French Polynesia

Hiva Oa, Marquesas

Nuku Hiva, Marquesas (May 9, 2005)

The passage seems like a distant memory—and a pleasant memory.  We arrived in Hiva Oa.  On our second day, we went into shore to check in with the Gendarme (the local police usually run by the French), to tour the Gauguin Museum and to go to the cemetery for the view and to visit the graves of Paul Gauguin and Jacques Brel.    We had brought our dinghy into a boat ramp the day before, without incident.  We went to the same boat ramp to land the dinghy.  This time it was low tide and had exposed some very slimy seaweed/moss.  The ramp was so slick (as my Oklahoma kinfolks would say “slicker than snot”) we all started slipping, sliding and falling.  Martin had a hold of the dinghy line (the painter) and I was trying to use the line to get back up.  He fell and then when he went to get back up, he fell again—face down and broke his two front teeth—inverted V fashion.  Damn says Lou.  I just think—we can handle this.   This is not a huge problem.   We got a ride into town with a nice Belgian woman (an artist), who dropped us off at the dentist office.  No dentist around.  We then had to start attempting to speak French or communicate somehow.  When all was said and done, one of the most helpful people was a French man that spoke Spanish.  Lou was ecstatic to be able to speak Spanish again.  We finally determined that the dentist was out with a bad back and would not be working for a few days.  Everyone was more than kind to us.  Only once did we get the French look of “You fools, coming to a French speaking country and not speaking French and wanting me to speak English to you…”  I’ve seen this look before—in France and now here.   

But, we still have a boy with broken teeth—what should we do?  Although it seemed like the problem is a minor one - Martin has just a little bit of sensitivity to heat and cold - we decide to take the conservative approach and head to the largest town on another island, Nuku Hiva (Taiohae-population 3,000).  We read in one of our guidebooks that there was a dentist in this town.  So, we upped anchor and headed to Nuku Hiva.  (We had used a bow and stern anchor in this anchorage and the stern anchor wanted to stay in Hiva Oa.  But, with some pulling from Ace, we finally got her back on board!)  

We planned to motor overnight to Nuku Hiva because we thought there would be no winds.  Well, at midnight we got about 10 knots of wind from the Northeast and we were able to sail beam reach to Nuku Hiva. We were able to consult by e-mail with a cruising friend who is a dentist and who knows Martin and his teeth.  He gave us great advice and we were prepared with adequate information to meet with a dentist.   As we arrived in Nuku Hiva, we were in radio contact with other cruisers.  One told us there was not a dentist in town.  I was not going to accept that as the final answer!   We anchored and went into town.  We found the dentist.  He was a young French guy—barefoot with tattoos.  He determined Martin’s teeth were healthy.  He is in a public practice and had only one tint (color) for the composite filling (something that would not match Martin’s teeth).  So, we have opted to wait until Tahiti or maybe beyond to have the composite filling done.  

Martin looks a little rugged.  His teeth combined with a poor haircutting job I did.  I don’t have proper hair trimmers and Martin wanted me to cut his hair.  I can’t say no.    Martin is not in any pain.  Initially, he was a bit chagrined because he couldn’t eat baguettes as quickly as the rest of us—or rather faster than the rest of us.  He was very concerned that he wasn’t getting his fair share.

We are all eating well.  The pamplemousse (grapefruit) is very delicious.  Much sweeter and juicier than any grapefruit I have ever eaten.  The limes make yummy limeade.  Bananas fresh off the tree are a treat.   We have some hanging off the bimini and we just pluck them when we get hungry!   We have a breadfruit that is ripening on our stern.  I have a couple of recipes for this.    Maybe breadfruit fritters?   Martin and I ate the best mangos I have ever tasted right off of the tree.  Martin peeled them with his Swiss army knife!  The farmer’s market opens at 5:00 a.m. on Saturday and everything is sold out by 5:45 a.m.  I think they do it so the cruisers just are still in a dream state.  And when they say 500 francs (over $5.00) for a head of cabbage, we just shell out the francs without blinking an eye.  

