Aitutaki:
Vaikoa's Garden Villas, owned by Mama Vaikoa, assisted by her daughter Terangi and her husband Junior showed me island hospitality, welcomed my visiting adopted family Ida and Branko, and set up my Lagoon tour for me. I enjoyed them so much, yet it was time to go back to Rarotonga.
The morning before I departed, I spent time with Mama Vaikoa and Terangi who gifted me a beautiful necklace made of shells found only on Aitu (Mama's Vaikoa's birthplace).
It was also time to leave Branko and Ida who I'd spent time with everyday for one and a half weeks. We'd shared meals, drinks, walks, talks, music, stories, and so many laughs, my cheek, abdominal, and rib muscles hurt when I moved. The last time I recall laughing as hard, as long, and as often was when I visited Turkey 20 yrs ago:
(I had a bath in Turkey, where I was flogged, man-handled (by a topless, amazonian woman), lathered up, and mopped around like a wet seal, on a slab of marble. I laughed throughout the entire bath. My 'washer' joined in, then every woman in the bath house. I didn't speak Turkish, none of them spoke English, yet we had an EPIC time!!!
Vaikoa's Garden Villas, owned by Mama Vaikoa, assisted by her daughter Terangi and her husband Junior showed me island hospitality, welcomed my visiting adopted family Ida and Branko, and set up my Lagoon tour for me. I enjoyed them so much, yet it was time to go back to Rarotonga.
The morning before I departed, I spent time with Mama Vaikoa and Terangi who gifted me a beautiful necklace made of shells found only on Aitu (Mama's Vaikoa's birthplace).
It was also time to leave Branko and Ida who I'd spent time with everyday for one and a half weeks. We'd shared meals, drinks, walks, talks, music, stories, and so many laughs, my cheek, abdominal, and rib muscles hurt when I moved. The last time I recall laughing as hard, as long, and as often was when I visited Turkey 20 yrs ago:
(I had a bath in Turkey, where I was flogged, man-handled (by a topless, amazonian woman), lathered up, and mopped around like a wet seal, on a slab of marble. I laughed throughout the entire bath. My 'washer' joined in, then every woman in the bath house. I didn't speak Turkish, none of them spoke English, yet we had an EPIC time!!!
I returned a couple of weeks later, and as soon as the women saw me, they room broke into laughter and applause (that 'turn up time' kind ), and that's what we did!
Branko, Ida, and Sheila gave me a farewell party.. When I came:
Me: Oh wow, this is so beautiful, thank you all for putting this together.
Branko: What? It's just some leftovers.
Ida: Da ad! Way to kill the mood.
BrankoL What? It's leftovers, nothing special! But we're still going to miss you Loninka!
Sheila and I were rolling in laughter! The evening was Deluxe! Mii came after work and we laughed, drank, ate, enjoyed a beautiful sunset and and wonderful evening together
(Pics: Lagoon, Puna - boat captain, new Aussie friends, nesting birds, me w/Sheila, Ida, Branko, Mama Vaikoa, Terangi, and Junior)
Branko, Ida, and Sheila gave me a farewell party.. When I came:
Me: Oh wow, this is so beautiful, thank you all for putting this together.
Branko: What? It's just some leftovers.
Ida: Da ad! Way to kill the mood.
BrankoL What? It's leftovers, nothing special! But we're still going to miss you Loninka!
Sheila and I were rolling in laughter! The evening was Deluxe! Mii came after work and we laughed, drank, ate, enjoyed a beautiful sunset and and wonderful evening together
(Pics: Lagoon, Puna - boat captain, new Aussie friends, nesting birds, me w/Sheila, Ida, Branko, Mama Vaikoa, Terangi, and Junior)
Ka Kite Aitutaki!
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