12 August 2011
A mini-hike, I said. A couple of miles said Xavier. So, I was quite pleased when we arrived at Xavier's house with kids in tow after 2 hours of walking up a steep road! We probably went further today than we did yesterday! Xavier was pleased to show us his home and also the other house he has built on his plot of land which he is trying hard to sell, but there is one flaw in his plan that he has mentioned to us. All the Marquesians have land already here and so can build their own houses, but Marquesas are so far away from anywhere that no-one really comes here to live, or even have as a holiday house, like they might in Tahiti, so despite the fact that it has one of the most stunning views any house has in the world, he is thinking he might struggle to sell it. However, I will put the photos on FB and if anyone would like to live in Ua Pou and has 300,000 euros they can get in touch with me and I'll pass on the details! After lunch at Xavier's and another walk further up the hill to see the view over the other side, we made our way back down the hill and had a pizza at one of the only restaurants in town. The owner's ancestors were Scottish who came to the Marquesas in the 1800s, so he was pleased to chat to Mark and he gave us some breadfruit and bananas from his garden. Back on the boat, Mia was supposed to be Skipper tomorrow for our trip to Nuka Hiva but she's gone to bed with a headache. All that walking has obviously put her body into shock!!