Fun with Turtles!

Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (photo from internet)

OK! THIS is the kind of stuff that makes cruising really fun!
Yesterday evening Chris, Mary & I went to Nuevo Vallarta and were able to take part in releasing baby turtles into the sea. What fun!
When we arrived there was a small children's wading pool that was full of turtles that had just hatched within the previous 48 hours and were anxious to get on their way to the water. The folks in charge of the release program gave a short presentation about the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (which is what these were). These turtles are on the endangered list and Mexico is doing a great job of trying to protect them and help them to re-populate. In Mexico, it is a felony to touch a turtle...even if it is a dead one! Further, turtle eggs are still a real delicacy here and are often a part of wedding feasts and other ceremonies as they are considered to promote fertility. There is still a large black market for the eggs so the authorities have their work cut out for them.
We were told that these little babies (and they are really little...not even as big as the palm of your hand) have to swim all the way to the Marietta Islands (about 10 miles) before they are "safe" and only about 5% will likely make it. There are lots and lots of predators between here and there. Here are a couple of the really interesting things we found out:
1) The sex of the turtle is determined by where the egg is in the nest. The ones on the bottom, where it is cooler, will be males and the ones closer to the top (warmer) will all be females.
2) All the babies are born with a "power pack" built into their tummies. This is a special energy "pack" that activates as soon as they hit the water and will provide the nourishment they need for 15 days while they are traveling to their "safe" area.
3) Once they are in the water, the male turtles will never come back to land again. Only the females return and only when they need to lay eggs.
4) The releases are done at different times and in different places so that the fish (ie: predators) don't "learn" where they can find these delicacies on a daily basis.
The baby turtles are very, very cute and they feel like velvet. They are a bit slow moving when you put them on the sand (and seem to get tired out and take rest periods) but once they get to the water they are gone like a shot.
Being a part of this activity was something we all enjoyed immensely and will always remember. Since we often see these turtles when we are out sailing it was really fun to be there at the beginning of the cycle.

Note: Photos and video courtesy of Chris!

Whaaaat?

Two days ago we awoke at 5am to a "funny" noise on the cabin top...RAIN! Chris & I got up and quickly closed hatches but when we arose later to begin the day, the sun was shining and all was well again...except that the cockpit cushions were a bit on the "squishy" side. We set them out in the sun and by the time we returned from breakfast they were dry and ready to be sat upon once again.
This morning, again in the wee hours, wet stuff began pitter patting on the cabin top. I forced myself to climb out of my warm bed, run about making sure hatches and ports were closed and move the cockpit cushions onto the dashboard so they would remain dry.
What is going on?? Is this another aspect of Global Warming? Last year we didn't see rain at all from the time we arrived in Mexico until we returned to the Northwest. Granted, it is warm rain so we can still wear shorts, but it isn't exactly ideal weather for tanning or dining in the cockpit. In addition, even when the water stops dropping out of the sky and the sun makes an appearance, a residual amount of moisture remains behind (think humidity) that causes the "heat index" to increase.
Chris tells me we are right in the middle between two giant high pressure areas but that shouldn't cause wetness to fall from the sky. We are completely flummoxed about why it is raining in Mexico!
Mary is, understandably, confused as well. Is it possible the Portland weather followed her? No...NOAA's prediction for Portland today is freezing rain...quite typical for winter there. Her expectation was that she would go home with evidence that she spent a lot of time on the beach. We will do our best to accommodate that. Perhaps there's a tanning salon nearby?

