RAROTONGA, Cook Islands

                   Cook Island's Capital

            Rarotonga is the largest of the Cook Islands, its capital, and is spectacularly beautiful. Shaped like a small round bean, it is surrounded by a protective reef with brakes in 5-6 places. There are four atolls within the lagoon on the east side of the island. The well known white beaches nearly surround the coconut palm fringed island. The turquoise blue lagoon is full of colorful tropical fish.

            Rarotonga, directly south of Hawaii, is the same distance south of the equator as Hawaii is north of the equator. Thus the climates are similar except the seasons are reversed. Extremes of humidity and rainfall are uncommon.

After truck or van buses on other smaller islands, here we had real buses, smaller than a greyhound, but a real bus as we know them. The island perimeter road is twenty miles long. There are two roads, the two-lane coast has one lane in each direction, except for a short distance in down town Avarua where the road widens to four lanes; the two lanes in each direction are divided with a wide grassed median. The second road is a half mile inland and connects with many small side roads that wind through banana plantations and farms. The inland coral road was built in the 11^th century by Chief Toi. The road, later fitted with large hand cut lava rocks, was covered with macadam a few years ago.

I observed few cars on Rarotonga’s roads but a lot of mopeds. The very quiet bikes are obviously a very common and economical means of transportation. I also saw a lot of bicycles. The yellow public buses run around the island on a fairly regular basis following a printed schedule. One of the two buses runs clockwise, the other anticlockwise. (We say counterclockwise, they anticlockwise)  One can flag down a bus anywhere and request special stops. After 6PM only one bus runs every two hours until 11PM. Friday is party night so the buses run until 1AM, and the buses run only to church on Sunday.

            The island, home to 11,000 people, is divided into two districts, each run by a powerful clan chief known as an  ariki. Avarua, the main town and capital of the island, stretches along the waterfront. Avarua is the commercial center for the island  and where  one can buy bananas, black pearls, flower leis, a souvenir carved figure known as Tangaroa, a pareu, woven baskets or fans, or any number of other souvenirs. Its one main street is easy to navigate and landmarks are easily identifiable. The island is often referred to as Raro and everything is on Raro time. Merchants open 8-4 weekdays and 8-11 on Saturday.

            Missionaries brought the people from the island interior to the coast where they live in small settlements surrounding a church. Today people live evenly around the perimeter. Hotels and guest houses are located all around the island as the beaches are good everywhere. To retain the picturesque charm of Rarotonga, a local restriction allows no building taller than the tallest palm tree. The rugged and mountainous interior of the island is covered with dense lush green growth. The narrow valleys and steep hills make it difficult to populate. The Needle, a rock pinnacle ,in the center of the island stands 2000-feet  above the fertile valley. It is the highest point on the island and a vigorous hike over a razorback ridge, one few tourist attempt. People were friendly and helpful. English is widely spoken, although everyone is bilingual, speaking their own language as well.

Homes were larger than on the out islands and many were made of concrete block with metal roofs. There are a few ‘native huts’. Telephone poles are concrete as no pine trees grow on the island.

            After leaving our small ship, World Discover, we headed to our luxury hotel. My room had sliding glass doors that led out onto a wooden verandah for an incredible view of a white sand beach, lagoon, and the breaking surf over the reef.  Diesel generators provide electrical power 24 hours a day; the smaller out islands turn off all power at 11PM. Two natural springs provide a good amount of the water supply, but islanders are still dependent on rainfall and all homes/buildings have catchment systems. Water now is piped into homes but is not treated so individuals and businesses all have filtration systems.

            The island is dependent on many imports, most of which come from New Zealand. The coco-net arrived in Rarotonga three months before our visit. Coco means to wander, thus the name of the cellular phone network!

Restaurants were plentiful with something for every palate. Local delicacies include octopus, ika mata which is raw fish marinated in lime juice, then combined with coconut milk and other ingredients, often vegetables and/or salad greens. Motu roni is the innards of the sea cucumber which I was told resembles spaghetti. These are cooked with butter, garlic, and other spices. Many natives eat motu romi raw. In this part of the world, sea cucumbers are called sea slugs which does little to tickle my palate! The slugs grow about a foot long and are plentiful in the lagoons near the reef. After extracting the insides the slug is thrown back in the water where it regenerates its losses and in 6-8 weeks is again ready for repeat punishment. Poke is a paw paw pudding. The paw paw is the same as the papaya. It is mixed with tapioca and coconut cream. Orange in color with  a funny texture it has a rather bland taste. Coconut is served with each meal, and since I love coconut I was a happy camper.

