Day 1 - Rarotonga

Today we left for our dream vacation for 2. We left the kids in Utah with Craig's parents and headed for the South Pacific. The Cook Islands are amazing. Our first stop is a week on Rarotonga. Today we boarded the largest plane I have ever seen in my life. We began with a 10 hour flight to Rarotonga. We left at 11 pm Sunday night and arrived at 6:15 am Monday morning. We were then greeted with a beautiful lei and whisked away to our island get away. We stayed at Te Vakaroa Villas on Muri Beach. It was a new, very nice, condo-style villa. We were on the ground floor and our villa faced the beautiful views of Muri beach and the lagoon. The time change is only 4 hours behind the central time zone. Amazing. We were greeted with an amazing platter of yummy island fruits that we would enjoy every morning for breakfast. Today was all about settling in, exploring, and taking a nap. We couldn't get on the internet, because it was broken. (Just our luck)

Interesting observations:
1. Dogs everywhere (on the beach, roads, driveways, yards, etc)
2. Drive on the left side of the road
3. NO shortage of fruit availabe on this island
4. Satelite TV consists of a half dozen channels airing a mix of networks and shows
5. Kia Orana is the "hello" of the cook islands
6. Everyone is soooooo friendly here
7. People drive scooters or small pick up trucks with kids piled in the back.
8. No seat belt laws here
9. Recycling is a must on the island
10. Loved ones are burried in yards of family members
11. Island time is whenever they feel like it!