Where the heck did June go? We’re now halfway through 2020! Can ANYBODY believe that?
We keep a logbook of all our movements and guests, so at least we can go back and accurately recall where we were and if someone was visiting. Pat and Celine managed to join us and escape before the Covid-19 pandemic caused shutdowns and quarantines. We managed to escape from Nuku Hiva’s Taiohae Bay before the shutdown and actually enjoyed our self-isolation period at the very lightly populated atoll of Raroia. In hindsight the only better option would have been the unpopulated atoll of Tahanea. Still, we had a good time and if that darn shark hadn’t attack while I was out paddling one of our inflatable SUPs it would have been a stellar experience.
We left Nuku Hiva with a load of fresh veggies, fruit and leafy greens. We ran out of anything to make salad with after a few weeks, and it was well over 2 months before we saw anything like lettuce again. There’s nothing as wonderful as a big fluffy salad after doing without for months! Provisioning for long periods in remote locations is something Isabel is extremely good at, and I’m betting she’ll be back to growing microgreens onboard once she can get some seeds. I’ve already built her a couple of planters out of old pearl farm floats.
We continue to be bummed about what we can’t find to purchase even in the more populated atolls of Makemo and Fakarava. Partly it’s due to international supply chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus, partly it’s because many of the store shelves are cluttered with junk food instead of healthful foodstuffs. Like the US and Mexico, obesity is a serious problem in French Polynesia. I’m not sure how bad alcoholism compares as booze is seriously expensive here but sugar is a subsidized staple and plenty of folks are using it to make their own hooch.
Soon we’ll make landfall in Tahiti and quickly learn just what’s in short supply there. Of interest is what’s on the shelves of Maxi, a shop that resells all kinds of goodies from Costco in the states. Carrefour is the place to go for general groceries and great French cheeses, pates, etc. Super-U over on the adjacent island of Moorea seems to have much better prices for wine and other forms of alcohol. No telling why, perhaps something to do with local taxes?
For now, we’re weathering an impressive maramu here in Hirifa. Have a look on Google Earth – there’ll likely be a few yachts in the image. Great place to tuck in for a strong Southeast blow, nice sandy beach and kite surfing is a great pastime.
Yesterday was to be a private lesson for Isabel, but the wind was so hard and gusty she made a wise decision to decline and I made the somewhat silly decision to go in her place. As instructor extraordinaire Adrian noted, he couldn’t teach me a lot right now, I simply have to put in a lot of kilometers to build my skills and teach my body to react to rapidly changing conditions. It was still worthwhile and I learned lots. We pulled the plug on further lessons until the blow lessens and scheduled Isabel for Friday when the wind should be lighter and steadier.
In the meantime I used one of Adrian’s 8 meter kites yesterday and found it to be much more controllable in the conditions. We only have a 10-meter kite of our own and it’s just too windy for it. Other kiters have noted that if you’re serious about enjoying this sport, you need a full quiver of kite sizes and Adrian advises for our body weight a compliment off 8, 10 and 13-meter kites is about right. His wife Aline is going to let me demo a used 8-meter kite this morning and if I like we’ll add it to our arsenal of gear. She’s also contacted a kite shop on Moorea to see if they’ve got a 13-meter kite to sell us. It’ll be a rather large commitment in $$$, but hey –we’re way under budget for eating out!
Back to that breakfast joke, about eating bacon and eggs? The chicken is participating, but the pig is fully committed.
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