Monday morning the missionaries on the island met us and asked if we would like to do laundry at the place where we met the day before for services. Alyssa, Zak and I grabbed all the dirty clothes and some supplies to bake cinnamon buns. It was wonderful to have a machine to wash the clothes even if we had to fill the machine with a hose and hand rinse. The second compartment that the clothes get transferred to after they are rinsed spins them very well. We hung the clothes on a line in the back of the building. As Zak and I worked on the clothes Alyssa whipped a few batches of cinnamon buns. The couple missionaries went and picked us fresh mangoes to eat while we worked. Zak was in heaven eating mangoes and dumping his mucky mango hands into my clean laundry bucket. Before long he grew sleepy and there was an empty bed so I laid him down. I quickly sprayed him with my special eucalyptus oil as the mosquitoes were swarming his hot little body.
After the clothes were clean and hung out and the buns were made the missionaries returned to take us back to the boat. On the way home we met Norm and the kids playing in the waves on the black sand beach. It was around noon and another family had invited us over for lunch. These good people we met at church and were working here as the resident Jail keepers. The jail looks picturesque and even romantic. There is only one prisoner there from all the Marquesas Islands. As we arrived at the beautiful island home near the jail we could see a huge meal laid out for us. I am afraid I talk a lot about food in my writings home but no other meal prepared us for the many colors and flavors of island fare. There was yellow breadfruit, purple taro, orange tapioca and pumpkins, there were two kinds of sweet poi and chicken, island pig, fresh sea foods and fresh fruit. They made many kinds of juice and four different deserts. After a few hours of singing and playing the island instruments I returned to the boat to let Zak sleep and do a few chores. As I write I hear the dingy returning to pick me up because we are returning this evening to eat fresh fish and play basketball with their family.
Our fruit bowl is overflowing with pineapple, mangoes, lemons, pamplemousse (well, a pathetic cousin), papaya and bananas but I’m still longing for the flavors we experienced when the fruit was freshly picked from the plantation or jungle. Did your friends enjoy your food offerings as much as you guys enjoy theirs?
Happy Birthday Dailian. I assume that there will be alot of physical exercise to work off the delious sounding foods. Have a great start for the next leg.