Rarotonga
Rorotonga is located here.
Fly into the middle of nowhere,
turn left. 'Tis a great place.
You should go. Really, you
should.
You'll
find life
stripped back to bare essentials.
There's
very little in the way of sticking
to rules and regulation - you
can ride
your motorbike without a helmet,
kids hang off the back of trucks
and play carefree along the
road.
There is only one road. 
Life is basic and uncomplicated.
Although the island is third-world,
being low on cash isn't
really
a
problem
for the locals as they have
such
a strong sense of friendly
community. There isn't much
you need to own anyway.
There are riches, however.
Why become a rat in a race
when the air
is warm, the sea-breeze
gentle, and you can see the
sea
bed
beneath
the
impossibly clear pacific
waters. Relax. Even the puffer
fish
drift lazily on the
current.
Rarotonga is
a paradise in an old world
sense. This is the sort
of place you'd gladly be shipwrecked
and live a life carving wood.
Commercialism hasn't inflicted
it's crass excess and there
are constant reminders that
we will all be eventually
reclaimed by nature anyway.
Old buildings
aren't knocked down, they're
simply
left to be consumed by the
ever-creeping undergrowth.
There are
crabs so strong they can open
coconuts with their big pink
claw. And, like the people
of Rarotonga,
quite
shy.
I've been to many places,
but I was quite taken by the
old world charm of this isolated
Pacific Island. Everyone I
know who has been can't wait
to go back, and experience
once again that pure
sensation of freedom.
|
