Today’s Chronicle can be found here.
A busy day on the horizon with our complicated combination village visit to Hanavave and zodiac cruise and perilous ridge run to and from Omoa.
I had intended to skip the morning’s activity by virtue of being out kayaking – but with the winds gusting up to 42 knots, it was not meant to be.
My wife was not particularly interested in the welcome ceremony – and the kids had homework to do – so she elected to stay back on the ship, though they may try to come over later for a brief walk.
So I went off to the village on my own:
We’d previously been told that it would be a 700 metre walk through the village to reach the community centre, but they have since built a more direct path – so it was a mere 300 metres instead.
I stopped briefly for the welcome reception:
But left once they reached the “audience participation” portion.
Instead, I took a photo of a horse:
And rather than go on the guided village tour, I wandered on my own. And what a lovely place to explore:
It’s funny how you can get a sense of a place as you walk through. It felt immensely peaceful here, and like the community is thriving. There’s steady construction, and the school looks to be full and busy – if those two metrics are anything to go by.
And the pets seem to be doing well:
But I just can’t get over the scenery:
I was just on the verge of boarding the return zodiac when my wife and kids showed up, so off for another walk – this time up to the scenic viewpoint atop the cemetery.
Then back through the village once more, with some additional animal-spotting as we go:
Then it was time to head back aboard.
Off to trivia – we did not know the common name of the star Sirius (the “dog star”), but I was pleased that I knew of the significant archaelogical tool discovered in Egypt in 1799 (the Rosetta stone). Our 13/15 was good enough for third place.
Lunchtime – our afternoon excursion wasn’t til considerably later, so we had time for a leisurely lunch at the Restaurant.
Today’s menu:
My wife had the tuna tataki:
And I had the fish and chips:
While the kids had pasta (not pictured).
Off for our zodiac cruise toward Omoa – for which I have decided to bring One Chonky Boy:
One of the challenges of this kind of lens is that it’s difficult to fit items in the frame – the minimum zoom is still quite extensive. But it did let me get a nice shot of the Cloud in the distance:
And of our zodiac buddy as they nose into a nearby cave:
We carried down along the coast, enjoying the stunning scenery:
Birds proved to be challenging to photograph, both because I need to accurately point my lens at them – no mean feat when the lens and camera weigh close to ten pounds combined. And even when I do manage to aim properly, there’s still a little matter of locking on the subject long enough to get it in focus.
But – thanks largely to Bogdan’s expert tutilege and many months of practice with my previous (albeit less chonky) set-up, I did eventually manage a few half-decent shots:
Particularly of the tropic birds:
I even managed to snag a shot of a frigate bird haranguing a smaller bird, possibly a starling:
Frigate birds are apparently incredibly nimble in flight, and able to harrass other birds either to hunt them or to get them to drop their food:
We carried on along the coast:
Admiring the volcanic scenery – you can actually see the lines of lava as they were laid down:
These seem to offer helpful steps for the goats:
Sailors arriving would often drop off goats on islands so that they would have a predictable supply of food if they ever returned:
But time to keep going if we wanted to make our timing in Omoa:
And we made it – right on time! Some stunning stone carvings in Omoa:
And a beautiful contrast between their achitecture and their natural surroundings:
We stuck around for another welcome ceremony:
And then it was time to hop onto a bench in the back of a pick-up truck which took us over the hills back to Hanavave, with more stunning scenery along the way:
There is only one road from Hanavave to Omoa, and it is very much a work in progress:
And it’s easy to see why, given the terrain:
Tough taking pictures with the mega-zoom, but it did provides some interesting close-ups:
The switchbacks were so sharp that the driver sometimes had to stop the truck and back-up so he could complete the turn. Not recommended for those with a fear of heights.
Back to the Cloud, where we could enjoy one last glimpse of Havave in the early evening light:
But soon it was time to sail away:
Back to the room to shower, change – and enjoy some canapes:
One more dash for the sunset:
And then off to the evenings briefing and recaps:
Looks like we should have the option to do a spot of snorkelling tomorrow in Tahuata – fingers crossed!
Time for recaps. Samara presented on French Polynesia flowers:
In French Polynesia, where someone wears a flower can tell you whether they are single or taken. A flower worn on the right side means they are available, the left side means they are taken, and a backward flower means they are immediately available.
Alex presented both on the history of Fatu Hiva, and the historical tools behind tattooing:
Manu presented on lava types, including the pillow lava that can form underwater:
Off to dinner at the Grill. I had the steak and prawns combined this evening:
And I tried the apple cinnamon rose myself (not pictured) – and it was fabulous!
Off to bed, as it’s our last full day in the Marquesas before we head across the Pacific to attempt our landing at Pitcairn.