Christmas at "home"

Here we are in La Cruz again after an absence of 9 months and our arrival was like coming home. When we called the office and requested a slip they told us the dock guys would be there to take a line and they were...just like last year. As I stepped onto the dock, Manuel recognized us and welcomed us back. He loaned us his gate card so we could go check in with the office and I was happy to see Maria was still there. She was genuinely delighted to see us again and gave me a big hug and welcome. Raffa, who had just taken over as marina manager shortly before we left, even remembered us! As Chris & I walked back to the boat after checking in, we both commented that it is good to be "home". I was also excited to see quite a few friends from last season and look forward to catching up with them as well as making new friends this year.
One of the things I love the most about Mexico is the people. When you go to a restaurant, a butcher shop, a vegetable market, etc, the people who work there (usually the owners) ask your name and add you to their "friend" roster. Even better, the next time you frequent their place of business, they remember you!
So...it is Christmas morning. Mary is here visiting. Yesterday we took her to Bucerias to do some shopping and have lunch at a palapa on the beach. Last night we attended a Christmas Eve potluck-on-the-lawn with the other cruisers who are here, took a quick shower and then rowed back to the boat to play some Mexican Train before going to bed so Santa could make an appearance! This morning, after opening our gifts we are listening to holiday music and doing a bit of email, etc before we row across to the restaurant for breakfast. Since we just arrived the 22nd and Mary was flying in the 23rd Chris & I had no time to shop for each other so our gifts were IOU's! Chris is giving me an inflatable kayak and my gift to him is a new handheld GPS...as soon as we can get to a place where those can be purchased!
Christmas dinner will be at Philo's Restaurant where we celebrated Thanksgiving last year. He provides the turkeys and the guests bring potluck dishes to share. Then "Santa" arrives and gives gifts (all of which have been donated by cruisers and local residents) to the local children. Once all that excitement is over there will be music and dancing and plenty more socializing. We are looking forward to a very fun evening.
Sunshine, 80 degree weather, secure at the dock, a wonderful husband and my best friend here to share the occasion and a few calls to family to top off the day. How much better can it get? I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Leaving San Carlos

Don't get me wrong. I love San Carlos. But it is definitely time to leave. It's getting cold! We have taken to wearing jeans and sweatshirts (I refuse to give up my flip flops). Nights on board involve two comforters. Dinghy rides to and from the boat are chilly at best!
JJ & Cher, arrived last Monday and we still were not ready to leave the dock. Thursday we were "ready enough" and at 2:20 cast off and headed out into the Sea of Cortez. By 4:30 we were back and anchored in the anchorage where we still reside. Less than an hour out we discovered that the batteries were DIScharging. Turns out the alternator had decided to give it up so we turned that over to Star Marine for repair and spent some time training our guests and showing them around San Carlos and trying to eat and drink our way through pretty much every restaurant and cantina in town. The boys got a little out of control at the Soggy Peso on Catch 22 Beach and purchased lots of tourist duds (after they had purchased a few cervezas).
The alternator was finished and installed this morning and is making power like nobody's business. The weather is starting to turn around (from south winds to north/northwest) so tomorrow morning we are boogying south. It will be a much more abbreviated trip than we anticipated but our expectation is that we will have JJ & Cher back in La Paz in time to catch their 6:30 am flight on the 13th.
So...last minute jobs included provisioning at Ley's (what, exactly IS a "Donkey to Iron"???) another trip to Tony's for more fresh produce, a pedicure and haircut for the "Capitan" and returning the truck, yet again, to the storage facility.
Stay tuned for more of the adventures of "Faith" and her steadfast crew!

Get the vaseline, Martha...I'm goin' in!!

