Day 97 Atuona, Hiva Oa, Marquises Islands April 29

Today we landed on the island of Hiva Oa in the little town of Atuona. This island has a spectacular harbor which is surrounded by steep mountains on three sides. I am of the opinion that we are in the bowl of an acient volcano. In addition to its beauty this small island is also the last resting place for the artist Paul Gauguin and the entertainer Jacques Brel. This is not a bad resting place.

We had lunch at a small restaurant which again served us food we had never seen. Needless to say the one thing everybody knew was ok to eat, pork, was quickly consumed. Chris has some interesting pictures of the rest of the dishes served.

One of them was fried breadfruit. Ever since I read Mutiny on the Bounty I have wondered what breadfruit was like; Well, don't waste any time trying to get some yourself as it is like a potato but more dense with a mealy type of consistency. I got over my curiosity quickly.

As I write this we are sitting in a side room off of the post office on a public computer. At least it is air conditioned. Internet connections are few and far between since it is all handled by satellite. We don't know when our next opportunity to get online will be.

We are enjoying the entire experience, including Chris packing a ham sandwich at breakfast not knowing what we will be served for lunch. It is hot and humid and yesterday afternoon we had quite a bit of rain. As English speaking passengers we are in the minority so listening to announcements has its challenges. They also seem to be somewhat disorganized when providing us information about the times and places for various activities. But it is all part of the experience and we are enjoying it.

Tomorrow another island whose name I cannot recall.

Chris - Early this morning Paul and I went on an organized 7 kilometer hike to an overlook of the harbor. Even at 8 AM it was REALLY hot and mostly uphill....WHAT WAS I THINKING? I really wanted a picture of the harbor from the mountain, and it was beautiful. I'm frustrated that we can't post our pictures until we get back as they are really something. The hike was so bad I even had to eat my half sandwich I made for lunch just to make it up the mountain. Fortunately, today's lunch I could actually eat. In addition to the sweet and sour pork that we got little of because they ran out, I could eat the shrimps and vegetables (always cabbage and carrots slivered) and the noodles and chicken. The goat and fish in coconut milk, raw fish, and disgusting looking banana pudding were another story...