Etape 16 - the Cookies

Life in the paradise is so difficult..
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Sorry dudes n gals, accidentially I have ended up to a yet another paradise. And this is a real paradise! I came here last night without accommodation booked, only having a Lonely Planet guide book with me.

In the plane I read a few pages and chose Muri Beach Hideaway, maybe because the name appealed to me. I thought about calling them from the Rarotonga airport and doing last minute booking. Well, that was a great idea but a disaster as none of my cell phones is working here!

So, after the customs I bumped into a taxi driver and asked him to know where is the nearest pay phone. Instead he asked where I'm staying and hearing that I wanted to stay at the Hideaway he called on my behalf the place and arranged me a room. The owner of the place happens to be his aunt... well, this is a small island! :)

Another sunset in the paradise.
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If Mark Twain said many many years ago that Mauritius is the 2nd paradise on earth then he must have meant that the Cookies are the 1st paradise...

I have now stayed here 3 days and today is the first day I am wandering further than 200 meters away from my hideaway. I came to Avarua, the main town of Rarotonga, to shop and arrange a day trip to Aitutaki. I had a nice 40 min bus ride round the island before hitting this local centre of gravity. There are two busses going around the island - one rides clockwise and another, surprisingly, anti-clockwise! Now a little glitch came when I realised that the last bus goes at 4:30 pm until the "night service" begins at 6:00 pm. Now I am stranded in a telecom office to kill that hour and a half...

Especially when you get your feet wet!
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Anyway, I mentioned you Aitutaki. What a f*cking Aitutaki? Well, if you have watched the US version of TV series "Survivor" then you know what is Aitutaki as it is filmed there. In fact it is a small island/atoll about 400 kms north of Rarotonga, belonging to the Southern Group of the Cook Islands, and apparently it has the second most beautiful lagoon in the whole Pacific Ocean! (Just behind Bora Bora in French Polynesia which is my next destination..)

Well, I am still not sure whether the trip is going to take place as weather is not great today and it might be that tomorrow there will be tropical thunderstorms that will make my trip impossible. Anyway, should that happen it would be a good excuse for me to come back and visit the paradise lagoon of Aitutaki and rest of the islands for which unfortunately I did not have any time in this short stopover.

View to Muri Beach lagoon from my room.
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I have been taking life really slowly and relaxed. Done a bit of swimming and snorkling as well as kayaking in the Muri Beach lagoon which itself is not bad at all. In fact it is already beautiful enough for me to call it a real 1st class paradise and come back to enjoy it. I also noticed that the Hideaway I'm staying at is probably one of the best value for money in the area. Besides I have already met some cool people there - like Andrew and Rebecca from Canada and a couple from New Zealand. Closeby to my place there is a backpackers' place meaning that the beach scenary is not bad at all... especially when the western ladies have adopted more Yapese style of clothing... well, not literally, but you know what I mean... anyway, beautiful views to enjoy - er, the lagoon of course! :)

So now I am trying to sort out my travel plans in Polynesia and have at least a place to stay for my first night there on late Thursday...

Take care my friends and keep on posting your comments & questions!

Keep well wherever you are! :) :)