Get your mind out of the gutter!!
The title of this entry refers entirely to the activities that took place yesterday when we had to fit a boat 13'10" wide into an area that was 15' 5" wide!! Yikes!!
Our friends, Barb & John, had a slip they had rented through Dec 2nd and got finished with their boat work and left early. This marina has a serious shortage of slips (especially in the Spring & Fall when all the cruisers are getting their boats into or out of storage) so they offered to sub-let their space to us for the balance of their time. We were delighted to accept as this not only saved us money but also allowed us to get the boat out of the work yard and into the water much sooner.
John & Barb's boat is over a foot narrower than "Faith" and the slip in question is a double with a very large, wide powerboat installed in the other side. John measured carefully and we determined that "Faith" would fit, but with only 19" clearance it would be very, very tight. We arranged to have a friend of Chris' join us on the boat to help fend off if needed as well as Chris' brother, Lee, and a couple with another Morgan 41 on the dock to take lines and pull us in.
I spent a sleepless night worrying about all the "what if's" and "how's" that would take place. Turned out to be pretty painless but I still tend to worry.
The boat was to be launched at 8am yesterday but they were almost an hour late so that added to my list of things that could go wrong ("What if the wind picks up? What if the tide goes out?"). When they got her in the water it was quiet, calm and sunny. After being stored on the hard for the past 5 months we were delighted when the engine started right up and after about 10 minutes of idling it was purring like it did all last season. Now it was time to go.
In order to get to our slip, we had to back out of the launch area to the main fairway and, since "Faith" has an "I back only to port" problem I had been concerned about how I was going to negotiate the backing straight and then to starboard in that very confined area. Well...I learned a great trick from a new Canadian friend of ours. We'd recently been to dinner with John & Barb and Bill & Janet from "Optical Illusion" and John & I were commiserating about how poorly our boats back up. Bill told us to set the rudder in the middle, put it in reverse and get started backwards and then put it in neutral and "you can drive it anywhere". I was skeptical at best but decided to give it a shot. OMG!! It worked like a charm! Not only did she back straight but she went to STARBOARD as well!! It was a beautiful thing!! I saw Bill later that afternoon and thanked him for the new skill and he assured me that with practice I'll be able to parallel park. Well, I'm not at all convinced about that but who knows?
When we got to the slip Lee & Steve were there to take lines and the power boat neighbor was out on his bow to fend us off if need be. We're only 4 boats down the dock so not a lot of room to get Faith pointed in the right direction but I got pretty close. We were pretty much nose-to-nose with the power boat. Chris threw the bow line to Steve and then he & the neighbor pushed us away while Steve pulled us toward the dock. Steve pulled us in far enough for Rex to throw the stern line to Lee and I just sat and watched the 5 guys literally pulled us into the slip. I just love strong men, don't you?
Once we got tied up, Chris & the neighbor were positioning fenders and I tried to turn off the engine. No go! The cable that you pull up to turn it off seems to have seized up during the summer! Once we got tied up and stabilized Chris went below and stopped the engine by hand...and added that fix to "the list".
It was great to have the boat in the water and tied up to a dock but both of us were exhausted. Between my cold and my "parking anxiety" neither of us had gotten much sleep the night before so we just closed the girl up, went to lunch and came back to the trailer for a couple hours sleep. Today we washed all the yard dust off and then started on all the myriad jobs we need to get done so we can start cruising this year. It won't be much longer now...and the best part is now we can go sit on the boat again. It is amazing how relaxing just that little thing can be.

Work, work, work!

First look! She looks great!

OK. Silly me. I was convinced that inside of two weeks we would have Faith cleaned up, put back together, the projects done, bottom painted, she'd be back in the water and ready for another season of fun in the sun. Hmmm. A bit too optimistic perhaps?

After leaving Tucson at 9 last Wednesday morning we arrived in San Carlos at 6 pm. This is normally a 5-1/2 hour drive but towing a trailer added another 2-1/2 hours to the trip. We pulled into the Totonaka RV Park on the outskirts of town just as the office was supposed to close but the manager was waiting for us thanks to our friends, Ken & Linde, who are also staying here, telling him to wait for us. Better still…by the time we got parked and set up it was after 7 but Ken & Linde had dinner and wine waiting for us. It was great! I just love cruisers!! They really do “pay it forward”.

Thursday morning, after a good night’s sleep, we got our first look at Faith and it was a bit of a good/bad thing. She looked wonderful at first glance. The wax job we had done before we put her to bed last Spring was still shiny and new looking and there was no outside damage from the storm. Once we got on top we discovered she was a total dirtball. Inside wasn’t too bad. We could see where water had gotten in from Hurricane Jimena but it appeared to be only a couple inches in the galley and aft part of the salon. The only damage we could really see was that some of the varnish had lifted off the cabin sole so we will have to re-finish a section of that. Not bad at all. When we inquired about getting her into the work yard we were told there was a waiting list. Harrumph! Since the flooding wiped out the work yard entirely (not to mention the road and parking lot) they have been working very, very hard to get it all put back together and I must say they have done an admirable job. Still, at this point only half of the work yard is usable but, because of the space shortage, the management has given the OK to work on boats in the storage area. Since there is no water or power available there we opted to wait until they could get us in and late Thursday afternoon they had us installed in the very back corner of the work area.

