9th January, 1992
“Violà notre chambre d’amis,” he said, pointing to a tiny bungalow twenty yards away. “If you like it, stay here with us.”
How could we refuse an offer to stay on in paradise? Like insatiable blotting paper, we soaked up the tranquility of the bungalow for two days. As the critical flights drew closer, each happy moment became increasingly important. We derived enormous pleasure from the simplest things: the wind blowing through the mesh windows from the coconut plantation; lying on the mattresses on the floor looking out of the open doorway at the luminous green water just feet away. At dawn, the lagoon was a pale aquarelle until the sun rose behind the palms, intensifying the colours into vivid daytime hues.
The men fished for paaihere which we barbecued or made into palu ore, the delicious Tahitian dish of raw fish, marinated in lemon juice and coconut milk. We dined under the stars and chatted late into the night. An atlas was produced because they wanted to know everywhere we had been.
From Freedom of the Skies
Glimpses of the journey:
- Around the world
- Crossing the Atlantic
- Saint Louis, Senegal
- Bubaque, Guiné-Bissau
- Timbuktu, Mali
- Cottars’ Camp, Kenya
- Virungas National Park, Zaire
- Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe
- Sossusvlei, Namíbia
- Lumbo, Mozambique
- Antananarivo Madagascar
- Adis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Misfat, Omã
- Jaipur, India
- Himalaia, Nepal
- Mae Hong Son, Thailand
- Bario, Sarawak, Malaysia
- Borobodur, Java, Indonesia
- Baliem Valley, Irian Jaya
- Gimbat, Australia
- Munda, New Georgia, Solomon Islands
- Hurricane in Apia, Western Samoa
- Anaa, Tuamotu, Polynesia
- Easter Island, Chile
- Crossing the Andes, Chile-Argentina
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
