Off the grid for 5 months and counting.....Tahuata, Hiva Oa, and Ua-Pou

This young lady bears a striking resemblance to the Hinano beer girl

As our long-time readers recall, we left Moorea (and civilization) on February 1 and charged toward the Tuamotus, Marquesas and "atlas obscura". Both of these remote island groups have precious little in the way of tourism infrastructure; many islands don't have airstrips or docks large enough to accept anything other than a small fishing boat. It's not a coincidence that we've been traveling between islands with populations between 300 and 2200 people.

TAHUATA

This would amount to a "crowded" anchorage.....two other boats !

Our own white sand beach......living large

Not a drone pic ! We walked up here

Church guarded by a scary Tiki

One of three white sand beaches in the Marquesas

Legit old school outrigger in the bay- no plastic va'as for this guy !

When we left Moorea, we bought a lot of provisions, but that was 5 months ago. Most of our food is gone. How about the restaurant scene here ? To give you a picture of our plight, finding a restaurant at all is rare. And I'm expanding my definition to anyplace that sells food (and need not have more than a dirt/sand floor). And finding it open is even more difficult. Since there are few/no tourists on these islands, it's pretty much a game-time decision if the owner/operator will be open for business. It's kind of a negotiation. Imagine walking into a structure that's part residence, part restaurant...add a couple of naked 3-year olds playing in the corner. The mom/proprietor gives you a tired, resigned look and in our minimal French we ask "restaurant ouvert?" (Are you open ?). The answer is usually "Non" (No). The Marquesans are very friendly people who don't like to offend, so they will then assure you they are open tomorrow - only for them to tell you tomorrow when you eagerly show up that they are closed again.

Our favorite boulangerie- actually open occasionally

When you can find one open, you pretty much hammer it every day. Having both a cheeseburger and grilled local fish on the menu means 5 Michelin stars here. Where did the beef come from? Is it beef? Where's that dog that was hanging around the restaurant yesterday? All questions we don't ask. 

Food availability aside, these islands are stunningly beautiful, if somewhat difficult to access. The flat atolls of the Tuamotus spoiled us a bit in terms of peaceful anchorages, moderate winds, etc. The Marquesas are wavy, rolly, and windy. Finding a tenable anchorage is not a given. Getting to shore is not a gimme either. Kirstin and I have each suffered wipe-outs in our water craft trying to make it to shore before the next giant wave pounds us into the beach.

HIVA OA

Waterfall that magically pours out of the cliff

Coming into this uncharted bay at night could spell disaster

Most of these "bays" are uncharted....you have to go slow and watch the sonar

Hiking is usually limited- walk 100 ft and you're looking a a vertical cliff behind the palm trees

This tiki was in the front yard of a house - no plastic garden gnomes here

Here in Ua Pou (pronounced Wah-Poo), we decided to rent a 4-wheel drive truck and tour the 8 mile long island.........it seemed easier than moving the boat. The transaction was very high tech in that it was entirely paperless. The rental car lady (who doubles as the bakery lady) didn't ask for ID, a drivers license, a credit card, cash, or anything. Just gave us the keys and filled up the tank from a big plastic reservoir holding diesel fuel.  Quite trusting, but hey......where are we going to go with her truck? 

UA POU

Some of the weird sci-fi topography of the Marquesas

This was the tamest part of the road.....gave us a lot of false confidence

This bay is a no-go zone; pulsing water and lots of hazards

More spooky Tikis just looking at you.......

Our terrifying drive was rewarded by views like these

Some friends on the other side of the island

Our current view from the boat

Our hike's destination- not sure why there's a cross here but the story probably doesn't end well

Tiki-man killing a fish

Our current anchorage

Yes, that's an airstrip... assuming you make it, your adventure is far from over

The island has only two roads.......oddly they don't intersect; we chose the mountain road. Big mistake. The road degenerated into a switchback laden hairpin turn affair way up in the mountains. I found it so intimidating that I would only look at the road or in the direction of the mountain.....never over the cliff. We were driving 5-10 mph in mostly first gear for 3 hours until the road ended and a narrow dirt path beckoned. At that point we gingerly turned around and headed back to the bakery/rental car lady who gave us the car. This was like being on a scary amusement ride that never ends.

Hairpin turns + soil erosion = game over

Not the happiest driver - "scariest miles I have driven in my life"

Literally the road to nowhere

Same island - from the desert to the jungle in one terrifying drive

Last night we crashed the dress rehearsal of the island's drum and dance-troupe as they prepared for a Marquesas-wide festival. This involved a traditional drum section along with 40 women and 40 men dancing and singing traditional Marquesan chants (note- Marquesan is distinct from Tahitian, which is spoken 600 miles away in the Society Islands).  It's quite war-like in tone.......this isn't elevator music.......more like pre-game psych-up music for a sports team. Everyone is in ethnic garb and it's quite impressive. What's more notable is that it wasn't for us (the tourists). Of the 400 people there, we were among the fewer than 10 outsiders. This was kind of their "community theater" so to speak. In any case they've probably been doing this for hundreds of years. Ua-Pou is an impressive community - many public buildings, sports fields, tennis courts and a vibe where kids run around on their bikes like we did growing up (a long time ago). While the French were detonating nukes in French Polynesia as late as 1996, they did build a lot of infrastructure on some of the islands.

We almost never post videos but the two below really bring the dancing to life:

Grass socks and shark's teeth seem to be the style here

Pictured on the left, the island's French doctor......great assignment  for her

This young lady seemed to get a lot of solo opportunities

The chanting from the men comes out more like a roar......quite intimidating

Fun for all ages

This dude was really into it; wearing only a burlap loin cloth and a fierce scowl

As I write this we are 24 days from our visit to the US. Visits to relatives, gathering of boat parts, and buying all the things that broke in these 8 months await us. But we're having a great time here in a wild, wild place. Enjoy the pictures and videos.