Day 103 to Back Home

We are back home having landed in Los Angles on May 10. Sorry it has taken some time to get to this post but once back in the US there was so much to catch up on and take care of that I am just now back on line.
The last two weeks of our trip was spent aboard the Aranui 3, part container ship and part cruise ship, sailing among the Marquesas Islands. During this time we had very limited access to the internet and when we were able to get on line it was painfully slow. What blogs we were able to do were made more difficult since we had to use computers set up in the post offices of some of the islands. These computers had French keyboards which rearrange the letters from what we are used to, making typing even that much more difficult. Enough of the excuses.
Since the experiences we had on all of the islands were similar I will recount the itinerary and then give an overview of island life and our experiences.
We boarded the ship in Papeete, Tahiti and sailed toward the Marquesas Islands. Before arriving in the Marquesas we stopped on the atoll of Fakarava which is a lovely spot with nice beaches and a beautiful lagoon. This island is part of the Tuamotu chain. The entire atoll is only about 200 yards wide.
After a sea day we landed in the Marquesas on the island of Nuka Hiva. This is one of the larger islands in the chain. From there we sailed to Ua Poa. Then we were off to Hiva Oa another one of the larger islands. This is a beautiful tropical most noted because this is where the famous painter Paul Gauguin took up residence and painted many pictures. He is burried on the island and his grave is a tourist site. Next to him in the cemetary is the grave of the famous Belgian song writer and poet who asked to be buried here. Next was Fatu Hiva which is a very representative island in this chain. It is made up mostly of the rim and cauldera of an extinct volcano, which is now covered with lush vegetation. The next day we sailed to Hiva Oa for the second time visiting the opposite side of the island this time. Tahuata was the next island which has a lovely Catholic church. The next island was Ua Huka which has a botanical garden and some large Tikis (stone carvings statues). The next day was split between Nuka Hiva for the second time and Ua Pou. On leaving the Marquesas Islands on our way back toward Tahiti we stopped at another island in the Tuamotu chain, Rangiroa. This is an atoll much like Fakarava which was our first stop. Then another day at sea before arriving back in Papeete where we left the ship t catch our flight home to Los Angles.
Overall Impressions of the Marquesas Islands.
All of the islands we visited were remnants of volcanic eruptions. This created very dramatic landscapes featuring sharp ridges and stunning sea coast that for the most part are studded with rocks and hostile shores making the harbors the only safe way of landing ashore. The vegetation is dotted with coconut palm trees, a few other trees and a lot of underbrush. From a distance these islands appear to be paradise but as you get closer you see just how rugged they are. There is almost no indigenous wild life except for a few birds. The animals that you see are either domesticated were once domesticated. These include chickens (in large numbers), goats, pigs, a few dogs and some horses. This was disappointing if you were looking to observe tropical animal life.
The people are French citizens and are supported significantly by the French government. They have little to offer by way of exports. The only thing we saw loaded on to our boat was copra (dried coconut) which is used to get coconut oil. There is no wealth on the islands and no poverty. Everybody lives within a very low income society. There is no ambition and maybe no reason to have any, for what is there to hope for? We did see quite a few little children and babies. They get more money from the government for each child. Health care is free and to give birth the mother and the entire immediate family are flown to Tahiti for the last two months of the pregnancy at the governments expense.
The people are very friendly and are eager to show how proud they are of their heritage. On most of the islands we stopped on the natives would dance of put on some type of performance just for us. Every stop had some place where they were selling their handicrafts. These consisted mostly of jewelery which used shells and native beads, wood carvings, art printed on a paper made from pounding the inner bark of one of the trees, and bone carvings. They would not bargain much on price at all and were quite ambivalent whether or not they made a sale.
Their local foods were quite different from what we are accustomed to. Due to some warnings from doctors as well as a warning posted by the cruise line who suggested to avoid gastric problems we should take a Maalox before each meal, we were careful of what we ate. There is little refrigeration which made us leery of the uncooked items. The cruise line also told us that the fish caught around the islands was not good to eat unless it was a large fish. So we avoided the raw fish, the purple banana pudding with coconut milk and the salads with mayonnaise. We would eat the cooked pork, chicken and fish and any fruit we could peel ourselves. Just out of general concern we avoided the cooked goat.
Next some comments on the ship (Aranui 3) and observations about our travels in general.