            I hope Rarotonga can remain as lovely as when I visited and not grow into a tourist mecca like Hawaii. I have my doubts, but maybe its distance from everywhere but Down Under  will discourage many a traveler. The world needs some of these lovely idyllic places. 

           

HOVERCRAFT AND HANDS OUT

        A Hovercraft Ride

Long before the Chunnel was available the quickest way to get between France and England was on the Hovercraft. I made one trip across the English Channel from Calais, France to Dover, England and found that when the hovercraft got up to speed, the ride became very noisy and bouncy.

I felt like a staggering drunk as I tried to walk about, and after awhile just gave up the idea. Fortunately the trip was only 55-minutes. The white cliffs of Dover were easy to spot as we approached the coast. It was one of those things I was glad I did, but once was enough.

One can still ride a hovercraft, but not across the English Channel. Its last trip between Calais and Dover took place in October 2000. The underwater Chunnel opened in 1994.  For me that would not be a very good alternative as I’m quite claustrophobic and in general am not very excited about tunnels, and I know I could not hold my breath 35 minutes for the crossing. Maybe only if I were tranquilized to nearly being in a coma!

         Hands Out

It is not uncommon to see people with their hands out as you travel around the world. Sometimes it is the mentality that all Americans are rich and of course they want some of that wealth.

In China the hawkers are annoyingly pesky; never taking no for an answer, and never quit following you until you break down and buy whatever it is they are selling. The price keeps going down with every few steps you take.

On my very first trip to Europe I found the Italians blatantly dishonest on more than one occasion. They contradicted and raised a printed price. This happened with ice cream and wine. In one incident a store keeper took a deposit and when the gal returned to buy and make her purchase, there was absolutely no memory of any deposit. No amount of arguing changed that and she ended up not making the purchase. In St. Mark’s Square the vendor put the bill in his pocket and then refused to make change as he argued he’d been given only the proper amount. This was in the day of the lira before the euro, when it was easy for tourists to get confused about the currency and the Italians took advantageous use of that fact, often being paid twice what something was worth. Not a single person on that trip escaped some incident, unfortunately leaving a really bad impression.

It is common in many places to pay a dollar to take the picture of a local person. Always ask permission before attempting to photograph people. Almost always it is ok to take general pictures of the scenery and landscape.

In Cuba we were charged a dollar to take pictures’ in museums.

When off your own turf and in other countries it always behooves you to pay attention to the rules. There is no need to debate them or to try to sneak around them. It is not worth a trip to the police station or jail!

RUSSIAN SAYING AND ODD AND ENDS

   Understanding  RussianCulture

        

           Most Russian homes, especially in the countryside have a ‘red corner’. Originally that is where the religious icons were displayed. After the Bolshevik Revolution the religious icons were replaced with busts of Lenin and Stalin. Since the demise of the USSR in 1989 the religious icons again have a place of honor.

           

            Russians believe they have an angel on or over the right shoulder and the devil on or over the left shoulder. By spitting three times over the left shoulder sends the devil away.

           

            Flowers are always given in odd numbers.

           

            Never shake hands with a Russian over a threshold.  Step inside the room, otherwise it is bad luck.

            Always use the middle finger to point at something, never use the index finger as Americans do.

            When taking a picture Russians say, say raisins, which in Russian sounds better than say cheese, which just brings a confused look to a Russian.

            Denge means money, chi means tea, zavaka means  tea concentrate, pravda means truth.

Russian nesting dolls are called matryoshka.

The brightly colored and decorated lacquered boxes are called palekh. 

Russian expressions:

            Russians say got up on the left leg, not the wrong side of the bed.

            The expression when elephants fly becomes when crawfish whistle in Russian.

           

            The quieter you go the farther you get is equal to our haste makes waste.

           

            Two peas in a pod becomes two drops of water to a Russian.

           

            The first pancake has lumps is equivalent to if you don’t at first succeed, try try again.

             

SALISBURY CATHEDRAL

        A Lovely Gothic Structure

           
          In 1220 AD Bishop Richard Poore and architect Elias de Derham decided to build a new state-of-the-art Gothic-style Cathedral in a rough field called St. Mary's Mead. It would replace the old Norman Cathedral at Old Sarum.

        The cathedral in Salisbury, England is a beautiful gothic structure with the typical graceful curved arches with columns of stone and marble. Started in 1220, the church was completed 38 years later. However, the 404-foot tall spire, the tallest in England, was not added until 1320, and it took 40 years to complete---longer than the building of the original cathedral. The spire required 6 ½ tons of masonry.