I took a class in Polynesian dancing with some other cruisers and natives- including the fairly common boy/girls (Mahus - boys that dress as girls - and I’m using the term boy lightly.  These are 250 plus pound big boys.  They can be gay, but are not necessarily so).  Just when I got my hips going ways I never had attempted before—we had to add arms and move side to side and back and forth.  AND THEN--- double time!  I loved it.  I will go again if I get a chance.  Emily wants to go also—but she wants to go to the class for kids so she doesn’t have to be embarrassed by her mom.  (Yes, we’re at that stage!)

We went to church on Sunday and, well, how can I explain to you the beauty of the mostly a capella music.  They say it’s rare to find a Marquesan who can’t sing.  The harmonies were spine tingling.  And the wood carvings in the church were true works of art.  The lectern even has a tiki face carved into it.  The tiki’s have large eyes—pretty alien looking.  The tikis were the gods of the natives before missionaries came and told them to put on clothes, stop having love fests on the beach and not to eat people anymore.  (But they were invited to come eat the new God in church on Sundays!)  

We left Tahaioe and headed for Daniel’s Bay—site of a Survivor TV series—maybe the first one—we don’t know—that’s how far out of it we are.  We had a lovely hike up to a beautiful waterfall.  There we swam underneath the waterfall that was tumbling from 600 meters up.  It was difficult to breathe because of the wall of water.   

We met Daniel (of  Daniel’s Bay)  and his wife, Antoinette.  We can’t pronounce their real Marquesan names.  Antoinette has not had the use of her legs for 5 years.  Emily and I had noticed in the morning that she was wearing a plastic rosary around her neck.  So, when we returned, we brought a beautiful rosary that Lou’s aunt, Sister Theresa Dietz, had made.  I prayed the Our Father and Hail Mary for her in English.  Then she prayed them in Marquesan.  Her English is pretty good and she also knows how to use words and gestures to communicate with language-challenged cruisers.  We also gave them some carrot cake I had made in a box that came from the monastery where Lou’s brother, Raymond lives.  When Antoinette found out that Lou’s brother was a priest—her eyes just sparkled.  We left Daniel’s Bay laden with limes, breadfruit, bananas, pamplemousse, and coconuts.  Martin was astounded with the generosity and was very concerned that we had not been as generous with them as they had been with us.  

We met up with some friends in another bay, Anaho.  This bay is also on the island of Nuku Hiva.  I met my women friends at the water spigot and we did laundry.  I had not had laundry done since the Galapagos.  Imagine almost four weeks of laundry for a family of four!  But, it was great having this “at the well” experience with some wonderful women friends.  

We hiked to a village on the other side of a mountain.  We found a tiki site and were amazed at the immensity of the site.  This was also a site where the next entrees for the cannibal feast were kept.  

We are still having our challenges of trying to live together 24/7.  This morning, I caught Lou lusting after a sailboat leaving the anchorage.  It is a small simple ship with a junque rig, no motor and only one person aboard.  I know that the weight of the responsibility of keeping Ace and her occupants safe makes it difficult for Lou to let his hair down.    

Too bad there isn’t another Pacific Cup race this year.  Lou loves to crew on other people’s boats!    And me, well, yes I would like to have some time away from cooking and tending to the family emotionally and physically.  I had planned to go trekking with some of my friends to Macchu Pichu, but that didn’t work this year.  I know there will be another opportunity.  I’m not whining—I promise.  Sometimes, I realize how fortunate I was to have all the wonderful friends I had in the States and beyond!   And I miss having those more steady, rather than erratic, relationships.  And I think not having a plan is not my style.  I like to live with goals.  Although, the lesson of living each day and staying flexible has been good for me!    

So, what are our plans, you may ask.  Here is our dilemma in a nutshell:

Emily wants to return to Mountain View by the Fall of 2006 (or so).  She wants to go to Girl's Middle School and dance ballet and basically have the life we had before with all of our friends.  

Mary agrees with Emily and would love to return to Mountain View.  The political climate gives her concern, although she thinks that this cruising experience will make us better citizens and able to help steer the school district, city, county, state and country in a more caring and holistic manner.  On the other hand, we will have a difficult time coming back to Silicon Valley with the price of housing continuing to increase.  Although we have learned to live small, I don't know if we'll be able to afford anything.  Mary also wants to continue to be within easy travel to be with her parents or vice versa and to have Emily and Martin continue their excellent relationship with their grandparents.   

