Pacific Odyssey - Leg 2

We just ended a wonderful visit with a pearl farmer we met today on the tuamotu of Apataki.  Skipper and I were following up on an aquaintance we met here 17 years ago, Jean Tapu, a well-known pearl farmer and world champion free diver.  He lives here but no longer has his farm, he´s in his eighties, but is in Papeete with his wife at the moment.  We were given Coco´s name to ask about a tour of the pearl farms.  Coco came to the boat for supper and spent 2 hours telling us the story of black pearl farming in French Polynesia.  It was fascinating and he spoke good english so we could ask questions.  After his discussion on the pearls we spent another half hour just talking to him about different aspects of the culture in the Tuamotus and the different diving, hiking,  snorkelling options on this little motu.  A motu is one of a ring of small islets that forms the tuamotu.  We initially went through another pass but found the wind much too strong. We turned around and went through the same one we did 17 years ago, where the village
exists right in the pass.  It is a beautiful little village, population about 350.  It consists mainly of coral sand and coconut trees. Spread in the little bays are working shacks on stilts where the work of the pearl farmer takes place.  The islanders earn money collecting
the baby oyster ´spat´ (the young shells) from the lagoon, and hanging them on black lines which hang in the lagoon water. It takes 2 to 3 years for the oyster shell to be large
enough to insert a starter pearl with a piece of colored ´mantle´ and for the pearl
to begin growing.  Pearl farmers buy the  unpearled oyster shells from the locals.  A few people make their living selling coconut to Tahiti where they make oil, soap and other articles.  The water here is amazing, just like one sees in postcards of the tropics; we can
see the bottom in 100 ft. of water.  The coral on the bottom makes the blues incredibly brilliant and bright; different shades of very light blue.  When we arrived many kids and adults came to look.  This evening one of their cargo ships came in to unload and we moved away from the dock and out through the pass, so they could tie up to the dock. We tied alongside them. There were lots of people getting their supplies and bicycling them home on their large three-wheeled bikes. The ship leaves again at 0400, so some of us will be up early to move again.  We will spend tomorrow wandering around this very small village, snorkelling, and visiting a nearby motu upon which the original village was
situated after the 1901 hurricane.  It´ll be nice to stop for a day and try to slow our mental pace to that of this relaxed island. Mary had a great birthday; cards, singing Happy Birthday, a cake, a motu, discussion on pearls, snorkelling . . . what else could one want . . . perhaps a black pearl.  A good day, we´re all pretty tired. Good night, Bonice