Yersin la mascotte!

Alors voila, un peu avant notre depart on s'etait dit que ce serait sympa d'avoir une mascotte...genre le nain de jardin d'Amelie Poulain...Mike avait pense a Oncle Ho, il a d'ailleurs fait un petit bout de route avec nous, ca devait etre un cadeau, mais on s'est dit que peut-etre il ne serait pas apprecie a sa juste valeur, donc il etait parti pour faire un bout de chemin avec nous mais arrive dans les iles Cook, il s'est retrouve avec la tete coupee! Il a mal supporte le voyage! Sorry Uncle Ho!

Faisait partie des bagages egalement (et en fait toujours partie), Yersin la tortue, offerte par l'un de mes eleves de 6eme lors de ma derniere heure de cours...que dis-je...de gouter :) au lycee Yersin, a Hanoi! Yersin a une petite histoire, d'abord balancee du 4eme etage dans les escaliers, la tortue volante avait atterri a mes pieds avant de m'etre offerte par son proprietaire, Henry. Touchee par le geste et la trouvant super mignonne, j'ai decide d'en faire notre mascotte et de l'emmener en voyage a travers le monde avec nous, Yersin ne prenant pas de place dans les bagages, contrairement a Ho Chi, je l'avoue, mais malgre ce que peut penser Mike, ce n'est pas moi qui lui ai coupe la tete!

Les presentations etant faites avec Yersin, je souhaite a tous mes anciens eleves et aux collegues egalement, une tres bonne rentree 2009...premiere fois en douze ans que je ne fais pas la rentree...et c'est GENIAL! Allez bon courage a tous!

Et les premieres photos de Yersin autour du monde ici.

Climbing Te Ko'u

We climbed Te Ko'u today, the volcano mountain and crater that is in the centre of the island. Wow, what a climb! Nearing the top it was pretty much vertical, exposed on a small ridge leading up to the top of the crater. Plenty of ropes along the way and we were just about climbing on them in places, though some areas, especially the extra scary fern bits were exposed and we were hanging on to clumps of ferns as we climbed then later slid down. Heart racing moments aside, the walk was amazing, through thic jungle in the lowlands through to cicad covered forest on the top crater. Fabulous views all the way, opening up to the whole island at the top. Would definitely recommend it, though not for the faint hearted...

'Climbing' c'est bien le mot! Pas vraiment de la balade...plutot de l'escalade parfois et le tout dans la jungle. Ce qu'il y a de rassurant sur l'ile de Rarotonga c'est qu'il n'y a pas de mechantes bestioles donc on peut s'accrocher aux branches, aux fougeres et a tout ce que l'on peut trouver pour ne pas glisser, sans avoir peur de se retrouver nez a nez avec un serpent ou une araignee! Et vraiment quand je dis s'accrocher a tout ce que l'on peut, je n'exaggere pas! Ce fut vraiment la rando la plus difficile que j'aie jamais faite. La montee ca a ete, a part la fin ou la ca devient vraiment dur et tu te dis que des gants pour tenir la corde ca aurait ete une bonne idee...si on avait su que ca allait etre comme ca sur plusieurs centaines de metres! Mais bon le plus dur fut la descente...faut pas avoir le vertige! La vue d'en haut en valait la peine mais on n'en fera pas des comme ca tous les jours!

Petit message pour Becky! If you ever read this post, Becky, I thought of you during this walk! I hugged the trees like I'd never hugged the trees before! I loved the trees! And all the plants I could find! At the beginning it was really fun, the first rope you think it's like in Indiana Jones, and you love it, it's exciting! Then after a while you remember the walk is not a loop and that you'll have to use the ropes for the descent! And you also remember you are NOT Indiana Jones nore Tarzan...and when you reach the last bit...well you cry!

