Island Hopping

Friday 4/28/06
Tahuata Island, Hana Tefua Bay
Coordinates 09 48.536S, 138 57.839W

Island Number 3 already. We had a quick trip from Fatu Hiva up to Hiva Oa (09 46.144S, 139 01.871W). We rounded the corner into Taahuku Bay to find at least 15 boats anchored in there. Anchored is a very loose term we soon learned. It is more like being parallel parked on a slip and slide as we all constantly had to set and reset both bow and stern anchors nearly everyday. It is not that large of a bay either and at its greatest, we counted 25 sailboats, 2 power boats. You learn to get comfortable with close neighbors quickly, or get claustrophobic and get out.

We were excited to reunite with a lot of friends that we hadn't seen for as much as 4 months. Friday night the local outrigger canoe club was having a fundraiser dinner and we all went ashore to partake of curry goat, and pork stew with breadfruit. I don't think they we quite ready for the turnout. Offer new food to cruisers that haven't really seen land for 3 weeks and watch out for the stampede.

4/22 Saturday morning we hit the pavement early as we had hoped to clear customs that day. The good news is that although town is over 4 miles away, the standard form of transportation is hitchhiking. Nearly every local owns a flatbed truck of some sorts and you rarely have to walk for long. The boys were tickled to get to ride in the back of a truck at least 2 times a day. We didn't clear customs that day but did have a nice walkabout town and got some new provisions. We tried out a very expensive hamburger and longed for our cheap and tasty Mexico days.

4/23 Sunday we joined a few other crew members and headed to church. A beautiful Catholic Church set in the middle of town. It was fun to see that not many things are different even half way around the world. Babies and toddlers getting all the attention, teens struggling to pay attention and not goof off. The beauty in the singing and flower headdress was a sight so see, smell and hear. The service though in another language was dead on to any service at home and you felt like you knew just where you were, including the long drawn out gospel and messages at the end that left even the locals fidgeting and shushing each other as the noise level started to rise. The rest of the day was a day for relaxing and deep cleaning. Instead of the usual spring cleaning you all may be thinking about starting, we have our own form of "crossing cleaning". Time to dig deep and attend to all the items you joyfully neglect while bouncing under way. We did have a nice pot luck on our buddies boat Capaz that night and swapped some more stories.

4/24 Monday we were able to clear customs with record speed. We engaged the service of an agent who helped us to fax paper work back and forth quickly and get a discount on the fuel there. We were lucky to get an agent there who was willing to spend the extra five minutes and grant us our 90 day extension. Without it, you only have 30 days to see all the French Polynesian Islands. A bit fast for our speed. We grabbed a few more provisions and headed out Tuesday for a neighboring island Tahuata.

4/25 We opted to settle our first night in the most southern anchorage called Hana Tefua. A nice big bay with a great sandy bottom. We entered in a pretty strong rain storm that lasted more on than off for the next 24 hours. It was refreshingly beautiful and left us talking a lot about home. The boys spent the entire day playing, dancing and singing in the rain. They filled every bucket and bowl we own. I was able to fill all the sinks and did all our laundry, dishes, showers and still was able to fill our water tanks. It was glorious. 4/26 Wednesday we visited the tiny little town and hiked up to the top of a hill that offers a great view of the bay and holds a wonderfully large cross and shrine. We enjoyed the giggles of some more local children and got to taste a fruit that was new to us. Still haven't found out what it is. On the outside it looks like a lime with an very thin skin. On the inside it is like a very large peeled grape with a mild sweet taste and the strangest looking seed I have ever seen. Something to investigate further. Capaz, Lawur and New Dawn have joined us here today, Thursday 4/27, and everyone is enjoying the sunshine and some nice swimming. Still trying to dodge the jelly fish stings but we are getting tougher, or at least more brave.

It is amazing to think that we are checking off one island at a time with such speed already. It challenges us to really try to live in the moment and appreciate each day. Although each island looks so similar they each have their own unique personality and traits. It is most fun to turn each corner and look to see if Max and his Wild Things could swing out from the palm trees at any moment.

until next time,
Lisa and the boys