Martin wants to be where there is surf and maybe where there is someone to provide him food.

Lou wants to try living in New Zealand for a while.  He is more pessimistic about politics in the US and the rat race in Silicon Valley, and might want to stay away for a while.  He is not anxious to re-enter corporate life.  He has expressed interest in starting up a company that installs solar panels for homes.  (We certainly have been able to live nicely off of our solar panels, albeit simply).  He is very capable in problem-solving mechanical things and I think corporate life just wears him down.  

We should be thankful that we have some options.  But, in a way, I envy the islanders here.  They were born here and they enjoy their simple life.  They eat the wonderful fruits of the islands and don't crave a Starbuck's cappucino.  

Reading has subsided quite a bit since we arrived in the Islands and have each day dawn with a new experience, so the reading list will wait until next time.

Toau, Anse Amyot, Tuamotus (June 4th, 2005)

We enjoyed the Marquesas and bid farewell to Nuku Hiva to head to the Tuamotus.  We were apprehensive about going to the Tuamotus (also known as the dangerous archipelago) because of what some cruising friends were encountering as far as weather and anchoring challenges (among other things - anchor chain wrapped around coral heads).  These atolls have lagoons that you can anchor in.   You must time your entrance into the lagoons through a pass at slack tide so that you are not fighting an ebbing current nor losing control with eddies and such with a rising tide.  Then once you get in the lagoons, you must be vigilant for coral heads that are strewn all over the place.  And if the wind pipes up (which is does this time of year and for several days at a time) and you are in northern end of the miles-long lagoon, you will be on the receiving end of wind-driven waves that are very hard on the anchoring gear. There is not an option of moving to a more protected anchorage because you may not be able to pick your way through the coral heads now that the water has been stirred up and visibility going to nil.  In previous years, there have been many stories of people losing their boats to the reefs.  Although we are adventurous to a point, we didn’t want the stress of this type of cruising, so we had made ourselves content with the plan that if the weather was not ideal in the Tuamotus, we would keep on going to Tahiti.  We knew we would be sad to miss the Tuamotus—with its very clear water and fantastic snorkeling and spear-fishing.  But, we had decided that we weren’t in the right spirit to face the stress.

We had one stress situation in the Marquesas.  We had to move the boat in the middle of a squall in the anchorage in Nuku Hiva because another boat got way too close to us.   We experienced reanchoring the boat in the crowded anchorage at 3 a.m. with winds gusting to 30 knots , driving rain and anchoring in 60 feet of water.  Although, Emily, Lou and I worked well together during this maneuver, we realized stress prevention was the best medicine.  Martin slept through it all.    I handled the stress okay until the next morning when I found out the other boat, who anchored the middle of the fleet, close to other boats, did not have an operating windlass (the winch used to bring up the anchor).  They neglected to share the information about the windlass with us when we were communicating via radio, in the middle of the storm. It was an important bit of information, because the unwritten boater’s rule is that if you are the most recent arrival, you should be the one to move your boat if and when two boats get too close, unless you are clearly dragging anchor.  Fortunately, Lou and I were operating on the premise that all we cared about was the safety of Ace and her crew—to heck with unwritten guidelines.   Oh well, fortunately our encounters with this type of inconsiderate and clueless boater have been rare.

We topped up on diesel (at $4.00 per gallon!). The passage from the Marquesas to the Tuamotus is only 550 miles.  You like that ONLY—yes, our third longest passage, but hey, anything less than 10 days feels like an overnighter.  We had been gathering the data on weather and had seen a nice weather window, although the forecast was for light winds.  The light winds did us just fine.  We had winds anywhere from 6-15 knots outside of squalls.  The most we saw in a squall was 25 knots.  We were using our 25-year-old spinnaker a fair bit, although we had decided not to fly it at night because of the squalls.   Lou had noticed some of the seams needed reinforcement.  They had lost the double stitch.  Next time we were flying it, it ripped all the way across, in only 12 kts of wind.  We hope to repair her soon.  We never got into the nice rhythm we have experienced on other passages.  We had to use many different sail configurations.  We were having to watch for squalls.  And basically, we were apprehensive about where we were going.  And yes, we had some more fights with Martin.  (We are headed in a new direction now with Martin, Lou and I all invested in making this work).