60,000 tons of Chilmark Stone and 10,000 tons of Purbeck Stone were used to build the Cathedral and 28, 000 tons of oak were used to construct the roof. The 4 acre roof is  covered with 420 tons of lead. This magnificent gothic cathedral dominates the city and that spire can be seen from everywhere.

         One of the four columns supporting the tower has a slight bow in it. The tower leans 28-inches southeast into the wind. They say when the wind really blows one can feel the spire sway. Because of settling years ago major stabilization was necessary. On one very calm day a year, a mountain climber makes it to the top—to change a red aircraft warning light!

Water and slate run under the center of the cathedral. The water level is checked every day. If there is a drought, people become anxious, but if the water drops below a certain level, there is an arrangement with the water authority to release water to maintain a safe level. If the water table stayed down, the slate would dry out and shift, causing catastrophic results for the church.

     The stone used for the building was quarried 12 miles away. Apprentice masons were sent to the quarry to do initial trimming of the stones, which speeded up the construction. Stone could only be brought from the quarry to the church six months of the year because rain and mud made it impossible for the horses and wagons to travel the rest of the year. So stone was accumulated at the church site to keep the masons working during the slack time.

      The wall stones were moved from Old Sarum and taken to Salisbury where they were used to enclose the new cathedral. Its church area is the largest enclosed one in England. The choir stalls are the largest and earliest complete set in Britain

The church contains 365 beautiful stainglass windows. In the sanctuary the straight-backed cane seat chairs didn’t look very comfortable. No doubt that was intentional!  The chairs were in rows in lieu of bench pews. Originally a carved marble screen separated the learned folk from the peasants. Removed in the 1790s, it is now preserved in one of the side rooms There are 69 statues on the West Front.

    The original cross was kept on top of the church for 620 years. Made of iron and very plain, it was removed once after 200 years to be copper coated, as the lower shaft was beginning to erode; then it was placed back in position where it stayed until 1950. Now it is displayed in the main part of the church.

One of the four surviving originals of the Magna Carter (1215) is on display in the Chapter house on the grounds.

        The oldest medieval clock in England, and probably the world, is housed in the cathedral. The 1386 clock has no face, but is connected via pulley and cord to a bell in the bell tower ringing it every hour. Once upon a time it acted as an alarm clock to warn the bishop that he better be in church for services. It was originally located in a bell tower that was demolished in 1792. Following this demolition, the clock was moved to the Cathedral Tower where it operated until 1884. The clock was then placed in storage and forgotten until it was discovered in 1929, in an attic of the cathedral. It was repaired and restored to working order in 1956. The clock is most unusual!

         The 1877 church organ has three sets of pipes.

         The cloisters, the largest in England, were added 50 years after the church was completed. Cloisters usually signal monks, but no monks have ever resided at the church in Salisbury, although the original church in Old Sarum was monasteric. The Close gates are locked from 10.30pm every night through until 7.00 AM the next morning

         This fabulous church is one of my favorites as it has so much interesting history. I really recommend one pick up a docent when visiting, as there is so much to learn. This is particularly true when visiting other well known churches and oriental gardens.

ELIJAH CHURCH

                     A Russian Church That Survived

         In Yaroslavl, Russia the embankment is one of the most pleasant found among Volga towns. Landscaped in the 19^th century it comprises a long promenade bordered by a picturesque green belt referred to as linden alley. The colonnaded gazebo, perched atop the bank, offered wonderful Volga panoramas. The river freezes in winter and all too soon we were to find that very true!

       The industrial city—chemical—is also home to eight state universities catering to 20,000 students. Half of the churches in Russia have been destroyed, but we still visited many on this trip. In Yaroslavl we visited Elijah the Prophet Church, 1647-50, that features an asymmetrical exterior created by five unevenly arranged green cupolas on the main building, covered galleries, a belfry, portico, and a bulky spire of an adjoining chapel. Frescos, painted in 1680, blanketed the interior. The 1696 lace-like iconostasis is regarded as a Russian baroque masterpiece. The 1660 carved wooden czar thrones are superb examples of ancient craftsmanship. The frescos in this church were done by 15 artists in only three months! I swear every church we visited had frescos more beautiful than the previous church.

       In this small winter church we listened to the most fantastic quintet. We stood and listened to them for a long time. I still wish I had bought one of their CDs.

     After leaving the church and the fantastic music we walked through a greenbelt to a statue, the only religious statue in the country.

  The next day we learned that Lake Onega was still iced in. We just laid to for a few hours while an ice breaker caught up to us to clear a clean passage through the very southern portion of Lake Ladoga. It was a clear sunny day so we spent much time on deck enjoying the weather  and ice. The next two stops were cancelled; however, we made a couple of unscheduled stops to small villages which were interesting.