Raivavae, Les Australes 4 May 2011, 10:00 a.m. Tahiti Time 23S52 147W41

We arrived safely yesterday, under bright blue windy skies. That blue next to the lagoon blues and greens were a spectacular welcome. It’s great to be back in the land of the lagoons. We took two of the Mahimahi ashore as gifts for the first lucky passersby, we felt like Santa Claus. Polynesians are incredibly generous with food, especially fruits from their gardens, and we have often been the beneficiaries of their generosity. Ocean fish are not easy for them to come by (they require bigger boats with bigger motors). Since the lagoon fish are increasingly carriers of ciguatera, our mahimahi gifts were much appreciated. Paying it forward. If our fridge were bigger, we’d do it more often. As it is, we have to have caught the fish close to our arrival so they are fresh.

Last year, we were mostly boat-bound due to stormy weather. We said we’d come back to explore another time. It’s windy now but the sun is out, so we’re off to see the sights.

xoxomo