Our last night of the passage we had to slow way down so we would make our entrance during daylight. We sailed through a squall that lasted about 2.5 hours.   There was lots of rain and wind that came from every direction and at every velocity (but max 20 knots).

We knew a couple of boats that were ecstatic about the anchorage at Anse Amyot, Toau.  Why were they ecstatic? The pass can be traversed at any tide. There are secure moorings.  Anse Amyot is a cul-de-sac.  You did not have to negotiate through coral heads to get to the anchorage.  And the southeast winds were blowing (and were forecast to blow to 25 knots) and there wasn’t a fetch. Sounds like the place for us!  

And now to describe this paradise:  Think of all the shades of blue you can think of.  You see all these shades in the water surrounding the atoll and in the lagoon—deep blue (black purple), turquoise, sapphire, aquamarine.  And the sky is a clear blue dotted with puffy white clouds (that sometimes combine with other puffy whites and make rain).   I’m going to ask the locals if they have as many words for blue like the Eskimos have many words for snow.  The atoll is flat (which makes Emily happy—no hikes uphill!) unless she wants to climb a coconut tree.   And fish—let me tell you about fish—think of the prettiest of aquarium you have ever seen—and that is where we are living right now!  

This motu on the atoll of Toau is populated by 14 people   There are two families living here.  The matriarch (Violet), her daughters  (Valentine and Liza) and their husbands and families all live in an area no larger than a city block.   It is a family and they are living close together and they are living on land that was given to them by their father.  So, you know there are conflicts.  But, they are very loving   Every morning they greet us with a bon jour and a kiss on each cheek.  To heck with hugs—one of the things the French do right is physical affection.  So, watch out—next time we see you—we’ll be going for the cheeks!    

Valentine has a wonderful spirit.  She found her salvation with the Pentecostals, even though she was raised Santisto (similar to the Mormons).    She had a challenging life before this,  and like most of us, the trouble was self- imposed.    She officiates at church every Sunday in her house.  She does a beautiful job.  And she really likes to live in gratitude to God for all that has been giver to her.  She is a pleasure to be around.  

Valentine’s husband, Gaston is full of energy and does a lot of work everyday.  Objectively, Lou thinks that Gaston has a wonderful existence.  Gaston does a variety of things everyday—building things, repairing things, going to get fish, playing volleyball.  The fish are in a trap.  He goes to the trap and picks out the fish du jour.  Lou helped Gaston build the church on this motu.  They had a good time working together even though Lou’s French is non-existent and Gaston knows just a few words in English.  

Liza is a character.  I like her.  She likes to laugh and that is one of my favorite things to do also.  When she asks me about the US, she doesn’t ask about the USA, but she asks about how things are on our island.  Now that is a different perspective.  The biggest piece of land she has ever been on is Hawaii.  Isn’t that amazing?  It is for a Kansas girl!

On the first day we arrived, we were invited to a feast that they would prepare for us for $20 per person.  The children were free.  Yes, that sounds pricey, but that is the way it is in French Polynesia.  And Yum what a feast we had.  There was lobster, curried clams, BBQ clams, coconut grouper, coconut cake and Polynesian dancing by the daughters.   Martin brought his guitar and we sang!  My favorite song to sing with them is Michael Row Your Boat Ashore!  They really harmonize on the “Hallelujahs!”

One of the cruisers does Yoga every morning on her boat.  We started going into shore every morning and doing yoga with the local women (moms and daughters).   We also had a Polynesian dance class.  Emily came along and I thoroughly embarrassed her.   In the afternoon, they play volleyball.  It is a very competitive, intense 10 games (at least) volleyball.  Lou enjoys playing.  I enjoy having the boat to myself!

When the winds were blowing, it made for a wet dinghy ride into shore.  We would put on our raincoats to try and stay dry.  The winds kept it very cool on the boat—relatively.  It was strange not to be sweating so much.  

