The man from the fuel station, he say.. - (46)
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NO!!! So we are here for another week, unless we take the chance of sailing to the Tuamotus and on to Tahiti without enough fuel, relying solely on the wind???
But maybe it is just as well, because I was feeling a bit bad about my blog entry on Tahiohae, Nuku Hiva. Just because I am in pain and unable to get out and about doesn’t mean it isn’t a nice place. So it gave me the chance to put things right, to set the record straight.
First of all, where else in the world can one sail into and anchor in a volcanic caldera??? Yes, we are anchored in an ancient caldera.
Today we went for a walk, taking it slowly, but I was determined to see the Cathedral as I had heard it was lovely. It was built in 1975, with rocks and carvings from each of the islands that make up the Marquesas. The approach is a lovely paved road with old fashioned European style streetlights. The inside was very simple, wooden carvings adorned the walls. There were no windows, just wooden grills, so it was very cool inside. The altar was made of two large slabs of local rock, the seats were made of local wood.
In fact the only thing that seemed out of place to me, were the marble floor tiles. I find that the places of worship in this part of the
world are so much more inviting and less intimidating than in This had the same feel as the church in Also, I love the simplicity, no ostentatious opulence here.
Oh yes, the view from the Cathedral is superb, looking out over the bay. We wandered back down towards the bank, stopping for lunch at the Pizzeria. The meal was very good, if a little pricey (I paid US$13 for a salad) but the service was not so good. Jacqueline, our waitress, left a lot to be desired in the hospitality department. We ordered a bottle of water to have with our meal but she brought it when we had already finished eating.
Well she was not impressed when we said it wasn’t necessary now thank you, as we have finished our meal. Now before you going giving her the benefit of the doubt and putting it down to ‘lost in translation’ let me tell you I speak pretty good French. Then when I paid, we sat waiting for the change. We waited and waited, so I thought I would save her the trip and went in to get it. She came out of the kitchen and I asked, very politely, in French, if she had my change. Her reply was most unexpected and I have to say I have NEVER been spoken to that way in a restaurant before, ‘ I’m busy, be patient!’. Maybe she was a school teacher in a previous life, because that’s how she talked to me.
As she handed me the change, I simply said, in French, with a smile, ‘ you are very charming, Madame, thank you’ and left.
Another thing that is prevalent here, are tiki carvings. Not only ancient ones, but also contemporary ones. I snapped a few as we walked through the town today.
As with the other islands, there are no shortage of fruit trees everywhere, but there are four trees outside the bank and I have no idea what they are or what the fruit is.
The fruits hang down on very long vines. It also has flowers that hang down and look a little like orchids. The Yacht Services on the quayside are a very useful source of information, so if you need anything it is best to go there and ask Veronique first. If she can’t get it, she will tell you where you can get it.
There is also a great little ‘roulotte’ on the quayside that sells ice creams and crepes at prices you can afford! She speaks perfect English (though she can be a little surly at times, but I attribute that to her being very pregnant and it is hot here). At this precise moment in time, Roger is on another boat,
trying to repair their chart plotter and auto pilot, payment for which is dinner
tonight at the
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Apparently what happened is that the fuel shipment from
