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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Mar 11, 2015 08:00 PM Buggy ship to Tubuai
"Tuhaa Pae" was build just few years ago to serve Austral Islands (they have monopoly for the service) and is in general quite nice little ship. Travelling in the last expensive class you have to bring your own sheet and blanket (they blow cold air into the room) since the berths are sticky. In the middle of the night I woke up with the feeling that something is walking around on my face... Yeep! 2 cm long bug! On the white-painted walls there were more of them. I did not sleep till the morning - that's budget traveller's life! At sunrise we crossed the pass in the barrier reef entering the lagoon of Tubuai. Tubuai (locals pronounce: Tupuai) has nice mountains, but they rise in the middle of the oval-shaped island - not like on Raivavae. Soon we docked at a little pier. Sun was already very hot when I was marching down the ship's gangway. Friendly local guy gave me the lift on his pick-up to the last expensive pension - Vaiteanui. It is also known as Wipa Lodge. Located some 1 km from the center of Mataura -the "capital" of the island and whole Austral Archiepelago. Lodge, in the big garden is operated by little crazy Mr Wilson and his wife. They have 5 rooms with bath. They charge 4500 CFP just for acommodation in the single. And believe me - for French Polynesia it is very good price! It is time to rest after this buggy night...
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Mar 10, 2015 08:00 PM Tuhaa Pae - my third freighter...
There is no public transport on Raivavae so John was so kind to give me the lift to the pier in Rairua. Ship arrived! It is the important event on the island, celebrated only one or two times every month! Everybody goes to the ship to collect parcels, to meet returning family members, to buy the fuel directly from the ship.
I bought a ticket for the lowest class "deck couchette" on the pier. It cost 2750 CFP. Then the showed me the way to my place. It looks like in the war transporter: 48 or so steel, two-tier beds in one room.
If you want extra also meals you pay extra 5000 per day - ridicoulous!
We left Raivavae in the late afternoon - this was excellent time to enjoy the picturesque mountains ofthis lovely island from the north - all in the sun...
Course: Tubuai
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Mar 09, 2015 08:00 PM No bread on Monday!
The only baker on Raivavae usually in the morning goes around the island offering his bread. But not on Monday! So Linda on Mondays is baking her own bread for family and guests. Very tasty! She is like a good spirit of this island. Seeing that I am on the backpacker diet she brought me a bunch of bananas from their garden. She and John speak English - its rare on this island. Lovely and very hospitable people. In the morning minibus is coming to pick up kids to the school. Kids are waiting on the roadside - ach one with his ukulele! They learn how to play since early years. Blue lagoon and white ring of the reef... Raivavae - Austral Islands - it will be hard to leave this great place. But they say that my third freighter is already on its way from Papeete...
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Mar 08, 2015 08:00 PM Outskirts of Polynesia
It is hard to describe the beauty of the place. Just jump into maps.google and search for "Raivavae" on the satelite view... I took the walk around Raivaivae island enjoying the colors of the lagoon, white beaches, friendly people greeting you with a smile: ia orana! The coastal road has 25 kms. Only 900 people live on this island in the four villages. Protestants. LMS missionariest were first here so no catholics on the island. On Sunday I attended a wonderful mass in the old protestant church. Can you imagine all these wonderful songs, drums and ukulele music? Flower garlands, bells... In the afternoon we went by motorboat to the best known "motu piscine". Let you know - the name is confusing: it is not a pool inside motu, but a shallow part of the lagoon between motu and great sandbar. But it is beautiful! Pine trees instead of palms dominate the vegetation on the Ravaivae's motus. So far from the noisy world, so quite, so remote...
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Mar 07, 2015 08:00 PM Raivavae - the dream island
Do not worry, dear friends! I am doing well, but lack of expensive internet forced me to suspend my messages for few days.
Can you imagine peacefull island with a multi-color lagoon, green mountains and smiling, hospitable people? It looks like Bora Bora 60 year ago - before terrible commercialization. That' s Raivavae... South of Tahiti, in the Austral Archipelago. Few people know this remote place. I stay in the little bungalow, 20 m from the lagoon surrounded by palms, flowers and Linda's family. Warm rain in the morning, I am waiting for the better weather to climb the mountain for the view...
Best wishes for all our ladies on the occasion of International Women's Day!