We traded some things for several black pearls.  They have a black pearl farm on another family-owned motu a few miles away.  They seed the pearls with a Mississippi River mussel graft.  It takes about 18 months to form a pearl.  Lou and Martin got to go help work on the pearl farm.  And I had a blast trading stuff for the pearls.  I have no idea what they are “worth”, but they are very special to me now.

Martin has found a new passion- spear fishing.  He has a new spear that is just his size.   And he has made a new friend, Hei Mana (Mana for short).  Mana is 22 years old and is the nephew of Valentine.  Martin loves to go spear fishing with Mana.  Mana can free dive to 50 feet, and he tows a half-barrel with floatsinto which he throws his catch.  If Mana isn’t available, Martin and Lou also have a good time getting our dinner.  Mana lives on a little shack right on the water, with a dock for his boat.  Martin envies the way Mana does dishes.  He throws them off the back porch into crystal clear, shallow water, where the fish clean them for him.  He collects them the next morning and lets them air dry.  Voila, dishes are done.

Emily is very pleased that they have a bike on the island.  She is planning her circumnavigation of the island, but will need to clear quite a few coconuts from the path!  She also has had a great time with the local girls/young women (ages 16 and 21).  They  have taught her Polynesian dancing (without mom around!) and how to make coconut bread.  She loves to swim with the other kids at the dock.  Since she and Martin are the smallest, they get launched into the air and come splashing down.  

We have eaten the coconut crab.  This is a land crab that eats coconuts.  It is a very oily crab, because of its diet.  You don’t have to dip it in butter.  We have also hunted for and eaten the varo.  We’ll include a picture with this update.  It is one of the most prehistoric critters you have ever seen.  It lives in a hole that it digs underwater in the sand.  The  hunter (in this case, Gaston the brave!) must lure it out of its hole with bait and then grab it and hold on to it so it doesn’t whack him with its pincers.  Yikes!  The meat is similar to a lobster.

Lou and I snorkeled in a pass that had 100-150 foot visibility—moorish idols (my favorites!), wrasses, groupers, convict fish, squirrel fish, butterfly fish, parrot fish, white tipped and black tipped sharks—were among the creatures we were swimming with.  It was beautiful!

There is a lot of drug use in French Polynesia.  I think specifically it is alcohol, tobacco and marijuana.  French Polynesia has criminalized the use of marijuana and the dealing of marijuana.   It always makes me ponder whether we are treating this disease correctly—with punishment versus prevention.  Prevention in the form of giving people the tools to help them cope with the challenges of life.  I believe these tools are spiritual, mental and emotional.  As far as we’re concerned, the people living in these islands have a wonderful existence.  They have a beautiful place to live and wonderful food from the sea.  It is difficult to grow very many fruits and vegetables in the Tuamotus.  So, their diet is not very healthy.  And the biggest travesty was the nuclear bomb testing that was done in these beautiful atolls .  Liza’s husband worked on the motu of Moruroa (where the testing was done) about 25 years ago.  His job was digging holes—deep holes into the motu.  He did not know what he was helping to make.  There seems to be a lot of cancer in the Tuamotus.  I think the correlation is being ignored.

Lou and I read “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel.

Mary read Isaac’s Storm (about the 1900 hurricane that hit Galveston) and The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.

Emily is reading Lord Brocktree by Brian Jaques, and she read “Blue is for Nightmare” by Laurie Stolarz, and “Crusader” by Edward Bloor.

Martin is reading “Pacific Island Legends”.

Society Islands, French Polynesia (June 21, 2005)

After leaving our rustic experience in the Tuamotus, we couldn’t face going into Papeete, the "big" town in Tahiti.  So, we anchored in Port Phaeton which is located on the isthmus between Tahiti-Nui and Tahiti-Iti.  This anchorage was so calm. The downside was that it was murky water.  There was a marina nearby and they had showers we could use plus a washing machine and dryer that we could use for 500 Polynesian Francs  (over $5.00!) per load per machine.  We made good use of the washing machine and just hung the clothes out to dry.  

