Birthday madness
Trip Start
May 20, 2010
1
94
195
Trip End
Sep 05, 2011
Rarotonga, Southern Cook Islands, Cook Islands
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Day : 223
Temperature : 30 degrees
Weather : Sunny at last
I can't quite believe it’s Christmas in a couple of days. It doesn’t feel remotely Christmassy…no lights or decorations anywhere. Well, the owner of our guest house put a little row of lights up yesterday, but that’s it. Plus, it’s 30 degrees…so I guess that makes a difference!
We’ve had a great couple of days. The snorkelling on the island has been great. The coral isn’t so good, but there are fish, big fish. Schools of trevally, huge flutemouths, snapper and goat fish. We even saw an eagle ray just a few metres away. Awesome!
Yesterday was Fi’s birthday. We had stayed up the previous night chatting away until the early hours of the morning, so we had the chance to wish Fi happy birthday at midnight that previous night as well as in the morning. Thanks to Fi’s extensive travel experience we have now devised a fabulous South America itinerary!! All the best bits of Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and Brazil….including Antarctica and the Galapagos!! Awesome! Seriously, the next few months are going to be a serious landscape, cultural and wildlife fest!! I am sooo excited about this.
Anyway, yesterday we all went snorkelling and lay on the beach for most of the day, and then in the evening we ventured out to a great little restaurant. It was pouring with rain as the three of us huddled once again on the bike. We have discovered that it is illegal here to have 3 on a bike, and this seems to provide the locals with much amusement. Unfortunately, the restaurant was near a police station and so Kev had to do two runs taking firstly Fi and then myself. By the time we arrived at the restaurant Kev was looking like a wet rat, his clothes completely saturated. What a scene! The wine and the conversation flowed, the music band was great, the food was delicious, the silliness was extreme, and from what I can remember we spent much of the evening laughing.
A fab day!
Comments
this is a my great favour. reading long and seeing an half worldwide made us understand you and the people around. from 1st to the last 94th content, we,thais, were looked by the westerner stranger with both love and unlove,happi and unhappi. i am sure everyone glad welcoming any aliens
Christmas eve !!!!! ..we have fab snow here.. gonna be a white Christmas so I am still not jealous at all ! ( she lied !! )
your fish photos are amazing !! ...
try and call if you can ... be thinking of you both :) xxxxxxx
We have been looking at the travel blog together this morning and getting ready for Xmass tomorrow by wrapping up presents.. Looks very nice and different from here in the snow.
Best of Xmass merry wishes.
Antony (and Sarah - Susan is too busy doing girly stuff!!)
Man, here I sit in rainy (as usual for christmass time) old Sydney pondering the fact that rain in Rarotonga is SOOOOO much more interesting than rain here!!!! And I cant even ponder your next few months til I meet you again for Colombia and a drift down the globes mightiest river.....dont worry Kev Im coming up with all my best ideas on how to help you deal with the mosquitos! One big bonus is that from my reading in the last couple days I am assured it is NOT rainy season! Woohoooooo!!! So only the voracious mossies to deal with.....ah no problemo amigos!
I have also realised Im going to have to scam at least 6-8 weeks off and Im pretty sure my PhD doesnt exactly 'allow' that so some creative thinking is in order....still have to investigate the extra 2 months for Charles Darwin in Galapagos.....
Ah this blog is going to kill me while Im doing 18hours a day in the field and then sitting in front of my compu doing stats and writing manuscripts the next 5-6 months......miss you guys! xxx