Friday morning, bright and early, we were at the boat with buckets, brushes and soap to start on the first project…getting the top layer of dirt off so we wouldn’t be tracking it inside. It is hard to believe how thick a layer of dust can accumulate in a few short months. We spent a good three hours just washing the topsides and then went below and while Chris checked all the batteries (Yippee!! All are perfect!) I scrubbed the section of floor that was muddied by the workers who pumped the water out. By 1:30 we were done working, had lunch and crashed back at the trailer! From then on we have been working pretty much 9 am to 1-2 pm every day doing as much as possible.

Chris spent a good part of today taking apart the steering so he could re-pack the rudder post. When he got it disassembled he discovered that this particular rudder is not made that way…there ISN’T a packing gland in it! Oh, well, he needed to check out the steering system anyway and was happy to see that it is in superb condition. His current project is filling up the holes in the deck from the old windlass and getting the new windlass installed. Brother, Lee, and Lee’s wife, Julie, are here in San Carlos as they rented a house for the winter and Lee has been down helping on the boat almost every day. We are quite happy to have him, especially since he is an excellent fiberglass man.

Friday we made arrangements to have the bottom painted and once we signed the papers the guys were there quickly to start sanding. By Saturday afternoon they had the whole bottom sanded and pressure washed and I thought, “Wow! This is going to be fast!” Alas…they don’t work on Sunday, Monday was a holiday (Revolution Day) and no one showed up today. I wonder if they forgot?

I almost feel like a piker since my jobs have entailed mostly cleaning, oiling the teak, putting things back in their proper places, etc. The operative word in that sentence is “almost” as both heads were quite icky and required some serious rubber gloves and chemicals. No…we didn’t leave them that way. In point of fact, just before the boat was hauled out we went out, dumped both holding tanks, added vinegar & water and then flushed that out so, presumably, they would be nice & clean & empty. Judging by the rings in both bowls there must have been some residual water still in the plumbing and as the water evaporated during the summer it left progressively heavier stains. Yecch!!! Do I even need to elucidate on the fun involved in cleaning that?

Sooo…we had planned to celebrate Thanksgiving in La Paz and have friends arriving there on the 29^th to spend a couple weeks with us. Will we make it? Only the Shadow knows!!

Done Shopping!