We were strategically located about 20 kilometers from Teahuopoo- a pro surf spot.  Inside of the Teahuopoo is a smaller wave- Teahuopoo-iti.  Lou and I took the kids surfing there a couple of times.  Sounds easy, right?  The public transportation system on Tahiti is sporadic at best.  There is some rhyme and reason to it, but not that we could tell and not that we could get a consistent response to.  The sources we used were:  bus schedules, other bus drivers, other passengers and the tourist office.  Needless to say, this made us resort to the ancient ritual of hitching a ride.  This does not come naturally to anyone in our family.  Plus, we had heard that sticking out your thumb was not polite!  Add to this that we had four people, a surfboard and a boogie board.  We needed a pick up truck.  The rejection rate was quite high sometimes.  But, when you got a ride, it felt great (to me it seemed to be the equivalent to catching a wave!).  There were a couple of rides that we got, where the driver wasn’t necessarily going all the way, but just took us all the way to our destination out of the goodness of their hearts.  One rainy day, when there weren’t very many good prospects for rides, we did get a ride with a guy and his friends who had been drinking quite a bit.  When we arrived back at the dock where our dinghy was, they didn’t want to say goodbye.  The driver gave Martin a necklace and kept saying YO! Later, Emily and Martin made up a rap song in honor of this new friend and the only word used in the whole song is YO! We also caught rides with people visiting from the US and that was always very interesting for both parties.  I always left hem with one request:  Have a Starbucks cappuccino for me when you get back home!  

We have met many nice people hitchihiking.  However, we have discussed with Emily and Martin that it is not advisable to do in many places in the world. 

Martin had his teeth repaired by a dentist in a town outside of Papeete. We are pleased with his work. Martin doesn’t look so gnarly.  The cost for this repair was $100 per tooth. The dentist apologized for this cost and asked us a couple of times if we had insurance. It’s ironic no one apologized at McDonald’s when we had lunch there (under my protest) and it cost us $50.  

We sailed from Tahiti to Moorea across the Sea of the Moon.  I belted out Bali Hai a couple of times as we got a view of the renowned spires of Moorea.  Then Emily and I started singing all the songs we could remember from the musical- South Pacific.  Moorea is where the movie was filmed.  I’m proud to say Emily is well-versed in Broadway musicals.

Ever been hugged by a stingray?  We have!  There is a place in Moorea where the tour groups take the tourists to feed the stingrays.  We went there in our dinghy and brought along some shrimp.  The rays circle you , glide in and then—start gliding up your body—like they want to give you a hug!  Their mouth are not located on their noses, but further back.  And the suction is equivalent to a vacuum cleaner.  Nearby, their close cousin the shark was hanging out in the pass, hoping to get lucky with the scraps that might float his way.

We also went to the maraes, which were the spiritual centers of the Polynesian culture.  That was until the missionaries came along and did an excellent job of destroying all of the tikis and a lot of the buildings.  There were some buildings that were over 10 stories tall and you guessed it—destroyed by the missionaries.

We had a wonderful experience with a Dutchman (Aad Van DerHyde) that settled in Moorea in the early 60s.  He is an artist and seems to enjoy his life on the island.  Although, there have been significant changes since he first arrived—but he said that is true of everywhere.  His most famous work is of the Madonna and child.  The piece is made of mother of pearl, black pearls, and human hair.  

After this experience, we got a ride with a couple from Minnesota in their rental car.  They were on a cruise ship vacation.  Their cruise ship was anchored not far from our anchorage.  So, Emily got the bright idea that we should kayak over to the cruise ship and see if we could get invited aboard.  Well, we headed that way and just as we got close- they started taking up the anchor!  We could see our new friends waving from their balcony.  Yes, we felt very small.  And Emily was disappointed—she was looking forward to being invited aboard and having some ice cream.

The islands and the people in French Polynesia are beautiful.  Unfortunately, our interactions with the locals have diminished.  We are kind of hanging out with the same boats all the time, which is a good thing and a bad thing.  There are now about 6 kid boats with kids from 10-19 years of age on board.  It really is wonderful how these young people all get along with each other.  The older boys have taken Martin under their wing and have befriended him.   Emily for the most part is doing well with the older girls.   But, I think the best experience for us is a combination of this cruising community and being off on our own.  Of course, the comfortable path is to have our friends around us.  But, that is not the most memorable.  I think we are getting our second wind.  And, of course, it will be easier when we are in countries where English is spoken.  I have been quite surprised at how many people do speak English.  (Thanks to MTV?)

