Tuesday, January 24. Still in Raiatea. Cloudy, 28 C.
We four were on a shore excursion at 8:00 AM this morning. Off on a catarmaran run for about 25 minutes, 28 Zuiderdamians eager to get out on a bit of an adventure. There, we went up what is called a river, but it was more like a long inlet that snaked for about a kilometer or so through the very dense jungle until the boat could go no further because the overhead canopy closed in.
It was not terribly exciting, but it was rather haunting to just be in that silent and peaceful place. There were a couple of homes along the way, one sold us coconuts to drink along the way. There is basically NO animal life at all: no snakes, no monkeys, just a few small birds, but no other critters of any kind at all. The forest/jungle floor is covered with the remains of hundreds of years of dropped coconuts and other fruits etc., rotting on the floor, but no real odour. Eerie!
Next we zipped out into the ocean and stopped at an island maybe two acres in area, wading in thigh deep water to get to the white sand beach and coconut plantation-like land mass.The water was unexpectedly warm, to me, and salty as the devil. It tasted great! It felt good be in bare feet with some roughness underfoot with sand between your toes.
Really not much to do today except ‘Take in the Experience’. It was great few hours in our busy life that we may or may not even remember in a few days. There was no great highlight of the day either, just a pleasant few hours with 24 other people who we will not remember. It just makes me think that the saying “It’s not the Destination, but the Journey” that really matters.
A Very Good Day…
Jim, Gail, Fellette on the way to the Island.
This man and his wife & daughter sold some of us a coconut drink: $2.00.
Gail walked around the Island to get some steps in while some swam.
My wife in the best bathing suit she had had in her lifetime. [French!]
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