Finally we are ready to go! After postponing our departure from Tucson for one more day and then one more day again, tomorrow we are finally off to San Carlos. We began shopping as soon as we returned to Portland from the South Pacific and have continued that at every stop along our southbound route. Tucson is where we were to get the last minute items that we’d need (think wine and cheese) once we are out of reach of the local Safeway. After having visited way too many bookstores (used and new as well) the book inventory seems to be pretty complete as we are returning to the boat with 74 new items. Granted, some of these are new guide books, cookbooks, how-to’s, etc but most are just plain reading material. Added to the tomes that stayed on the boat when we left in June I suspect we will have a library to incite envy in other cruisers (who are, almost without exception, avid readers as well), not to mention having a good deal of “trade goods” for book exchanges and dinghy raft-ups. Now, of course, not included in my count are the books that Chris has on his new Kindle. For those who haven’t heard of this new invention, it is an electronic book that allows you to just download new reading material to it at will. Most of the books are under $10 and other publications, such as magazine and newspaper subscriptions are substantially less than their newsstand price. My preference is “real” books that you can touch and smell and tell how far you’ve read and how much you have left by where you left the bookmark but the promise of having access to regular news via subscriptions to Time magazine and a Sunday paper or two was the argument that won my “ok” for the new purchase. Alas…it is clearly Chris’ “baby” and usually only available for my perusal when I’m busy doing something else. Some other new “toys” we purchased for this season include a flat screen TV (with built in DVD player) and a portable, battery powered, DVD player. We really do not watch TV other than the occasional news program but we do enjoy movies and both items were purchased with that in mind. Last year we had the use of Patty’s Mac laptop which did a lovely job of playing movies. Sadly, our laptops struggle mightily with that task and sitting through an entire movie is impossible given the technical issues involved. Of course, now that we have a couple spiffy new ways to watch films we have purchased few (74) new ones to add to the collection we have on the boat! So you don’t get the wrong idea (that we are only in this for the fun of it), we are bringing back some presents for the boat. We bought her a beautiful new windlass that, theoretically, will never get overloaded and quit. Chris calls this pretty piece “boat jewelry” and it certainly looks that way right now as it sits in its wooden crate. We also had the mainsail re-cut with longer battens in hopes that we will see some better sail shape (without having to buy a whole new sail) this season. We also have lots of other new little odds & ends for the boat as well as more tools, parts and “goopy stuff” for fix-it jobs. Another category of “needed items” is the day to day things you need no matter where you live. You know, Things like toilet paper, sunscreen, hair dye (for those of us who refuse to submit to the gray factor), and myriad other odds and ends. Some of these can be purchased in Mexico but often the quality is quite different from the U.S. (One-half ply vs 2 ply is a biggie!). Further, some things require reading the directions before using and when they are in Spanish only it is a serious challenge to those of us who are still in the “just enough words to order beer and find the ladies’ room” category. I was thrilled to finally find a new pair of Tevas here in Tucson. They are impossible to find in Mexico and the pair I mail ordered last year never did fit right. Since mine are in the process of falling totally to pieces (after having served me well for 9 years) getting a new pair was at the top of the list. My regular attire is flip flops but when I have to walk a long distance it is much cooler to wear Tevas than sneakers, not to mention the fact that they hold up a lot better when you are wading around in salt water all the time. I have two goals for this season and the first one is learning more Spanish. Last year I relied heavily on my two “interpreters”, Chris & Patty, and the few times I attempted shopping on my own it was only due to the kindness of the vendors that I was able to complete transactions. This year I have a brand new Rosetta Stone Spanish course that I have already started using. It is great and I believe I will learn a lot. I’m sure I will try the patience and understanding of some but the Mexican people are so gracious I doubt I will even know if they are frustrated with me. My other goal is to do more sailing and less motoring this season. A lot of that will depend upon the weather and any schedules we find ourselves on but I really do miss actual s-a-i-l-i-n-g so intend to remedy that. Well, enough of these long musings. Chris should be “home” any minute and we will be spending the balance of the afternoon getting things stowed wherever we can find room in the trailer so we can be on the road at first light tomorrow. Until the next blog, adios amigos!

Philosophizin'

The community of the world.

This post was written back in June when I first returned from my first season of cruising Mexico. I am just now getting around to using it.

Death is out and about of late. None of his usual lurking behind closed doors and hiding in the nooks and crannies of my mind. These last couple weeks he has been right out front in his finest daywear reminding me that time is fleeting for us all. While I’ve been away all winter I have received missives from numerous friends and relatives who have seen him up close and personal. While I have been affected by the news, the physical distance between usseems to have blunted the impact so that for me it was a rather dull feeling of distress. Upon my return I’ve been faced with several instances that have rather hit me upside the head with the realization that Death is “alive and well” and happily gathering those he wishes to his bosom. Those who have, clearly, not much time left in this life, appear in my thoughts a great deal. I find myself worrying about them struggling for breath and facing the inevitable. Ready or not, Death takes you when he wishes. I do not know how much time I have left in this incarnation but my gratitude for the way in which I have been able to live is beyond measure. It is unusual (at best) to be able to actually “live ones dreams” but that is exactly the gift I have been given. I have been told that this was because I worked and planned everything and while that is, indeed, a part of the answer, I am happy to report that I have also been pushed, prodded, handed opportunities, given obvious choices and occasionally slapped silly (figuratively) by a force much larger than I. God has received very little credit in this whole process but he/she has been quite clearly behind the whole plan. Whenever I leave port I humbly request guidance and protection for the upcoming journey. When at sea in uncomfortable conditions I am sometimes afraid (as all mortals are) but I am never alone. The world is there to enjoy. The gift is life. It is up to each of us to choose how we will use it.

