Vaitahu, Tahuata or just another shity day in paradise
21 December 2018 | Vaitahu, Tahuata
Rolfo
things aren't bad at all. Where ever we walk , we find people eager to talk and listen to my endless stories. We laugh a lot . Yesterday we walked up the hill to another village .Hapatoni is very small. Most people are wood carvers ,Tattoo artists , fishermen , copra farmers or "polivalante" as a nice man told me that gave us a lift back. He is in charge of municipal works and , i guess , he does everything there. He said he was in charge of all work done by the municipality. So he must be they guy with the pencil and papers ,looking at the workers that do the hard job. He seemed rather content with his life and the upcoming pension. He needs very little money to get buy. If he wants meat ,he just grabs his shotgun and gets a goat or a pig . Food grows everywhere but he doesn't have a garden. People give him stuff he said. Today he drove his son to town and used to occasion to give his baby pig a ride thru the countryside. The little pig didn't mind in the back of the truck, the family dog was with him as well. So we talked about where one is allowed to hunt or grab fruits along the road. There is plenty of everything and if we don't eat it ,they give it to the pigs. I wonder if the pigs get tired of mangoes as well. I know i had enough for a while. The main worry for the man was his trip to Paris to get a stent implanted in his blood vessel somewhere. They cant do in Papeete , so they fly him to Paris . The flight , hotel + surgery all paid, by ...guess who.... VIVE LA FRANCE . I had to warn him about the cold weather in Paris and urged him to wait till summer. He looked like he never worn anything else then flip flops . We said good buy to him and his son , the dog and the pig. Life is good here , why worry...the mangoes and avocados keep on falling off the trees.
Up the hill between the 2 villages we talked to a women that collect coco nuts . Copra is something you can live off they say. I told her that this looks like hard work..." Non, Non " she said . It keeps me healthy and i feel connected to nature out here with my coconuts. She doesn't go to church, witch is rare here . She feels the maker present out in nature when she works. "In church they just sit and then they eat to much and don't move" . So she works everyday with her son and a happy dog and looks remarkably fit compared to the rest of the overweight population. Its been a while since i was able to talk about the energy of nature or god with a hard working women along the road. The depth of her believes were well founded and profound. I could have blabbed a few more hours with her, but we had to move on....Marquesan people amaze me
They all know , they shouldn't eat junk and move more , but not many do it When we walk they all stop with their cars and offer us a ride. They often look puzzled when we refuse . I say its good for my belly...then they laugh...they know ....they should do it as well, At least in this island the people seem to be working a bid more then in Nuku Hiva . I haven't seen as many 200 kg people as over there. But they are all gently and have this contagious smile . I really like them. I haven't met an ass hole yet .
Tomorrow is the big day again . ARANUI 5 is coming. That's the supply ship where you can book a room and hop around all the islands. Its fun when they come in . The locals bring out all their handicrafts for the tourists and the money flows $$$$ its mad... The ship stinks up the entire bay with is crude oil chimneys. And then the markets are full of Argentinean chicken or Uruguay beef the next day. We like it when the cruise ships come . The locals are busy selling everything for top dollar . A coconut with a straw is 6$ !! In this atmosphere its very easy to take pictures...there are hundreds of pale foreigners with cameras ...you're just one of them .Nobody looks at you . Anyway , we have a tan, so we stick out . They don't try to sell us anything. They know sailors are cheap...or tight as a fishes ass , as the say !!