Lou has been getting his exercise by playing volleyball with the other cruisers and occasionally gets to go surfing.  Mary has been practicing yoga in the mornings and then tries to get in some kind of exercise—swimming or hiking during some part of the day.   The kids usually get to have some form of exercise everyday.  Martin is still very intense about surfing.  Emily enjoys swimming and diving off the boat.  

Suwarrow, Cook Islands (July 21, 2005)

We are now anchored in Suwarrow, Cook Islands.  This is probably as remote as we are going to get.  Only two people live on this island—the caretakers.  They live here only six months per year.  They live elsewhere during hurricane season.  More about this in our next update.

Our final few weeks in French Polynesia were nice.  We did start feeling a little trapped by the prices of things.  We didn’t do any paid touristy things because it cost so much.  Sometimes we thought this was ridiculous to be get upset about spending money when we have already spent so much getting here.  The economy in French Polynesia continued to stump us.  And we never got a consistent or straight answer on it.  

From Moorea, we did an overnight sail to Huahine (Pronounced: Who A Heeney?  Like it?  Didn’t know Heeney was a Polynesian name).  We celebrated Martin’s 10th birthday here on the 4th of July.  And yes, we had fireworks!  One of our cruiser friends had some fireworks and Lou built a couple more of the Colombian hot air balloons that he learned how to make from our friends in Costa Rica.   The hot air balloons still need some refinement.   Martin had cherry pie and chocolate cake and lots of nice presents.  It is amazing what cruisers come up with for gifts- brownies, a necklace, an electronic gizmo (that Lou enjoys playing with) and wax sticks for his surfboard.  

From Huahine we went to Tahaa and Raietea.  We enjoyed snorkeling in these amazing coral gardens where you are swept through a pass that is sometimes only one foot deep.  You glide through canyons of corals amid lots of fish!   And suck that tummy in!

French Polynesia has the Hivea Festival that culminates around Bastille Day (July 14th-).  There are many activities surrounding this celebration-  races, dancing, singing, eating and celebrating.  Our kind of fun!  We had heard Bora Bora was an excellent place to see these festivities.  On the other hand, some cruisers were negative about Bora Bora because of the increase in resorts on the island and the decrease of places we could anchor.  We found Bora Bora to be wonderful.  Granted, we had not been to Bora Bora before, so we had no comparison.  From the way some people were talking, we imagined an Acapulco with oppressive high rise hotels everywhere.  This was not the case.  The people were very nice and the provisioning was good.  We have a simple definition for good provisioning—ROOT BEER.  If Emily and Martin can get root beer—it’s a well stocked store.  

The festivities were a lot of fun.  The dancing was amazing and very erotic!   Both male and females participated in the dancing.  Those hips can really get going.  The dancing is usually accompanied by drumming.   The drummers almost get the same work out as the dancers—with their intense and prolonged beat.  You can hardly keep still when you hear this beat.  The mostly local crowd was swept up in the performance.  Emily and Martin’s favorite part was that they could get cotton candy at the carnival!   

There was a parade in town reminiscent of our St. Patrick’s Day parades in Topeka—as many people in the parade as watching it.  The matrons in their colorful dresses and straw hats with lots of flowers were my favorites!  

We also enjoyed watching the manta rays from the dock of the Bora Bora Hotel.  They were ethereal as they swooped around the lights of the dock, feeding on the plankton that was attracted to the lights.  It was a mesmerizing experience- one that almost put you in a trance.

We left French Polynesia knowing little more French than when we arrived.  C’est la vie.Our trip to Suwarrow was rolly, very rolly.  But, we sailed the whole way and Ace took good care of us. We’ll be here for a week or so and then we’ll head to Samoa.  

What we are reading:

Mary—Memoirs of a Geisha (I finally read this.  When it came out I was too busy with child-rearing), One Hundred Secret Senses  (Amy Tan—and I loved it!), Middlesex (about a hermaphrodite)

Lou-Over the Edge of the World (Magellan)

Emily-Ballerina, A Walk to Remember, Ballet Stories

Martin-Surfing magazines, Frankenstein (a junior classic version).