Oh, The Sights You See!

We left Sutherlin yesterday at 9:10 am and after a long day of driving (well, Chris drove and I read to him, tried to do counted cross-stitch, tried to do crossword puzzles, read some more to Chris, and watched the scenery go by) arrived in Red Bluff about 4:30 pm. This is a lovely RV park and the best part is that it is 75˚ and sunny here! As we left the office after registering, I passed a woman going in who had just arrived from British Columbia. She smiled at me and said, “Now THIS is the weather we’ve been looking for!” I had to agree!

As has been my experience in the past upon heading south, as soon as we passed the “Welcome to California” sign the clouds disappeared and we had sunshine, blue sky and warm weather. This morning I dug out my shorts and tank tops from under the bed in anticipation of wearing them today as we get more into the heat of Southern California. I can hardly wait!

The scenery in Southern Oregon and Northern California is stunning this time of year. While the trees in Portland have mostly lost their leaves by now, as you drive south they are still in the process of turning color. The beautiful yellows, golds and reds against the background of bright, green grass, deeper green evergreens and the blue-green background of the mountains is enough to take your breath away. I attempted to take some photos of the gorgeous valleys we passed but they, unfortunately, turned out blurry. It seems that towing a trailer does not afford you the opportunities to just “pull over” for a photo op the way driving an unencumbered truck does. We did make a stop at a lovely rest area close to Weed, CA and I was able to get a couple photos of Mt. Shasta as well as the vista looking west. At one point, Shasta’s base was surrounded by a halo of low-hanging clouds which made her appear to be floating in mid air, but by the time I got the picture the illusion was gone. Still, she is quite beautiful anyway.

An interesting aside. As we crossed the bridges that go over Lake Shasta we were shocked to see that the Lake is extremely low this year, and, in some places only a trickle of water is present.

Today we are hoping to reach Bakersfield. This means a longer day than yesterday but without the climbing through mountains perhaps we will make a little better time. I am hoping Chris will agree to take Hwy 99 instead of I-5 so we have more unique scenery and a few additional options when we decide to stop for the night.

OK, gang, I am off to take a quick shower and then we hit the road again. Until tomorrow…

Southbound...finally!

Finally! We are headed south...and not a moment too soon. The weather in Portland has turned gray, gloomy, cold and rainy with predictions for snow down to 3,500 ft. We slept in this morning, dawdled a bit, did a couple last minute errands and finally got on the road at 1:00. By 5:00 we had arrived here, in Sutherlin, OR and are staying in a very cool RV Park. This place started out as a drive-in movie theatre and now is a lovely, well set up RV park. The office, clubhouse, laundry, shower facilities are in a lovely, bright-yellow barn that you can see from the road (along with the movie screen).

Chris was thrilled to find that we have a pull-through spot (even though he does love that macho feeling he gets from backing the trailer around corners and under low hanging tree branches). It is level and has all the amenities one would want. We can't use the cable TV as the trailer doesn't have an "in" connection but Chris has promised that he will be installing that in the near future. Not that we are all that interested in TV but it sure would be nice to see some news and weather once in a while. If we are close to a station our antenna can pick up a signal but it would seem the signal has to be pretty strong. In Portland we could get ONE station and during the dinner hour (when the news programs are on) the signal wasn't strong enough to pick up. I must admit I'm pretty doggone impressed with this new super duper digital TV stuff.

Each of the spaces here has it's very own patio with a table & 2 chairs so that IF it were warm enough, you could sit outside and enjoy the weather...AND the movies that they still show! We missed tonight's feature as we went to visit Amanda's family but if they show one tomorrow we'll be here with our popcorn and wine! Although, we will definitely be watching from INSIDE the trailer.

This "dirt yachting" is as much fun as cruising on the boat is! We plan to take our time getting to San Carlos so expect to see more updates on the blog. Especially if we have super-fast WiFi like this!! Whoo hoo!!!!

