To be fair it does stop from time to time. The afternoon of my arrival passed in torrential rain. A blessing in disguise it turned out, as we had nearly run out of water after the dry, dry season had gone on for ages. A huge storm build up as the evening progressed, gale-force gusts tearing at the banana trees in the garden and whipping at the shutters.
The windows of Papes house consist of re-enforced wire backed with a fine open mesh to keep the beasties out plus outside shutters that can be pulled down to lock the place up.
The cooling ventilation they provide is magnificent during the hot dry days. During a gale force storm full of cold damp air straight off the sea, they take a little getting used to.
Upstairs, Pape has designed a quick efficient way of opening, closing and locking them down. Down-stairs, the work is still in progress.
I retired to bed as the storm pulled and pushed its way around my rooms. I dropped two of the shutters on the east side of the house. Unable to lock them down tight, the wind was delighted and proceeded to lift them slightly, wiggle its way in and then dropped them back down with a dull thud. I lay in my new bed, new sounds, new experiences, my new t-shirt from Jan under my night clothes keeping me warm. No this was not quite the paradise I had envisioned.
The next day dawned overcast, rain still drizzled from the sky. Pape called down that we had plenty of water now, I could shower, flush the loo, have a bath if I wanted!! Without the sun to warm the thermal hot water system it would be in cold water, but we did have water. I smiled and had a flannel wash!
The rain eased off mid day, blue sky could be spotted out to sea. I put a loose sarong on and hit the garden. The first, of what I hope to be many, seeds were planted out in pots, I picked leaves from the grass to add to the compost heaps and got eaten by tiny flying beasties!!
as a quick side note, there is another obvious difference about paradise that one has to learn very quickly. All cuts, no matter how tiny MUST be covered immediately. There are air-borne infections everywhere and every cut, no matter how small, becomes infected.
I had arrived from Tioman with the beginnings of cystitis plus a bite on my right foot was swollen and hot, so our first stop, before we even got to the house, was to the doctors. The usual 'let the air get to it' does not exist here. Anti-biotics, antibacterial soap, alcohol wipes and sterile dressings were soon picked up on prescription , my foot was dressed, a few other open scratches were covered and Pape pronounced me safe!
Following my hour with the beasties in the garden, I proceeded to inch and scratch. Opening up more and more tiny open scratches. Each of these has to be cleaned and covered with a white plaster for about 4 days until they heal. It is not a pretty sight!
Not that there is any sun to go bath in, so I am wearing my full length Indian Nighties around the place to keep me covered and to keep warm. As I mentioned before, there are screens in all my windows so I have full air circulation but I must remember to keep the door closed at all times or the little bastards get in and then cant get out!!
So life in Moorea Summery
It rains every day
There are gale force winds forcing their way in through my open mesh windows, which if I close the shutters, make an annoying noise and plunge me into darkness!
You cant go out when it stops raining as it is too cool and overcast and the monsters eat you.
Any slightest scratch, bite or cut immediately becomes infected and has to be treated with all sorts of complicated stuff.
I have NO Internet in my rooms as my laptop antennae isn't strong enough to find the neighbours signal. I need to invest in a booster the same as Papes but that will take about a week (at least) or so to order and arrange!!
None of my three pin plugs work here and Pape cant find the transformer at the moment so I cant charge the phone, which is dead, plus I need a new SIM card, but there doesn't seem a lot of point in getting one of those until I find a way of charging the phone!!
There is ONE hill in the entire circular road going around the island – it resembles the Abercegyr hill into Mach – and it is right between the house and every shop I could possibly need about a mile away!!! = ¼ mile flat, ¼ mile up, ¼ mile down, ¼ mile flat!
Plus everything, once you make it to the shops, is HUGELY expensive! Ie £2 for a pack of pasta!!
BUT
Pape has wired in a power source for my laptop and speaker so I have music and can type.
I have recovered, with aid of the hand Singer machine, a falling apart chair so I sit down on my porch (well when it stops raining and the beasties go away I can!) Pape has lent me one of his chairs for now so I can at least sit at the table and type.
Yesterday we designed some shelving and a work desk for me for my little rooms and today we picked up the wood, this afternoon (energy allowing) we will begin the build!
We also went on a mission for me to have some sort of kitchen, chopping board, glass containers to keep crawling beasties out, chop-sticks, tin food, basic condiments- salt, pepper, vinegar, curry powder, basil, milk powder, corn flour, PRINGLES!!! I didn't look at the price!! I was too afraid!
(I just looked at the receipt Pringles =330 Tahitian francs – someone sent me a conversion rate – Pape says to divide things by 7 but that would make them nearly £6!!! )
But I also promised to come and try the life, so if I survive the next month alive, I should be OK. Every place, I suppose, has its good and its bad, it is just that I wasn't expecting the bad bits here so soon! And they are so unexpected!!! Cold, expensive, raining, windy, no internet!! At least at home I could put the heating on!! Ah well the sun will come out soon..... won't it????
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