We are just about to leave the Marquesas and head off towards our final group of islands, the Tuamotus. We have visited 6 islands in our time here, each one has provided new experiences, we have caught up with boats we met in Galapagos and even Panama, we have also met new boats and their crews, all have had stories and tales to tell, each are having their own adventure and it has been interesting to meet every one of them.
All the islands here are beautiful, being volcanic they are steep sided with deep valleys, some have increadable peeks, spires of rock reaching to the clouds. We have had white sand beaches fringed with turquoise bays, jungle hikes leading to hidden waterfalls or narrow ridge walks with drops each side steep enough to make you think twice. We have walked through rain forest, cloud forest and along sand beaches. We have swum with dolphins, manta rays, sharks, turtles and so many smaller but no less wonderful reef fish. The only creature we have learnt to fear are the nono's, tiny flying monsters, the size of a grain of sand, who would devour you whole given ½ a chance but easily deterred by bug spray. We have also been lucky to have been made welcome by the residents of these remote islands who have shared some of their culture with us and fed us with some delicious food.
The Tuamotus will be different again, they are a collection of low lying atolls, mostly sand, surrounded by reef. The ones we will visit will have a pass through the reef leading into a lagoon where we hope to find sheltered anchorages, white sand, and the best snorkeling so far. From what we can gather, imagine your perfect tropical paradise island and you will find it in the Tuamotus.
It is time to move on to the next adventure.
We are leaving tomorrow at 4am, trying to time our arrival at our first reef pass for early morning and slack tide
Tim