A Different Kind of Summer Cottage

We have a new summer home! After spending several weeks (before and after going to the South Pacific) in my parents' RV Chris & I have decided this "house on wheels" deal works as well as the "house on water" does for us. So...we have purchased a 2005 27' travel trailer to live in during the summers when we aren't on the boat. It sure solves a lot of problems. We have a place to come home to that is ours and we don't have to buy furniture that would have to be stored while we are in Mexico. Further, we can actually move it from place to place so is rather like cruising on land. Both of us are very comfortable with the concept of taking our home with us. Not only can we visit new places but if the next door neighbor starts bugging us all we have to do is unplug the utilities, attach the "house" to the trailer hitch and move to a new area. Easy as pie.
Don't get the wrong idea, though. As with anything else, there are a few good/bad things about trailer life.
Furniture: The house comes with all the furniture built in so no problems with having to buy something to fill up empty rooms. Unfortunately, if you get tired of looking at the pattern on the couch you have to buy a whole new house.
Storage: Yikes! This is very much like a boat! When we first looked at this trailer both of us were amazed at how much storage there was and we talked excitedly about how there was even more than what we have on the boat. Wrong! True, there are lots of cupboards, closets and cabinets, but they are often, in reality, 6" deep and 10" high. For example, my dinner plates will only fit in the angled cabinet in the corner over the couch! We have also converted a closet that was meant for hanging clothes into a pantry so we have somewhere to store food...which we consider to be an essential item.
Still, I have now discovered a resource all my women friends have known about for years: Ikea! They have so many cool ideas for making tiny little spaces do big jobs that it boggles the mind.
When we first got the trailer we had a small dilemma to deal with. We took possession of it on Thursday after 5pm and had to move it into the space we had the RV in. This entailed taking all our stuff (of which we had much more than I'd realized) out of the RV and putting it into the trailer. Then we needed to get the trailer hooked up to all the necessary utilities and take the RV back to my parents. We basically dumped all our belongings in the middle of the trailer to sort out later. Not only did it take a good week to get everything put away but we ended up buying much more than imagined. Things like dishes, silverware, towels, blankets, etc were all needed to set up housekeeping. More "stuff" to find storage spots for. sigh...
Now that we have finally gotten the place pretty much organized it is quite homey and comfortable. Alas, Chris is beginning to make much louder noises about packing it all up and heading south. It seems the summer is truly over and it's time to go back to Mexico. Just when I was beginning to feel settled. Oh well.

Fiji...contrasts and tsunamis

Our last two days in the South Pacific were spent in a lovely beachfront hotel in Nadi, Fiji. And I DO mean IN the hotel! Fiji appears to be a place that deserves some serious exploration but we were continually advised not to venture out into the city. This country has a turbulent history with the last coup taking place in 2006 and it is now under military rule. Our first day there we decided that we REALLY needed to do some serious shopping so we called for a taxi. We were warned by the concierge as well as the cab driver that it is pretty dangerous and we should be very careful. The taxi dropped us at "Jack's of Fiji" where you can buy everything from clothing to kava bowls to an extra bag to get them home in. We bought all three and then some. When we had finally melted the plastic, the store’s concierge called our cab to come and pick us up. Everyone is concerned about your safety, or it would appear so.

That evening the hotel was providing a program of traditional dance and, since we had an ocean view the performance took place right below our balcony. Whoo hoo! We indulged in a wonderful dinner and then purchased a nice bottle of wine to enjoy while we sat on the balcony and watched the show. The Fijians are very talented, as are all the South Sea islanders and the show was super. Each of the islands we have visited have a different style of dancing and the Fijians are no exception. Regardless of where we go, however, my favorites are the fire dancers. There were several young men here who were “playing with fire” but the one I enjoyed the most was the young woman who was swinging two buckets of fire around and around herself.

When we awoke the next morning, Chris turned on the TV while I was in the shower to see if there might be some news on (up to then all that had been available was rugby and religion). That morning was different. There had been an earthquake off the coast of Samoa that morning followed by a tsunami that was now headed our way. Given the information provided by the weather people (that it wouldn’t amount to much in Fiji) and the fact that we were on the west side of the island we weren’t terribly concerned but we did keep a close watch on the water. All we really noticed was the tide receded and came back in quite a bit faster than usual. We asked a couple of the hotel employees if they were worried about the tsunami but, not only were they unconcerned, they hadn’t even heard about it!

