Life is easy here in Aitutaki. The organic veggies were obtained, plus many more from other local growers. Whatever is in season is found easily in the markets. It ranges from carrots, onions, eggplants, papaya, bananas, mandarines and starfruit. The dance shows here are the best ones we've seen yet. All six of us from Dosia and Zen, except for Cole, were up and shaking their stuff with the beautiful local dancers. Cole says he's not dancing until next week. Hmmm? Give him a couple years, that native girl was unbelievably adorable in typical exotic fashion, he'll be doing fire walking for her when he's 13. The master of ceremony, a 6-foot-3 local Cook Islander, who resembled a pro-football linebacker, used his smooth deep voice and ever-present smile to make everyone feel truly welcome on his island of plenty. He led us in a pre-meal prayer of thanks and opened the buffet to the cherished children first. The next day Zen was boarded by the Agriculture Minister and his assistant. This is typical procedure to help avoid introducing this pristine island to new pests or disease. Many years ago the locals believed dogs brought leprosy to the Cook Islands and have banned them entirely, even today. The immigration officials could have taken all our meats, veggies and fruits, but were kind and lenient, only taking the fruits. There's a French Polynesian fruit fly that wreaks havoc here. The pig roast sort-of happened tonight, but not at a local's home. It was more of a typical buffet featuring some roasted pork, rather than a full-on pig roast like what we received in Nuku Hiva, Marquesas. Nothing beats that for authenticity! Samade on the Beach Restaurant hosted tonight's buffet and dance show, which turned out to be ridiculously professional. Yes, Cole got his chance! He laughed when he was asked to dance, took off his shoes and boogied to the beating drums with a beauty by his side. Finally! Sorry no pictures, internet access is dreadfully slow, we'll put them up when we reach Pago Pago. Bishop's Tour Co. gave us a full-day tour of the idyllic lagoon that surrounds Aitutaki. It was far beyond our expectations. Good thing the local Customs Minister does not allow cruisers to take their yachts into the remote areas of the lagoon to anchor. We'd never leave! After stopping at the island where they filmed the TV reality show, "Survivor", we moved on to One Foot Island for a BBQ buffet. Snorkeling was crystal clear and fish were abundant, but the highlight was looking at the cultivated mega-clam that is large enough to house a huge bowl of pasta. Abbondanza!!!

On July 5th we celebrated Cammi's 12th birthday here in Aitutaki. Wow, the last one before the teen years. Where did the time go? To her surprise, we had hidden gifts onboard for her to open. They entertained her all day, with her favorite being the flute and accompanying instruction booklet. Drew and Margie came over for dinner and brought with them the most professional-looking chocolate cake I have seen! It was encircled with blue and green frosted flowers and had the script "Happy Birthday Cammi" perfectly written across its middle. Cammi gave Margie a handmade anklet as a thank-you token and we sang and danced into the evening. Soon we'll sail two nights up to Suwarrow where we'll visit the local park ranger family living there alone for 6 months each year. Talk about "Survivor", they are in their own permanent reality show!