertainment of singing and ukulele with bongos, as well as various ways for women and men to tie a sarong. We relaxed and took in the beauty of the 30-minute ride back to the airport. We were sad to leave.

One Foot Island

It took us about 15 minutes to walk around One Foot Island.

I've never seen a blue starfish!

While there, I did some research for next time: I took pictures of the available food at the market which had jut been stocked which happens every few months. Slim pickings.

Aitutaki only gets food restocked about once every three months. This was the fruit and vegetable selection at the only market. I think they mostly grow their own. Tough for a tourist, though.

Back in Rarotonga we discovered a flat tire on John's bike. We took the bus instead. The bus stop was  at a bar, so we had a margarita, a local beer, and some "chips" while we waited. The bus only runs clockwise at night so we rode almost all the way around the island to get off at Wigmores to get some wine and snacks. It began to pour in sheets when we got off. We had to walk the half mile or so back in warm but heavy rain. Every item of our clothing was soaked when we finally arrived at our villa. I made a simple dinner of whole wheat spaghetti with red onion, canned green chiles, lime, tomatoes, and olive oil. We had some wine and watched the stars from the porch. We could finally see them.

Ellen

Tropical Rain: Tuesday, May 23, 2017

A restful night of sleep removed the brain fog I had accumulated from yesterday's long day of travel. I woke up and I could think. Wow! We walked the beach soon after a breakfast of cereal and fruit. It was warm and somewhat windy, not breezy but windy. The water was bath water warm. Beautiful walk in paradise. On our way back we walked the road and encountered a non-local who started a conversation with us. She owns and operates the Sea Change resort. Delightful lady. Difficult to understand her New Zealand accent so for most of the conversation we just nodded our heads. 

Throughout the island, there were graves, some at churches, some in mini cemeteries, and some in front or backyards. This is the grave in the yard where we stayed. Rarotonga is a small island, so I imagine there isn't much room for the dead. It's only 32 km in circumference.

These impatiens-like flowers grow as a shrub here. I bought some last summer for my hanging baskets. I recognized quite a few flowers that we grow in Washington as a house plant or annual, only they grow much larger on Rarotonga.

After returning we prepared for our first snorkeling. Ellen's first and my first since Hawaii 1975. We did well. The current was strong even though we were merely waist deep in warm clear water. How unique for two people from the Pacific Northwest to be in clear warm salt water and observe colorful fish and coral. We beached before the current took us out into the dangerous passage. We loved it.

The little blue fish was about four or five inches long.

We changed clothing and caught the "anti-clockwise" bus to the top of the north side of the island. Once there we found the bicycle rental and acquired two hybrid uncomfortable bikes. We gathered lots of food and alcohol from a market and then made the nine mile ride back home. Rain and strong wind were in our faces for most of the ride back. Traffic passing us were considerate. It took us over fifty minutes to arrive at our accommodations. I was hungry so I had a semi cold beer. Great tasting with chips and left over spaghetti was our late lunch. 

The wind continued. I guessed it was at 35-40 mph. The waves breaking at the reef were about 1/4 mile out from the beach. We watched them break and they broke high with tremendous force and a constant roar due to the strong wind. What a display of power. We each had a plastic wine glass half full and walked the beach. The wind was at our backs and the tide was high. Some of the waves that made it past the reef chased us to higher ground. The palms swayed north as the south wind blew against them. Coconuts were scattered across the sand under the palms. We were careful and looking up as we walked under each palm. As we headed back we encountered rain and strong winds working against us. The waves breaking on the reef were higher and louder. We were wet yet warm. Back home we filled our "glasses" with wine and enjoyed the weather, sights, and sounds as we lounged on the deck. It was totally dark by 7:00 pm. We had dinner and then watched our first movie via the iPad. It was too religious for both of us but the cinematography was outstanding. We were in bed by 9:00 pm. Bikes are outside ready to take us snorkeling in Muri Lagoon tomorrow. Great day today. Never saw the sun. Maybe tomorrow.


John

Still poor weather but we didn't let that stop us. We biked to Muri to look for a place to snorkel. The first spot we tried had a strong current flowing like a river. Plus it was really murky. I decided not to wear my rashguard, which kept me warmer. We biked a little ways back and found some coral and fish in the lagoon. The sky was cloudy, though, so there wasn't much color and the water was cloudy, too. I suggested we stop for lunch when John's lips were blue.

I have never seen him so cold. As we waited for our lunch at a garden cafe, he was shaking uncontrollably. Our lunch was delightful but expensive. We both had Greek salads minus the feta, two teeny glasses of Chardonnay, and a fruit plate to the tune of $77 NZ.

We biked back to Te Ava for a hot shower. Then we were off again to Fruits of the Rarotonga for snorkeling. Again, there were likely some good sights, but visibility was poor and it was cloudy. We practiced diving and called it a day.

I made tofu curry with mushrooms and broccoli over a brown rice-quinoa mix. I loved it and John tolerated it because he was so hungry. We enjoyed some wine while we watched our second movie, Flyboys, which was pretty stupid. We went to bed early in preparation for an early rise tomorrow.

Ellen

Foggy Brain: Sunday, May 21, 2017

Our prearranged ride to our accommodations did not show so the lady managing transports found another shuttle for our 20 minute ride. We had read about the people on Cook Islands and how friendly and good natured they are. She was our first of many encounters of genuinely friendly people. We arrived at our accommodations by 8:00 am local time. Check in was 2:00 pm but they had an early checkout and were able to clean and prepare the one room villa in time for us to check in and for them to go to church. Beverly gave us a ride to the nearest store so we could stock up on food. Not much of a selection for two vegans. We walked the 1/4-1/2 mile back home with our backpacks full of "goodies" or as good as you can get on Rarotonga for two vegans. 

