Pacific Odyssey - Leg 2

Another overwhelming day; one that has so much in it to recount. We were in our uniforms, cleaning the ship by 0700, awaiting the arrival of the two french gendarmes. Jordan picked them up in the zodiac.  They were very impressed by the ship and the trainees, and the nature of the program. It didn´t take long for them to relax and let down
some of the stiffness we felt yesterday. Usually, if we can just get them to the boat, allow them to meet the young people, offer them coffee, breakfast and a tour through the boat, we have won them over and we have made some new friends. It seems nobody can not fall in love with the Grace. After their visit, I went with them in their Land Rover to our dance troupe contact, Poi, the same woman we dealt with 4 years ago. She and her group of dancers, who are all related somehow, are ´over the moon´ with the knowledge that we are staying an extra day so they can perform for us. She said that the last time we came and they danced and the two groups mingled, we affected them in a very strong and positive way and they wondered whether we would ever return. Yesterday when she heard we were in town, she said she couldn´t believe it. She called all the members of the dance group, (they live and work in the different valleys on the island) and all of them wanted to dance for us again, but more importantly, have the chance to be with us again. The regular cost for a show is 60,000 polynesian francs (approx. $750 US), and initially they said they would drop it to half price. Four years ago it was supported by the Ministry of Tourism, but they can no longer fund the dancers so
they now need to charge a fee. This morning I was informed that the show would be free! Poi said it would be the best show ever, better than anything we could imagine, with a surprise we
would discover tomorrow. Instead of performing on the dock as they did last time, we are being transported by family members to the grandmother´s property, where some of the family live and the grandmother has a restaurant. It is inland somewhat, at the base of one of the peaks, with coconut trees and various other bushes and trees around a level, cleared area. I sense that both sides feel they are in for something truly special, and for the same reason...the chance to hang out with each other; it seems to be a win-win situation for both sides in the most extreme of ways. After checking in again with the gendarmes, Skipper and I returned to the ship and we raised anchor to motor south to the nearby island of Tahuata. We were told that this is one of the most beautiful places in French Polynesia, very untouched and unaffected by an increase in tourists.  Also, there was a possibility of some good snorkelling and scuba diving. It took only an hour to arrive at Baie Hapatoni, on the southwestern corner; a white sand beach with a very small village of perhaps 200m of well-spaced, simple homes, along the shoreline. There was a small breakwater and a cement dock where many children were playing, mothers were cleaning their little ones, and outriggers
were pulled up on the beach. We spent 6 glorious, totally satisfying hours there, mixing with the local people. They are very friendly and took us right in. Many of the trainees played several hours of volleyball with them, initially they were easy on us, but by the end they played hard and showed how well they could play. Elske was in heaven; she loved it and was filth from head to toe, with several good scrapes from sliding in the sand. Several women took a large group of us on a fruit hunt into the woods. They collected bananas, limes, mangoes, sourpus fruit, a nut like an almond, and many, many coconuts, both for drinking and eating. She taught us how to open a green one for drinking, as well as how to husk the brown fibre shell off the older ones, for eating. She used a ´digger,´ a metal rod about 60 cm high, tapered at the top, and stuck firmly in the ground. One punctures the base of the coconut husk at an angle and pries the husk away in slices to find the coconut inside. She showed us how to shake the coconut and listen, to see if it would be one worth opening. We ate coconut, drank coconut, and learned about the different stages of the coconut, it was great. The village is very neat and organized; they seem to take a lot of pride in their village. They had beautiful jewelry and wooden carvings for sale that they make here and sell to the occasional passenger boat that comes. They offered us any fruit we wanted, to take it back to the
boat. Thursday there will be a wedding on the island and they are all
preparing for it. Tonight they invited the entire boat to join in the
dance practice. I am on the ship with the boys and Arwen, but I can hear the laughing and the drums from the shore. Antony and Elske just returned in the zodiac to pick up instruments, guitars, violin and a mandolin, to ´jam´ with the locals for awhile. What an experience for the trainees and crew! Also, during the afternoon, a group of trainees and crew had a chance to snorkel along the shore. They saw a sting ray and an octopus as well as some smaller fish. Karen and Jordan hiked the slope to see some magnificent views over the bay and into the bay on the other side of the mountain range. At 1730, the small, stone and wood church rang bells for prayer time. 8 of our people joined in and were very warmly welcomed by about 7 or 8 men and women. They sang in 4-part harmony and the sound was stunning, awesome, indescribable...just some of the words used to convey to me what they heard. I´ve heard it before and I love it. They have a particular tone to their voice, a ´pushing´ of the voice almost, something one needs to hear to understand and appreciate, very beautiful. This is becoming much too long, but there is so much to share and what I share is just a summary. I can assure you that
the trainees are very happy, there is an excellent feeling of well-being on this ship. Thank you for the support you give us.  Mary would like to wish her parents a very happy Anniversary and also congratulate her dad on his retirement. Happy Anniversary mom and dad, and dad, congratulations! This has to be it, good night, Bonice.  
  PS. Josh volunteered to have his head shaven at our ´Crossing
the Equator´ initiation ceremony. This turns out to be an excellent idea as we clean in salt water and our hair doesn´t always feel that
clean. Josh has eliminated the problem for himself; smart. 
PPS. Everyone is reminding Josh to use sunscreen!