Somewhere Out There

Well, the longer I'm here, the more I want to stay. The lagoon near Muri beach is beautiful, little Motu (or islands) dot the horizon, and you can walk out a 100 yards without having the water reach your waist. That being said, you can also float in 6 inches of water and feel completely absorbed by the ocean. I love it. The beach, the sun, the salt water... everything but the mosquitos, which thankfully aren't Malaria bearing here. We had a island night BBQ, and I tasted some of the local foods, Marlin in a lime sauce, like a ceviche, the local pudding kind of like tappioca with Pineapple, and local papaya mmmmmmmmm, and so much more. The weather has been perfect the last few days, just hot enough that you want to get into the water, which itself is a really nice temp. Most of the tourists, and all of the locals, are dealing with metric, so half the time I don't really know what temp. it is, or how much something weighs, or a bunch of other seemingly obvious amounts. I should have brought a conversion chart (finally 7th grade comes in handy, sadly it's all forgotten). The market on Saturday was great, there was a local massage booth, a dance show, food stands, and fresh food market as well - clothes, jewelry, paintings - really a lot of things I'd like to buy but can't fit in my backpack. The dancing and costumes were the best part - very specific, and very unique. The costumes for the girls all have a kind of feathered belt that sticks straight out maybe a foot from their backs - I'll post pictures in New Zealand - but the point is, I sat there for a good hour without moving. Between the music, the dancing, and the vibe of the people around me, I couldn't ask for a better Saturday morning. I've met some great people - both locals and other travelers. With the other travelers, I got to know a few fast, hung out with them a lot, and have already had sad goodbyes, with plans to meet up in the Swiss Alps or Berlin - which is wonderful, but a little off setting as well - hammering home the reality of impermanence. Excuse my spelling throughout this and other entries, I have no spell, check, and honestly no inclination to worry too much - I'm on Island Time. Everything will work out, hahahaha. The church services here are really culturally infused - all Christian, many sects, and each with their own missionaries and stories of becoming. Next Sunday I'll go to the CICC (Cook Island Christian Church). They have about 7 of them all around the island in each village, and the singing is supposed to be amazing. I stopped by the local library. It's run by volunteers, and has a nice selection, small but nice. I love the feel of librarys, and I love that that feeling exists here as well - almost like a church, librarys have their own reality - no matter the country - a nice sanctuary. Tonight, I'll head back to the hostel, cook some food, and maybe head down for a moonlit swim, the moon is still quite full here. I'm so blessed - what a beatiful world!