We have left the Marquesas! Boo! After eleven great days aboard the MV Aranui we are back in California waiting t board a plane to the Harbin Ice Festival in China. First let me wrap up our trip in a nut shell in te Marquesas Islands.

We started out sailing out of Tahiti nice and early in the morning no baloney on this ship she leaves when she says. THe next morning we arrived on the AToll of Fakaraua. Sailing into a great bay we learned about the atolls what they were and why they were the night before. We did not stay long only two hours and no feight was unloaded.

Sailing all the next day to reach Ua Pou we were behind schedule by a day because of work on the steering gear.We enjoyed just laying around anticipating our arrival in the Marquesas or Marquesis as they spell them.Morning sail in was like I have never seen before high steep mountains staight to the sea.We lazily sailed in under a rising sun welcomed by the locals who had gathered around the port to get their once every three week deliveries.

Hiking to the summit of the closest hill we looked down on our little ship being lightened of some of her cargo.We hiked around town took many photographs and tasted some local fruits and watched a dance of some Marquesian children in he hot sun.

The horn blows on the ship after lunch and we are off again to Ua Pou. Arriving the next morning we arrived on the island Nuka Hiva. We toured the island in Toyota 4x4's climbing over the center of the island into it's rich valley and back over hiking to a small tikki platform after lunch of earthen cooked piggy.Back onboard to rest our tired feet and drink the local Tahitian beer Hinanu.

We arrived on Ua Huka the island of horses after a great job parking by our Captain William.Thinking I was missing my four legged friends I signed up for a horse back ride.Not knowing I would be put on a short legged skinny Marquesian horse I nick names "Bitey" We rode 5 miles up and down a paved roads the whole time Bitey was wondering why he had to carry two people!Heat blazing down I continplated sucide to save this poor animal anymore pain. Bitey and I topped the mountians to see dozens of his closest friends running wild over the thousands of acres we could see.Bitey showed me the steep cliffs that drop into the sea and the local airport where one of his buddies was being chased off the runway by security trucks.As we plodded back down the mountain Bitey decided he had enough and tried to shed me with a couple of quick tree limbs and a sticker bush.Bitey gave up walked up the last rise I jumped off gave Bitey a hug and thanked him for the ride of a life time, Thanks Bitey....

Waking early again to watch the sunrise we arrived Fatu Hiva to only have that shot down by some pesky rain clouds but that did not dampen our thoughts as we toured a local museum and looked at some local art work that they had painted on paper hand made by beating the snot out of the bark of trees. Our stay was short but I made friends fast with a local horse who was tyed on the side of the road by her neck and starved for some attention.SHe was much happier and fatter than her couter parts the day before.

This blog will resume once Joy and I arrive in China we gotta run now please stay tuned..