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Mar 01, 2015 08:00 PM Cargo first, passengers - be happy anyway!
Cargo first, passengers - be happy!
We are again on Nuku Hiva in the previously visited port - to take a load of fresh coconuts, bananas and vegetables for Tahiti. We - the passengers - we have 1,5 hour time - just enough to walk to the settlement and back. So it is not a cruise ship... There is something more important. But they offer here something I appreciate - free laundry 3 times per voyage. So it is laundry day - they already collected nets with our sweaty clothes. There is also ironing room if you want to iron.
In the afternoon we will be again on Ua Pou for cargo - I will run to the village during the short stopover with a hope that I will be able to send this message...
I am already thinking about Austral Islands....
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Feb 28, 2015 08:00 PM Ua Huka - quite different landscape!
Ua Huka - very different landscape!
At sunrise we found our ship entering little and narrow fjord surrounded by red mountains. This was Ua Huka island and very dangerous anchorage of Vaipaee. This island has different landscape - it is hilly, but not covered by jungle but grass and bush only. In the Vaipaee village up the valley we visited little museum listening to the ukulele & guitar music. Then pick-ups (they do not have even minibuses) took us to the cultural center in the middle of the island for to see great performance of the traditional men warrior dances. This was the best men's show on this voyage... Coastal high road took us later to Hane through few great viewpoints of the rocky coast. I think that Ua Huka has the best seascapes of the whole archipelago... Few of us attended interesting Sunday mass in Polynesian in the tiny local church. Seamen took us again in the chaloupes from the Hane beach. They are definitely not prepared for such a cases, no broken legs but this was not safe... Polynesian night on the rear deck - both the crew and passengers were performing very nice. We had a lot of fun under the stars...
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Feb 27, 2015 08:00 PM Highest tiki on the Marquesas
- Highest tiki on the Marquesas
We returned back to the Hiva Oa island, but to the other settlement called Puamau. From the little jetty pick-ups took us up to the hill covered by jungle. There we saw one more, good preserved ancient sacred site with the stone statues of tiki. The biggest one is almost 2,5 m high. Great location and few stone platforms too see. Then it was nice to take the walk down tnrough the village, passing mango and grapefruit trees. In the afternoon we landed on the deserted white beach on Tahuata island. White beaches are rare on volcanic Marquesas. I was happy to take a relaxing swim in the warm water. Then there was a problem how to get back to the beach due to strong high tide reverse waves. Wow! I did it! But the guys from the ship decided that they will evacuate us from the beach not by tender but in the big "chaloupe"... On the high waves it was real challenge to get in. They were acting like the beginners. It is hard to say that they are well organized...
But it was interesting day!
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Feb 26, 2015 08:00 PM Fatu Hiva - the beautiful...
High and wild coast. Lush green, very few settlements - that's Fatu Hiva- in my opinion the nicest of the Marquises Island. Lovely sun was shining when we landed from the barges in Omoa. Local people invited us to theis Cultural Center playing ukulele music - visitors are rare birds here and they are very happy to have guests. They prepared for us presentation how they still make tapa - traditional cloth made of bark. Now tapas are painted with patterns and sold as a souvenirs. In the torist office you can get password to check your internet box, but connection is too weak to send pictures. In the afternoon we are sailing to the other beautiful bay on the same island Virgins Bay. Since yesterday we have onboard the President of French Polynesia with its court. They are always first - where is their EGALITE?
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Feb 25, 2015 08:00 PM From Tahuata to Hiva Oa
Rainy morning. Our ship is drifting at the bottom of the high, green mountain rising just from the coast. This is smallest inhabited island of the Marquises - Tahuata. On the coast I can see the tower of the church and few houses. Vaitahu (what a name!) Is the capital of Tahuata - capital with less then 200 inhabitants... We were lucky anyway - rain stoped around 8 am and we were happy to land on the island from the barges. Local people specialise in bone carving, but such a souvenirs cost a fortune!
Just 2 hours of sailing took us to get to next, much bigger island Hiva Oa. On the old cemetary in Atuona (15 minutes climbing from The vilage) I saw again graves of famous painter Paul Gaugin an singer Jacques Brell. There is nice view from the cemetary. Down in the village there is Gaugin's museum with many copies of his paintings (they charge 500 franks entry fee)
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