Beers with a King

Saturday evening was a slightly bizarre occasion – at Trader Jacks and we met the King of Rarotonga, the Ariki, who was jollily drunken invited us to his palace (we followed him in his wife's little Nissan as it swayed all over the road) and drank some more beers as well as got the low down on the local politics (and read his letters to the Queen). He was rather attracted to Celine and offered me first his Canoe and then the whole island for her. Naturally I declined... his wife was away in New Zealand, and offered us food from his freezer, which his wife had prepared all his meals in advance, including (I'm sure) frozen sandwiches, as well as leaving little messages everywhere to feed the fish etc. Yes - he did show us his authentication documents to prove he was one of the hereditary kings (or Queens) of the Cooks - there are 24 all together, 6 on Raro... a most interesting evening!

The Cook Islands – Rarotonga

Wow, I like the Cook Islands. It's been nearly two weeks since we landed and I'm finally getting round to writing something. Hard to say exactly what we've been doing, other than being relatively busy and pottering. We've rented a lovely wee cottage/bungalow/house/whatever in the east of the island, off the main road with the normal people and away from the tourist crowd. We've a lovely big garden at the front with views of the mountains and just a short walk (as everywhere is) from the beaches and sea. Not that we're beaching much, as we've softened and 24 degrees is FREEZING compared to 37 degrees in Hanoi. Went diving today and was astonished to see they offered me a 2mm short wetsuit for diving in 24 degrees water... used to dive with a 6mm full suit in Nha Trang at 30 degrees, got away with wearing two but not after almost freezing to death on the way back! I digress... diving was fab visibility, best i've ever seen... 50 metres?? Not so many fish or good coral mind – looks like the reefs have taken some serious bashing one way or another. Saw three white tipped reef sharks and the whales that have been hanging around all week (think they are humpbacks giving birth, there's either a lot of them or the same group hanging around). Still, amazing how once you're out of the reef how the shelf just disappears down out of view... to 4,000 metres!

Anyhow, diving aside, we've been out on a few good hikes, and will do some more! The centre of the island is very mountainous (it was once a volcano) and pretty untouched – no concrete walkways, logging or theme parks. The interior of the island is really stunning too. Did the cross island walk with a British couple we met in Rau's guesthouse (where we stayed for a few days before we found our wee place)... Becky and Dan, cracked me up! Wonder what we'll be like after 10 years! Hopefully will catch up with them next year in the UK (i'll cook this time!, haha!) Fab parrot fish though! Climbed up Raemaru – the half looking mountain (the top half was carried away by Aitutakians!).

Been to one of these island nights and danced with the locals, fun times! Read in the LP that a UN report said that 77.6% of all Cook Islanders were clinically overweight... imagine that on an upstairs dancefloor, man they can move their asses!!!

We've joined the library (I forgot how wonderful these places are! Books for free!!! OK - $NZ15 joining fee), and we're both reading like crazy. Enjoying good food too. Buying all our veggies from the Mamas down he road who have a little stall, can buy wonderfully fresh veggies all island grown (though can't say i'm particularly fond of the taro and taroa...)

Watched Cook islands vs South Africa the world youth netball championships, and the Cooks beat the SA's well and good... not that I really understood what was going on at first, though good to watch! (England lost against Australia).

Had a few beach days too – out in Muri Lagoon. Waded across to some small islands, and then out to one of the many shipwrecks on the reef. Did some kayaking too... life is good!

Tomorrow (Saturday) is market day, so we're having an early night and morning, and will probably spend the next week doing some more mountain walks and just enjoying island life... saw adverts in the CI News for Police Officers and University Lecturers. Now being a CI cop sounds good... saw a couple of them squeeze into a wee suzuki the other day, could be the next big TV thing... Raro Cop! Off to Aitutkai week after next, I fancy a round of golf on the island. Loving the place, can't understand why people were saying “Cook Islands for a month! You must be crazy!” OK, perhaps I Can... think you really need at least three months just to unwind... after VN, I'm done with rushing and mayhem! (for the time being, of course!) Oh yes... a gold statue of of his eminence HCM did make it to Raro... but his head fell off, and now he's on Atua's mantelpiece, ah well!!