The big question was what we were going to do today, our second day in Fakarava. It was going to be another one of those hot and humid days with the temps in the low 80's and a humidity of 84%. The winds were helpful at 17mph. One thing for sure, we were going to pack more water with us, even if we ended up packing it back.
It was breakfast as usual, visiting with our buddies and sharing stories from yesterday. We shared the story of the nurse shark bites that occurred last year, especially after most of our friends had heard these sharks are harmless.
Since the all aboard time was early at 2:30pm, we knew our time was limited. We left the ship at 9:30am after open tenders were announced. It made a difference with the ship not having any organized shore excursions today. We took some time to check out the tables of seashell jewelry at the pier landing, finding the collections were even more pricey than in Rangiroa. Most everything that was opened yesterday was closed today because it was Sunday.
We decided to take our time walking to the Catholic Church, reaching it just as Mass got out. Our pals Connie, Michelle, Lucia and Henk had left right before us and made it to the final end of the service. They were treated to the congregation singing their hearts out. Very moving they said.
After taking the required photos of the church, we wandered to the back past the chapel and to their cemetery. Reading some of the headstones, they dated back to the late 1800's. However, some were recent.
The narrow stretches of beach were filled with cruise ship guests, including some of those from the Aranui 5 that had arrived this morning. Taking our time, we headed back, stopping for a few minutes to do a favor for some friends that left a stainless-steel water bottle in one of the roadside cafes yesterday. Unfortunately, the cafe was closed up tight with no sign of people there. The sign stated closed on Sunday. Oh well, we tried.
We did have some time to seek out a couple of beers, but when we found the Hirinaki Lodge was not crowded, we went inside and were seated by the railing with a fine breeze. Their small sign outside said tapas and drinks were available until 2pm. Two large Hinano bottles of beer arrived - ice cold followed by tapas of cheeseburgers. They were excellent and just the right size for tapas. We did add a shared dessert of a little chocolate volcano cake muffin with a side of vanilla ice cream.
We left the island around noontime and rode back in the tender, which was not jammed. By the way, there was water and lemonade at the pier landing today. We bet that many folks reported this.
Captain Thomas came on with his talk at 2:45pm reminding all of us that we had to attend a mandatory scan of our room cards for the muster drill. Dario previously mentioned that they knew the ones who had not shown their cards yet and urged them to do it immediately. Believe us, someone would hunt you down.
The Captain said we were going to go out the same northern pass we entered yesterday. We had 548 nautical miles to reach Nuku Hiva in two days at the speed of 14.5 knots. He expected the weather to remain the same with seven-foot swells. Sunset was at 6:15pm and sunrise at 5:28am. The clocks needed to go forward one half an hour this evening.
We had been given invitations for another cocktail party followed by dinner in the Pinnacle Grill with the President's club members. Drinks began at the Ocean Bar cubby hole across the aisle from the atrium column. That began at 5:15pm with dinner at 6pm. We had drinks sitting next to Leonie, who explained that lots of people told her about the lack of water on the island yesterday. It was a mistake made by the beverage crew that did not order replacement water soon enough. That can be a dangerous situation with elderly folks getting dehydrated and heat stroke. That could happen to any of us. So for that reason, Leonie said that a few of the medical staff were onshore just in case that occurred. Then there is a problem with people renting bikes and having falls on the coral-based road. Most of us are not 16 anymore....duh.
This time Leonie made it a point to have the photographers take pictures at cocktail hour as well as dinner. They overlooked that on the last occasion. On the way to the Pinnacle, she had us line up on the staircase for several pictures. The seating at the large table in the back of the venue was assigned with our name tags. We had the fine company of Rakesh, the Staff Captain and Martin, the Chief Engineer. Among other things, we did learn that the engine was put back together and it was fully functional once again. They were able to maintain a decent speed to get us early to Fakarava. All good news to hear.
Dinner was fixed with a few choices of starters and mains as well as dessert. The small muse was a shrimp and crab mixed with a tater tot, then deep fried. Mine was vegetarian by request a few days ago. A marinated slice duck salad was next, followed by the sorbet palate cleanser. Mains were a choice of two lobster tails, filet mignon, or cheese raviolis. Bill had the lobster and I had the ravilois. Both were excellent. Wine flowed and flowed for those that drank it. There were at least four of us that did not drink it. The dessert arrived which was a choice of a chocolate sphere or a souffle. The sphere was the one where hot fudge sauce was poured over the top, where it melted down the sides like magic. Sweet, sweet, sweet. Conversation went well beyond dinner especially when the wine continued to be poured. Four of us excused ourselves after 9pm. It was really a fun evening with folks we know.
There was entertainment in the form of fellow called Jesse Kazemek with a tribiite to the Beatles. Get ready to twist the night away, if you had the energy after a full day of sunning, walking, and swimming.
Looking forward to a day at sea.
Bill & Mary Ann
