Happy evenings on Rarotonga

I really have enjoyed my life here with young around the world travellers, mainly girls from many countries like Jo,Lisa,Rosemary, Maddy from England, Julia and Karin from Germany, Sara and Elisa from Italy and Manuela from Rumania etc. Happy life really.

Vara's Beach House, Rarotonga

I have now been 4 days in this marvellous place at the most elegant part of the island, Muri Beach. According Lonely Planet"s comments in their 2003 edition this guest house would not be advisible. However, I totally disagree because Vara's Beach House is very clean ,perfectly silent after 11pm and having all necessary facilities. All of those many, mainly young people I talked with were very satisfied with their existence here. I especially like to thank the most beautiful person,charming Moana ( Moana means ocean )at the reception for her help in different cases.
I just heard that Lonely Planet has totally changed their opinion about this place in their 2006 edition, being now very positive.
I also must recommend the Yacht Club and those two nearby hotels for their excellent kitchens.
I tomorrow fly to Aitutaki for two days, before leaving for New Zealand very early on Saturday morning.

Rarotonga , Cook Islands

I again stepped 24 hours backwards when coming here a couple of days ago.I got a tiny room at a backbaggers hostel after spending the first night in an expensive bridal suite. However this Vara's Beach House is with it's location perfect. Direct at Rarotonga's most beautiful Muri Beach. It was a rainy day yesterday but nearby bars had nice drinks and fantastic food. Today paradise was at it's best.
I still like to send my best good luck wishes to two Irishmen Paul and Simon, both 28, probably in San Francisco now, whose last two weeks in their around the world are left. Their journey also takes one year but they were working in Australia for 8 months. Also my best regards to sweet Asinate, who at her 25th birthday made overhours to help me with the cruel internet connection on Fiji.
I am staying here until Saturday but visiting most probably Aitutaki Island before heading to Auckland, New Zealand for longer time.

Travelling in paradise with the best friend

I came a couple of days ago back to Fiji, but now to the other side of the island, where I did stay last week.
Sometimes I do feel myself very lonely, and then my iPod is the best friend. I have there some 600 melodies of my favourite artists from 40's to 70's. These mostly romantic jazzy tunes are from singers., who are to my youngest readers totally unknown. The name Sinatra is probably well known, but how about with names like Mel Torme,Frankie Laine,Vic Damone, Peggy Lee, Dinah Washington,Eydie Gorme or Mamas and Papas, Boswell Sisters or Four Freshmen etc.. Those tunes bring me back to the days long ago.
It's the same thing ,what happens with the taste or smell. You can suddenly really remember forgotten times. Just something like this happened to me yesterday. I have been searching for as good spaghetti bolognese I did eat 44 years ago in Rhodes, Greece.After at least one thousand bologneses in best Italian ristorantes or five star hotels around the world, I experienced it here.
Yesterday evening I met a very nice n pretty dark skinned lady which I thought she was Fijian Indian.However,when I asked her where is shes from ,Iwas very supprised that she was Swedish, Maria 30,adopted from Sri Lanka when she was a baby.Now she was immigrating to Auckland ,New Zealand.And she wished that we could meet when I will arrive to Auckland.
Today I had a most wonderful day in a paradise.I booked myself on a day-cruise with the schooner "RA MARAMA" built 1950.From the begining of the cruise from the 60 participants,I was selected to cruise chef for KAVA ceremony,later ,I also had some formalities in this position.It was an interesting day with many nationalities I met there.Anyhow, the most interesting person I met was a beautiful Japanese lady who lives here in Fiji,Tomoni Kumagai 32.Since I coudnt remember her name ,I called her Moomin and she really liked it.
It was a day full of sunshine,swimming, great seafood and drinks (in my case,good Australian red wine).

Nuku'aloofa, Tonga

I just yesterday came here , and I am leaving back to Fiji tomorrow, but to Nadi, not to resort near Suva, where I spent joyful and lazy days. Tonga is clean and friendly too, however a bit boring. I have a most wonderful apartment of three rooms
and all facilities, including a fantastic King size bed. This accommodation is maybe
the best I had during this trip, having a great view to ocean from both bedroom and
living room, and from balcony of course. I can look movies 24 hours a day, or play
with their CD-player my new Mexican music. Fridge also has necessary drinks.
This remainds me very much Margarita Island in Venezuela, over six years ago, where I also sat on the balcony looking the ocean, and playing my new South American music , and excellent local rhum.
It seems that I left the Caribbean and Caye Caulker in good time. Now monster hurricane Dean is going to hit those atolls anytime, and I can only hope that my friends over there have been safely evacuated to mainland Belize.

Around the bars of the world

Because my journey is more or less concentrated to study the different living styles in the bars of selected locations, I also meet the most interesting people of the world with their refreshing thoughts about anything.
So I still like to send my best regards to Frenchy in Honolulu, who tried to meet me again without success several times. I also like to send my best regards to "Maddog" Gary Derks from Netherlands, and to the honeymooners David 40 (Welsh)and beautiful Esther 31( Irish )Tidy, all in Honolulu.
How it does happen, here also my social life is mostly concentrated into the bar of this fantastic resort,in communications with the local people or those immigrated here mainly from Australia or New Zealand.
Of course there are also pretty waitresses, and my favorites are Luisa 29,and Lati 21. Not to mention a very pretty student Meredith 20, a traveler from Minnesota.
Yesterday evening however there was a big surprise. I was introduced to a strong good looking man. I did not believe my ears after hearing his name, and I had to ask where is he from. I am Risto Harmat from Saaremaa , Estonia. I just laughed amused,and said , that you most probably can talk Finnish. Sure, he answered, I was studying in Turku in marine school for two years. And when he really understood that I am a real Finn , he almost broke my ribs, when hugging me. Risto, now 35, left the nordic hemisphere, when he was 20. He was now living here very satisfied for years earning as a skipper of a fishing boat. We then had together a very wet evening until the bar was closed.

Uprising Beach Resort, Viti Levu, Fiji

When I yesterday left Honolulu I was 12 hours behind my native Finland's time. Now here in Fiji I am suddenly 12 hours ahead, because crossing the GMT zone. It was the most wonderful flight over the Pacific, not just because the Fiji based Air Pacific was the friendliest airline I can remember, but listening at landing to Christmas Islands or with the other name Kiribati, the fantastic tunes of Valse Triste by the greatest Finnish composer Jean Sibelius performed by Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under dirigent Hellmuth Karajan. I must say I had tears in my eyes because only we Finns know, what Mr Sibelius means to us, as an exsample with Finlandia, Karelia and Tuonela and with his beautiful Christmas song En etsi valtaa loistoa.. His works are the symbols of our freedom and existence.
I then was naturally checking the resort's bar after arriving here, and the very handsome dark skinned bar tender introduced himself as James Johansen, after asking me,if I would be European. He told me, that his greatgrandfather came from Denmark, and wanted to know if I could tell him something about this far-away country. I did try my best.
He also told me, that there are a lot of Johansen's on other islands too. Well, quite a man this greatgrandfather.
Trough this I remember a most powerful man on American Samoa, not too far away from here, I met over 30 years ago. He practically owned whole island, and the U.S. governor usually asked his advice, when troubles with local people. He was born in Minnesota sometimes early last century from Finnish emigrants, but had been living in
South Seas already over 40 years. The awesome thing was. that he was speaking correctly very good Finnish, even he had not used the language once before meeting me, and since his mother died 1945. His name was, if I still remember it ,Dr. Muukkonen or very similar, typical Finnish name.