Our biggest concern was all our new friends. Most were in Vava’u but the last we’d heard from Hipnautical, was that they were in Apia, Samoa. We sent out several emails and then just waited. Unfortuantely, we were unable to contact the family we’d met who lived on Niuetoputapu island or John & Veronika from Suwarrow. Reports have come trickling in since we returned home and all our cruising friends are fine and had little or no effects from the tsunami. Guy & Karen told us that Nico’s family (on Niuetoputapu) are all safe but they lost their home, their boat and pretty much everything they owned. Still, 10 people are known dead and several missing on that tiny island. Help is trickling in but it is slow. The cruising community has begun gathering together things they can take that will help the people get back on their feet. As for John & Veronika, we have no news. We emailed them but the message was rejected so we can only hope they are safe.

All in all, Fiji was beautiful with sand like silk, warm, warm water and wonderful people and we would both love to go back and see more of it. Who knows…maybe we’ll take “Faith” someday

Tongan Tidbits

The wind is still blowing like crazy and rain flies through from time to time but the temperature is quite comfortable and we are enjoying getting to know a little about Tonga. The local customs are sometimes a little confusing but the people who live here are very friendly and happy.

Chris & I enjoyed taking a short walk up the hill from the anchorage area today to see something besides “downtown” Neiafu. One of the more disconcerting things is that they drive on the left side of the road and the roads are only about a car and a half wide. This can make walking a bit treacherous if you (I) can’t remember to stay on the “wrong” side of the road. The homes here are quite different from those we saw in Samoa. First and foremost they don’t plant the relatives in the front yard. I suspect that is because only the King, members of the Nobility or the government can own land. The yards aren’t much to speak of but that could have something to do with the pigs, chickens and stray dogs (which, by the way, are a Tongan food group) roaming around foraging for food. Also, Tongans aren’t real big on flowers. The only native flowering plant here is Frangipani. There are Hibiscus, Poinsettias and a few others but all were imports and are more prized by the Palangi (white people) than the Tongans.

This country is rife with very unusual customs and restrictions. Some come from the influence of western religions but much goes back way before that. Here are just a few interesting little factoids: The royalty, the nobles and the commoners all speak totally different languages. The members of the royal family and the nobility are somewhat able to communicate but the common people don’t have a clue about what the big wigs are saying.

Rank is very important here and Tongans will avoid speaking to each other until they know which one ranks higher. This is NOT easy to establish. Here are a few of the basics: Members of royalty are the highest rank (this one is pretty straightforward). Nobles are next highest and commoners are lowest (again…makes sense). Men are higher than women…BUT…within a family, sisters are higher than brothers. Relatives on Dad’s side are higher than relatives on Mom’s. Older people are higher than younger. From here it gets very muddy

Tongans have the largest body mass of any other race in the world and they consume 3500-5000 calories per day! No skinny fashion models here.

It is not appropriate for people of the opposite sex to touch each other (hold hands, put arms around each other, etc) in public but it is totally acceptable for people of the same sex to do this.

Tongans do not do anything on Sunday except eat, sleep and go to church.

The clothing restrictions are the most interesting. Women must cover their shoulders and their knees so shorts and tank tops are out. Men are not allowed to go around without a shirt on. Swimsuits are NOT allowed at all (when Tongans swim, they do it fully clothed and usually not in the sun…they do their best to avoid sun). Also, they wear woven mats of all different shapes and sizes and, while they aren’t exactly figure flattering, they are a definite status symbol.

Even though the Tongan people have some unusual traits (and, really, who doesn’t?), they are some of the nicest, happiest, least stressed people I have ever met. I am really enjoying this lovely country and her people…even if I do wish I could wear a swimsuit from time to time!

Note: The photo at the top of this entry is the Governor of Tonga and his wife.