Archive for December 26th, 2011

Holidays? What Holidays?

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Dec 26 2011

Anaho, Nuku Hiva, Marquises, French Polynesia 26 Dec 2011 08S49 140W03

Christmas snuck up on us sometime during the day yesterday, then vanished as quietly as it came. We’d declared a few months back, that Christmas was being replaced by a second Thanksgiving, and that any commercial Christmas was on hold, until we arrived in a more commercial country (Hawaii maybe in April “Julen varer lige til Paaske” the Danes say – Christmas lasts till Easter – there’s no rush). So Christmas eve, when we usually celebrate in our family, was a quiet soup night, preparing our bellies for the thanksgiving feast yesterday. And ohh what a feast! Maybe to make up for skipping Christmas, Frank went all out.

We’re tucked behind a protective point in Anaho Bay, the calmest anchorage in the Marquises. It’s the bay where we’d rendezvoused with all the kid boats last year. We’re surrounded by white sandy beaches, lined with coconut trees, and backed by the ever present basalt cliffs. On one side, the cliffs look distinctly like flying buttresses on a late renaissance stone cathedral (late enough that the buttresses have nearly been thinned to a filigree of stone – the bare minimum to keep the ridge behind upright). It’s a dramatic place and the only access is by boat, foot or horse. Leo and I woke up early yesterday and tackled the steep switchback trail for an hour and a half hike to the small village on the other side. There we joined in the local Christmas Mass. It was a small gathering, most of the villagers were over in the main town, for the big mass at their big cathedral. Still the singing was wonderful, a rendition of “Gloria in excelius deo” backed by polynesian drumming, and island harmonies brought tears to my eyes. On the hike home, we foraged for limes, mangoes and tamarind. Thanksgiving scents wafted across the anchorage to greet us in the dinghy on our way back to the boat. Logan was testing a new version of Leo’s mom’s marquiesian lime pie, Frank was making Kumara fries(sweet potatoes). He was then inspired by our booty, and turned the frozen duck into “Cannard a la sauce tammarind et mangues” I don’t think there’s a duck on this planet that ever tasted so good, maybe it was the hike, maybe the tropical ingredients, or maybe just Frank’s talent for improvisation – but the flavors were otherworldy. We’d invited two American gals on a neighboring boat over to join us, and their contribution to the feast was a an artful and tasty salad with radishes and sunflower seeds, some extra spicy deviled eggs and a delicious peach crumble. We ate and talked the afternoon away. So I learned some new tricks (wasabe in deviled eggs is delicious), made some new friends (so neat to see a pair of young enthusiastic surfer/sailor women, seeking all the best this ocean/this life has to offer), and I had a lot to be thankful for – not the least of which was getting two Thanksgivings in one year! I can highly recommend it to anyone tired of the annual Juletide stress.

Of course that all means, I did not get around to sending Christmas cards…and here it is boxing day before I write to wish you Happy Holidays, I’m thankful you’re still reading my messages, and keeping in touch despite the ever widening gap in time, connectivity and distance (well distance may be narrowing some in the year ahead).

xoxomo