JUNGLE TREK

                                         Pa and the Jungle

     When in the Cook Islands on Raratonga, the largest of the islands, I learned its interior was rugged, mountainous and covered with dense, lush green vegetation---in other words jungle!  The narrow valleys and steep hills make it difficult to populate, and it is an area few visitors venture into.

     However, in spite of my age, I thought I was fit enough and brave enough to trek into the jungle with Pa, who billed himself as a medicine man. The 58 year old native Raratongan sported blond dread locks and wore a tie dyed pareu wrapped around his middle resembling a diaper. It hung to his knees and I wondered if he might have left a load in it.  Looking at him I had a moment of pause—did I really want to do this trek?  

     Only one other fellow from our boat was among the 16 of us brave souls willing to go into the jungle. Pa told us he had hiked into the mountain  over 1000 times. He pointed out several plants and trees  used by natives for various ailments. This was my area of interest.

     Passing some old plantation ruins deep in the valley we followed a stream into the lush greenness. It was up and over fallen trees, down on the other side, balancing on rocks in the stream to get on the other side and then repeat the same process again, and again and again. Although Pa was several years younger than I , he certainly was agile and none of the young people in our group could keep up with him.

      I wore long pants, long sleeves and a hat, then doused all exposed areas with mosquito juice. The pesky mosquitos were insistent and I was glad the repellent smelled a lot better than it did in my youth.

     A couple miles in to the jungle we arrived at a marae. Before we could step on it Pa had to talk to his ancestors and bless the site. Because he was a high ariki (kahuna, priest) he could do that.

     A marae is an open air temple in a clearing used for investiture of a new tribal chief.  Carried by warriors onto the marae, the chief sits on a stone at the head of the temple. A pig is brought to him and he is required to chew off an ear and eat it; after that the celebration begins.

     We all did step on the marae for a short rest. At that point when asked if we wanted to continue that much farther to the needle it was an unanimous decision to turn around! We returned to the stream to an area where there was a small but picturesque waterfall.  We settled in for lunch surrounded by dinosaur ferns. It was quiet and peaceful with only the sound of rushing water to break the silence. Thankfully the mosquitoes went elsewhere for lunch!

     Raratonga was the last stop on my Tahiti/Cook Islands adventure so we had disembarked from the ship to a hotel for a couple of days. Getting back to the hotel after the jungle trek neither I nor the fellow from the same ship could hardly walk. We both made it to the pool to soak our sore leg muscles. The next day was a Sunday and the entire island was closed  so we hung out at the hotel which was probably a smart move as the following day we would be coping with airports. This gave my small group a chance to visit with each other and to relive our fantastic trip.

DRINKS---AN ADVENTURE

                    A Few of my Interesting Drinks

     Traveling all over I have had many interesting drinks, some I liked and some not so much. When biking in Germany and Austria, I drank many a spezi, and I often drink one at home. A spezi is easy to make as it is a mix of half cola and half lemonade. A lot of people put a dash of lemon in their cola, but a spezi is special to me as it brings back lots of pleasant memories,

     A tundraccino is a take-off on the popular cappuccino. This was a welcome warming drink when riding in the tundra  buggy in the cold Canadian sub-arctic. Simply mix 3 parts instant cocoa to 1 part instant coffee and add boiling water to mix. It was a pleasant change from either hot cocoa or coffee.

     In  the English Cotswolds I learned a Lemon Shanty is a drink of equal parts  beer and lemonade. I understand it is a popular drink for women, but not being a beer drinker I cannot vouch for it.

     In Regensburg, Germany, at the oldest coffeehouse in the country, I ordered iced coffee. It was good but rather different. Cold coffee was poured into a tall  glass and  topped with two scoops of chocolate chip ice cream.

At the same time a couple  elderly German ladies  arrived and ordered blond angels. This was a combination of orange juice and vanilla ice cream---perhaps their answer to our root beer floats. They must have been good as they drank a second one before leaving.

     In Vienna kaffehouses, there is no such thing as  a plain cup of coffee. It comes in many forms, each with a different  name. In one such establishment we were served by a tux clad waiter.

     In England don’t even think about ordering a cup of coffee, it leaves a lot to be desired for a coffee lover.  The one exception to this might be large American chain hotels where their coffee makers use pre-measured coffee filters to cater to the American palate. The English drink tea and there are specific rules for doing so and drinking it with a meal is a definite no no!

     In Europe coffee and tea are served in china or porcelain cups, and of course there is no bottomless coffee cup. I concede to one advantage to an overseas fast food establishment and that is one can get a drinkable cup of coffee in a take away cup. Otherwise it’s consume on the premises. A young girl in the Copenhagen airport brought that to my attention.

     This is just the beginning as there are many more drinks but we’ll save them for another day.