day 97 dark riders
Ellen- To bicycle on an atoll and see across from here to there, from wild empty outside roar, windswell tearing at the reef, inside calm ripple fringe and nodding palms, nurse sharks cruising slowly between coral statues in turquoise shallows. This bridge from wild to calm is a spine of rubble, all of island existence, down which you can pedal a rented one-speed cruiser if you choose. Past the end of the pavement, through a coconut plot with no recent tire tracks, a pearl buoy hung from a shade tree over the lagoon - fresh fruit and a swim.
Naomi here: today I got off the boat to see if a restaurant was open and it wasn’t , instead I saw a baby gecko which was very cute
Q here, Dido on Ellen’s adventure, also tried to eat out at a real restaurant. Weather it was our appearance, smell or inadequate footwear, we were told there no space. Guess they might have been full too, including the 5 empty tables. But no bother, back at the mother ship, Jamie made another meal to go down in history. Duck, with real veggies, real veggies.
Jamie: after an uproar of positive feedback from fans after last nights debut of word of the day, I’ll cut to the chase. WOD - taunt. Taunt - to tease a peer in a moment of weakness and gain power over them. Used in a senny: “hey you stupid cabin boy, keep that bloody rope taunt!”
Is orana, Megan here. Today I joined Jamie for a little encore of the internet and wandering about town. At Fakarava Yacht Services, whom Naomi previously grievously offended by I believe appearance alone… but who have been lovely to me, Jamie spotted a little manu memo that revealed the identity of the mysterious non-seabird I spotted in Tahanea! It read: if tiny, sparrow-like creatures follow you around, you’ve encountered endangered endemic Tuamotu Sandpipers (‘Titi’ in Polynesia)! How wonderful! We’ve also seen a number of nurse sharks in the water here - a shark Naomi had seen in deeper water before and who I did not dare to hope to see due to my deep-water timidity. Tomorrow we pick up a new companion and sail into the endless horizon once more. Maururu!
Bluebird out.