Reaching the highest point of Aiutaki, first real sunset and Robb getting cozy with our hostess/part owner of Samade on the Beach

On our list of items to accomplish, Robb insisted we go to church while on the Cooks. This seemed strange to me since Robb is a scientist and not religious as far as I know. In fact, I seem to remember him specifically noting on his MySpace profile years back that he was an Atheist. So why was he wanting to sit in a building for an hour or so while a sermon was shoved down his throat with the idea of how he should believe in God? Well, reason being is that Robb loves to travel and experience culture and for the Maori people who inhabit the Cooks, going to church is an important thing to them. And furthermore on a number of travel sites, they highly recommend attending a service.

We took the ferry boat over to Aitutaki Resort Lagoon & Spa (ARL&S) which was the more expensive place to stay. We checked out the gift shop and restaurant and decided to come back later in the day for happy hour. We came back to our bungalow and got conservatively dressed up to attend church. Robb looked nice and I looked, awww I could have brought a better outfit and I was sunburn but whatever. The photo of me getting ready was definitely not a best.

Church was all the way in town. Mmmm probably a few miles or so and it was raining. We were going to drive our separate scooters with no helmets. Apparently we had the option to rent helmets but we decided to save that money. That made no sense especially since Robb had read a book about a lady visiting the Cooks and getting into a horrible accident on a scooter and she wasn’t wearing a helmet. But it was normal I guess for most people not to wear helmets here. We would see little toddlers holding on to the driver of a scooter and no one wearing a helmet which actually scared me. I suppose people were just used to it that grew up riding scooters. Guess how many times I drove a scooter before visiting the Cook Islands - zero times. So I saddle up so to speak on my scooter with a knee length skirt on and my eyeglasses since I’m nearsighted when it comes to reading and seeing certain things far away especially in a darker light. Raindrops are falling, clouding my vision on my glasses and the road is wet and my skirt keeps flying up in the wind. And again, I have no helmet. Well neither did Robb. I went slow at times but eventually I made it there. I think God was on my side since I was going to church and I hadn’t attended a service for years. I probably prayed on the way there too that I would make it safe.

Church turned out to be an interesting experience. We sat in the back and saw many hats worn and people holding babies. The first song sounded beautiful but after our secret video footage in church, I couldn’t tell which song was which. And maybe that didn’t matter because we found out what the theme of the service was. It was about sex. The pastor talked about how the wives should be submitting to their husbands. I’m thinking it was Robb that pointed out how enough sex was already going on since there were so many kids in church. And the music was about love making as well - lots of innuendos and suggestions starting to come to light. Such as the hung wood carving of the Fertility God in different areas throughout our trip – even on the $3 bills. But possibly hypocritically the people of the islands were against showing off too much skin in public. We would later see suggestive dancing also. Maybe it was all a suggestive mysterious notion to not reveal too much but put an idea of what could be in the mind of the opposite sex.

So what did we do after church? Decide to spend the rest of the day getting some food and looking forward to happy hour. After all that sex talk in church and me not getting any, I think I needed alcohol.

Samade was having a Sunday BBQ going on so I took advantage of that. Robb decided to hold out for calamari at ARL&S during our happy hour. That turned out to be a wise decision on Robb’s part because he said that calamari was the best meal he had all year. My first drink was Bananarama which turned out to be my new favorite drink. After that, Robb and I ordered a much larger drink, The Island Boy, to share and turned our time at ARL&S into a more interesting one. We decided to play Foozball and every time a goal was made, we would have to take a drink. This turned out to be my first time playing Foozball and somehow goals must have been scored because I drank enough of the Island Boy to get wasted for a while. Well, I am a lightweight and since I don’t drink that often, alcohol can affect me fast. Plus we got some good dessert and all that sugar was added on. I even have video commentary evidence of my drunken state. But I declare that I am such a badass, that I walked back to Samade, in the sand in heels and in the dark without falling while intoxicated. Robb told me he was jealous. Because he has more experience getting intoxicated but he has fallen in the bushes at the beach back home in the U.S while leaving a party while wearing flat shoes.

Sometime later that evening, Samade was hosting a little soiree in their main area with a string band and dancing. Now, my most embarrassing footage was taken of me while sitting down, listening to the band and dancing in my seat. Unbeknownst to me, Robb was videotaping this comical act. It is too humiliating to show anyone. I can hardly watch the video myself. But knowing me and how some music affects my soul, I had to eventually get up and dance with some other dance floor patrons. Even our hostess, Adi was enjoying herself out on the dance floor. While there, Robb and I both decided on drinking a “Sand Between My Toes” and it was a little bit disappointing after experiencing my new favorite drink “Banarama” that was way better. And to top off the night, I won Robb at Gin Rummy! We made it back safe after a dangerous ride to church and my dangerous walk back to our bungalow. I’d have to say it was a good day like all the days thus far here at the Cooks.