Paradise

Trip Start Nov 08, 2008
1
26
31
Trip End Ongoing


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Where I stayed
s/v Lunambule
(Avatoru hotels)

Flag of French Polynesia  ,
Saturday, April 11, 2009

Rangiroa is the type of place people think of when they think of paradise—white beaches, palm trees, clear water that goes from turquoise to pale green to indigo. Every time we rowed to shore we saw rays and coral fish scattering under the dinghy. One time, from shore, we stopped a while to watch an octopus slinking among the coral. This is scuba diving and pearl country, so I snorkeled and toured a pearl farm. I think the snorkeling we did near the Tiputa Pass here was the best snorkeling I´ve ever seen—huge clams with neon lips embedded in the coral, fish of every shape and color, a huge Morey eel that showed us his teeth, and even some small black-tipped sharks. I was snorkeling without flippers, and at one point the current in the pass started to pull me. I panicked a little and ended up kicking a piece of coral. It didn´t hurt so I didn´t notice that I had cut the top of my foot. Good thing because I was far from the dinghy, and I´m not sure what I would´ve done if I´d known that I was bleeding in water with sharks Rangiroa, Tuamotu
Rangiroa, Tuamotu
 .

We ate well in Rangiroa. We caught a huge tuna on our sail from the Marquesas. I woke up for my watch at 3 am one morning to find the fish tied to the back of the boat. The guys had hauled it in in the middle of the night. The meat from that fish lasted us almost a week. We ate it raw, sautéed, packed in oil, and dried with salt. And best of all we made poisson cru with it. Poisson cru is a Marquesan way of eating raw fish. Basically, you mix raw fish with coconut milk, onions, garlic, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Let it sit for a while and voila. You can also add green pepper, tomato, and cucumber if you like. The fish gets all creamy and savory. Mmmmm.
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phasersmrsolo
phasersmrsolo on Aug 2, 2009 at 02:58AM

mmmm, delicious top-o-foot blood....
we gotta make some poison crew when you get back! if we can find some super-fresh fish!

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