After eating some food we headed to the beach with the lounge chairs. Twice we were rained out and had to carry everything back to our villa.We eventually walked back to the store in order to break some large bills so we could ride the bus tomorrow. A one way pass is $5. We walked back to our residence in a refreshing rain and it turned into a downpour which continued for hours.  We had dinner and settled in for the night. At 7:30 pm it was dark, windy, and wet outside. Movie time via the iPad! Oh, no. Ellen fell asleep. The movie will need to wait.

John

Getting off the plane via a staircase (also a new experience) we were hit with hot muggy air. It felt a little like a sauna. It had rained hard during the night, and the sun was just starting to break through the clouds when we arrived around 6:45 am. Customs took a really long time because we were at the back of the line. It was probably a good thing because our taxi was a no-show. The nice welcoming lady at the airport helped us out though and called our taxi service and villa. By 9:00 we had arrived at Te Ava Villas and were able to go right in. The onsite caretaker, Beverly, drove us up to the store so we could get some food to get us through the day. 

We napped throughout the day, spending an hour or so on the beach reading and eating until the rain drove us inside. More napping. Later in the afternoon, we walked clockwise to the Yellow Hibiscus for a beer and fries (the only thing vegan on the menu). We finished our beers and just as we were going to get up and pay, our fries finally arrived. We're not sure if the cook just took a long time with our fries, waiting for another order to make cooking them worthwhile, or if an hour and a half is acceptable for "island time." Either way, we won't go back there.

John tries to rest up for a busy week of snorkeling, biking, and site seeing on the beach where we had our accommodations.

Dinner was good: while wheat spaghetti with garlic and onions in a tomato sauce and some local bread toasted with garlic rubbed on it. It was our first proper meal since Friday night. After dinner, we read some more, and I fell sound asleep.

A lizard lived by the kitchen window and would come out at night. He must have been attracted to the light.

Ellen

Destination Rarotonga: Saturday, May 20, 2017

Saturday morning began with an early wake up and working my way through two long checklists. One checklist was for gear, clothing, and essentials that had to fit into my daypack and hip pack.  The second list was about preparing the house and property for being vacant for a week. Once I completed those two lists I helped Ellen in the garden. We got a lot done before our launch time of 3:30 pm. Actually, we were sitting and waiting for 3:30 when we decided to head for the airport at 3:10. We were excited.

It was a horrible drive from Duvall to SeaTac because the traffic was abnormal due to people getting out and enjoying the warm and dry weather. Our GPS took us away from 405 due to an accident and then we ran into an accident on SR 900 that really slowed us down. We kept thinking about the sequence of events if we missed our flight to LA. Once heading south on I-5 to our parking location we were well within our window of making the flight. Security check-in took only a few minutes due to the lack of crowds. 

Our flight to LA was quick and easy. Ellen spent most of it looking out her window at our driving route to Joshua Tree this past spring. It was beautiful with the sun turning the hills and mountains a warm color. It was a special golden hour from 35,000'. 

Ellen had kept a piece of paper the kiosk gave her at SeaTac and that turned out to be instructions for getting from our United flight to our New Zealand flight in LA International. Those instructions saved us plenty of grief. LAX is huge. It took us about an hour to walk to our next flight's terminal and then we had to catch a bus to the terminal that actually was the location of our flight. The entire time in LAX was surreal.

Once on the plane we prepared for a ten hour flight. We actually stalled at the terminal for about 30 minutes as they waited for the baggage to be loaded from another flight. Then we had an additional 30 minutes of waiting on the tarmac due to an emergency landing on the south runway so all departures were now using the north runway. Once in the air we settled in and made the best of the situation. We watched a movie, had dinner, two glasses of wine, hardly slept (even with 15 milligrams of melatonin and one AdvilPM), had breakfast, watched a second movie and prepared for landing. The 11 hours didn't fly by but they passed. I was physically and mentally exhausted. Once they opened the exit door you could feel the humid heat start to sap the body's energy. Customs at the small airport was slow and uneventful. 

John

What a harrowing drive to the airport! Who'd have thought Saturday afternoon traffic would be so bad. Between the accident on 405 and the one on SR 900 where the GPS rerouted us to, I thought we would miss our flight. Mostly I was just a paranoid, though, because we got to the airport about 15 minutes after I'd planned. The line for security was about five people, and we got routed into the special line where you don't even have to take off your shoes. To make things even better, our gate was pretty much right there just a short walk after security.

Our flight to LAX was one of my favorite flights ever. We boarded a Canadair Regional Jet 700 (small plane), so we flew lower than usual. That meant we were able to take in the sites, which we pretty much did the entire two hours. Mount Rainier was spectacular as were the Sierras.

LAX was a tremendous airport. We walked for nearly an hour to get to the international terminal and went through a small shopping mall complete with live entertainment. It was actually visually attractive. Our terminal was a bit basement-like and then we took a bus to board the plane. 

Due to a luggage delay and an emergency landing, we sat for an hour or so on the tarmac. The plane was HUGE. I've never been on such a plane. It seats over 300 people. There was lots of head room and the economy seats weren't bad. We got to watch two movies, and dinner, wine and breakfast were free. Before taking melatonin and progesterone, we watched Hidden Figures the movie about the black female mathematicians who helped NASA get to the moon. I liked it. The second movie, which we watched after about five hours of rough sleep, was Lion. I loved it. Shortly after, we ate the fruit portion of a breakfast (nothing else was vegan) and before we knew it, we were landing. It was my first nine-hour flight and my first international flight. I did great! (I am kind of afraid of flying.)

Ellen