Hello mainlanders,

Who ever has watched the movie "the beach" kind of knows what our lives have been like this past week.
Without the killing and the sharks though.. Or the dope.. Although i am not to sure about that one.. And without leo of course.. But plenty of sixpacks, white beaches, palmtrees, sunshine and jungle.
Lets start from the beginnig,

We left LA at 11.15pm and arrived at rarotonga airport at 6.00am the next morning. The airport consists of a little building with a wooden sign saying "airport" nailed to it and a single runnway with dogs and chickens crisscrossing as they like. The sun hadnt risen yet, so all we can see of our surroundings is a dark grey sky with huge, pointed black mountains in front of it. We go through customs and find our driver to get to the hostel. Huge rarotongan guy who pickes all of our luggage up with one hand and chucks it in the back of the bus as if it weighs nothing. He sqeezes into the drivers cab and intriduces himself as "Poop". Ah.
We rattle down one of the two streets on the island towards our hostel. Meenwhile Poop trys making conversation, but his english is so broken, one only understands bits and pieces. The sun is slowly rising and he gestures out of the window. "Good weather" he grunts. Second after that it starts bucketing with rain. "See, i say it good weather" explains Poop enthusiasticly.
 We get our first impression of the island. No hotels. No fastfood restaurants. Not one building is taller than a palmtree, which are everywhere, by the way. Little broken down shakes seem to be the common housig here. Locals travel by rust-eaten cars or scooters. Fress fruit stands dot the roat every 500meters, which is hardly neccesary with all the banana, paw paw, grapefruit and starfruit trees on the side of the road. We make use of these later in the week. Chickens and dogs are everywhere, evan the ecasional pig.

We arrive at our hostel and have mixed feelings.. The inside interior does not quite match the paradise beach on the dorstep.. But thats ok for the group of people staying there are so much fun we dont mind not sleepimg under fresh white bedding with fluffy towels waiting for us. As mentioned, the beach, which is just on the dorstep, is paradise 100%. Cristal clear turquise water, sunbleached white sand as far as you can see, palmtrees everywhere and the high volcanic rock mountain things couvered in jungle in the background. LOST feeling pur!
We check into the hostel and catch up some on some sleep before renting out a set of bikes and setting out to cycle around the island.
Our first stop is muri beach, which is THE beach on the island. Again, stunning white water, sand and patrees. Bit the highlight here are the 4 little uninhabited iands floting a few hundred meeters out at see. Little green heaps of jungle with palmtrees sticking out the top and more white sand braches waitig to be explored. We descide we have to spend a day here.
We carry on the the town. Suprisingly enough, its not to bad for and island. We stop of to stock up on food for the next days.. And nearly had an heart falliour on the spot.. 5$ for a loaf of toast, 3$ for a cucuber, 35$\kilo for paprika or peaches, 9$ for a head of lettuce.. Oh fcuk.. Only things affordable are potatoes and chicken (we do not think about why the chicken is so cheap) ok then.. We settle with potatoes and chicken.. A few two minute noodles and tinned tomatoes.. We are very glad we smuggled in a bottle of olive oil and vinegar..

We head back to the beach, where we chill for the rest of the day. We spend the even if with our hostel companions, who are becoming more and more likable by the minute.

I could go into duch detail with every day, but that might become a very long blog..

The next two days we mainly hang out with two guys from new zealand, our age, who are pretty much a walking comady show. They invite us to join them on a hile up the nearby mountain. Its hard work, but luckyly early enough to not be to hot and the viewa are incradible. LOST feeling once again! The last bit to the peak you have to scramble up some rocks, and theres a few metal geips and a rope that possibly has been hanging there for a few humdred years. Once again, stunning views of the island.
We scramble back down and head to the beach, where the boys male it a mission to plant a tree slap bang on the middle of the beach.. Sastisfied with their task. We head back for supper.

Next day we wander to another beach, a little way down the island, where snorcling is great. We take turns with the snorcling, and here i whish i had an umderwater camera! The fiah are to exuisit to describe in words.. Every collour imaginable, reflecting and changing collour in the light, some
glowing, some shining, others again shimmerig as they swim past. Eal-like fish longer than i am tall, and tiny little black fish with glowing blue spots. Huge grey fish and stunning rainbow colloursd fish. Wow.. As mentioned, i am in need of and underwater camera..
That noght is backpackers night at the put put field, 15$pp for one free drink, a free burger and put put. The owner splits us up into groups, which force us to get to know the other backpackers. I pand up with amgroup of really cute guys and noce girls. Unexpecdadly, we seem to have the night of our lives. Lots of cheatig and drinkig, after that eating and dancing till the limbo game starts. The winner has to down 3 beer, and the drinking and dancing goes on. Prize giving is on and suprise, the prize consists of drinks.. My team wins one free cocktail each. Again, we drink , we dance. Backpackers really now how to party.. We catch a ride home with the owner of the place who is possibly more drunk than the eest of us and finish the evening with a toastparty in the kitchen.. The condition we are in the next morning is not to be mentioned..

Nethrmind hangover, we get dressed and move up to the backpackers jungle huts, for a schoolgroup has booked our beachside place. Niche little jungle huts, allthough no view of the beach anymore.. And no more dogs.. :(

Oh, the dogs! They are part of our fun hear. They seem to roam wild on the islamd and the beach, but are as friendly as hell and adopt anyone who is willimg to stand still for long enough. We have met the cutest, strangest dogs here.. Some of our most loyal companions:

tripod. As the name suggests, only three legs. But no chance theres a way she wont come charging up the beach to greet us, or jump in after us to wade all the way out to the reef.

Sausage dog: a big dogs bodey with tiny little stumpy legs. Again, no way they'll stop him having fun.

Pooch: pretty normal looking dog but worlds best companion when it comes to wading put and exploring those uninhabbited islands.

Old dog: nothing less but skin a d bones, but slumps down ontop of anyone lying on the beach.

Mountain chicken: we found this chicken lost up on the mountain and tryed rescuing it, but it seemed intent on killing us during the proscedure..

And many more runts and pavement specialls.

So we head down to try and get to muri beach. Bus is expensive and we only have one scooter. So the boys start of and j and i try our best with hitchhiking. Worked out pretty well actually, met some really interesting characters and cars. Arrived at muri beach, had chicken sandwiches with paw paw salsa, sliced our feet up trying to get out to one of the islands, supprised a couple who thoughr they where alone, and hichhiked back to our hostel.

So here are, our last day on the island, eating fruit we got hold of in our fruit rade last night, possibly planig another beach day.

We're off to auckland tomorrow ealy morning, so thats hopefully when some pics will arrive..

Xxb&j




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