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.
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| 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.
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| 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. |
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| 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.
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| A Renoir painting we both really liked. |
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| 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
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