Fakarava 2

We loved Fakarava! The island is far to the east so cruisers either arrive after their crossing from the Americas or they miss it entirely. Few will likely brave the uphill push to see it after they've already arrived in the Society Island. As we mentioned in our blog, we purchased, after some haggling, a 55-gallon drum of diesel fuel that required several dinghy trips to the boat to empty into our tanks. What an adventure!

The next day, we set out on a walkabout of the island toward the airport.

This is a a tree growing at the Fakarava Yacht Services home, but it's here to show you the nature of the "soil" on the island. Organic matter is destroyed by heat and microbes very quickly.

As we walked along the road, I just snapped this photo of the lagoon. It's painfully beautiful, I think.

And, the road in the other direction...

The municipal dock, site of our diesel-loading experience.

Bill traipses to the Mairie, or mayor's office.

What does one do when one has a LOT of pearls? Use them as yard art and decorations. These are the grounds of a pearl farm's office and they use the castoffs as fillers for their potted trees, for heaven's sake!

This is the reef that protects the island from easterly seas. It's far away from the land and provides protection enough for a permanent settlement. It's crucial to the survival of the inhabitants.

This lighthouse was built in the 1950s to light the way for freighters to pass through the "Dangerous Archipelago" as the Tuamotus were called. Locals staffed it, we were told and it's unused now.

The locals live in houses such as this. Windows are rare, or at least glass windows. The omnipresent satellite dish is visible at right, though. Simple cloth serves as both door and window.

A road to the eastern side of the island proceeds through this palm orchard where the trees are raised for copra. Copra is still the number 1 crop. The sheet metal guards around the tree trunks are to prevent the ever-present rats from eating the crop.

This is a small, family-operated pearl farm. They use a single boat to maintain the pearls and they use the small shed on the walkway for preliminary cleaning.

The mayor and his family at dinner. The mayor, Tuhoe, his wife and daughter, and Tuhoe's old French Army friend, Jean-Pierre who's moved to Fakarava,served us a fantastic dinner and enthralled us with stories of their lives. Jean-Pierre even gave us a bottle of his local honey. He says that his army pension goes a long way on Fakarava.

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