Tuamotus archipelago
Changing latitudes was what I liked the most, there's no need to change the clocks: nothing else to do but seeing how the hours of dawn and sunset change gradually. We are again mere witnesses. As with surfing, sailing help attune my senses. Things I couldn't care less for before are now the first things I notice when come out onto the deck; like the shape of clouds, the change in the strength and direction of the wind and; during the night, the magnificent stars.
In five days we will arrive to Tuamotus. I remember the first time I saw this archipelago in the map. Checking it Google Earth and these islands appeared in front of my eyes, not even islands; these islander rings. I laughed, they seemed not real, like a joke.Like the draw of a child. I thought that one day I would like to go there but was very distant desire, like a shooting star wish, like when you wish to tele-transport yourself or to fly.
Mauururu an island the other way around
It seems like leaving an ocean to enter into another, smaller. A little cup of sea. They are called atolls and are the opposite of islands. Sea surrounded by land and this land, again surrounded by the pacific ocean. A stretch of approximately 300 meters width constitute an imperfect ring that rest on the Pacific Ocean. In Mauururu, there is only one pass that communicates the lagoon with the open sea at all times.
After a few days moored in the pass we noticed something curious: water always flowed from the inside of the atoll to the outside. We thought the tidal changes would determine if the water leaves or enters the lagoon, but this is not the case. The water enters the lagoon by the south stretches where the atoll is narrower. Over there, small and occasional natural waterways appear and are used by the small sharks, fish and me with the kayak. Locals told me that these waterways only appear when the swell is strong and comes from the south because in the north the atoll is too wide. Almost a 3/4 of a mile!
When there is no swell, the flow of water through these channels is almost nonexistent. The lagoon looks like enclosed in a bubble. Sounds like a cliché but the sky melts with the sea in ways I have never seen before. A harmony of pastels that change slowly from orange to turquoise, to translucent while you are standing still feeling like you are in another dimension, totally sober. I was forgetting to mention that in Mauururu alcohol trade is forbidden by law.
The waves are here and it was worth waiting. They are clean lefts that break very close to the reef, one after the other, in different sizes, uniformly perfect. For the locals are dancing in the waves. Impressed. The drop is fast, just as they break their size increases showing their power when breaking in a blast, in a few meters, unless you are local and go play on top the reef. A perfect wave in a little island with a narrow pass, must not confuse it with a small wave. The expression good things come in small packages is a perfect match for these waves. I think seven surfers in these waves would be too many.
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| Foto: Melissa Mahoney |
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| Foto: Melissa Mahoney |
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| Foto: Melissa Mahoney |
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| Foto: Melissa Mahoney |
Octopus Hunting
Today while I was paddling the kayak around town, getting acquainted with the reef around the village, looking for waterways and a quiet place to sit on, I found a small sand beach. Some thirty coconut trees in the shore make it even more inviting so I beached the kayak. Reaching a coconut didn't look easy so I stayed enjoying the shade and a beautiful view. I was submerged in my thoughts and starting to fall sleep in the purest St. Martin style, when a visitor attracts my attention and brings me back to Mauururu. A curious and unfortunate little octopus came to me on a small wave. In this pristine sea, even seated good meters away, its fluid movements betrayed it. With very little faith, like playing my only card, I placed the end of the paddle in its way and surprisingly it fell for it. It embraced the paddle and rapidly I took it out of the water. Very nervous -both of us- battled in the shore, the octopus trying to escape back to the sea and I wanting to go back in time and never had come across its way. But the match is one. I keep turn it around like an anticucho spining my next move. By the coconuts I saw coming a smiling big man who probably watched the whole scene. He laugh hard and offered me a coconut and finished the dirty job. I went back to the boat, happy with our fresh caught lunch.
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| Foto: Melissa Mahoney |
The recipe I share along with this adventure is how to wash and boil an octopus.
To boil the octopus
1 octopus of 1 Kg (at least, if its smaller doesn't taste good)
1 turnip
1 tomato
1 hand of white rice
2 bags of green tea
a splash of soy sauce
Whole black pepper grains
A lot of salt and a plastic strainer or sand and a rock
Mihano -which is the name of the local who helped me kill the octopus- not only helped me with the octopus but taught me the local way to wash an octopus. And that is how life goes in Mauururu, the psychological and pathologic rush that affects us, mostly in big cities here is nonexistent.
Once the octopus is dead, he seat and "dust" it like a milanese but with beach sand. Then look for a stone that feels comfortable in his right hand and start rubbing it over the sanded octopus in such a way that the slime of the octopus comes off. Eventually he dip the octopus in the sea, "sand" it again and continue rubbing until feel it is soft enough and free of slime. This is the Tuamotu way to clean an octopus.
If we are not lucky enough to be on the beach but in a kitchen, we can simulate the Faaite style cleaning with salt and the help of a plastic strainer. Pour quite a bit of salt over the octopus and rub it against the strainer like you were washing dirty clothes but really dirty clothes. As with the previous method, we will see the foam appearing on the octopus skin as the slime disappears. Same as before we will verify -by rubbing with our hands- that it is soft and there is no slime. If you feel any slime, just put a little more salt and go again with the rubbing.
In a big pot we put 9 liters of water, add all the ingredients but the octopus and bring it to a boil over high heat, really high, should look like a witch's cooking pot.
We need to take out everything inside the head of the clean octopus. Don't forget to take out his mouth, a small beak that looks like a mussel. Then we need to scare it five times, this is dip it into the boiling water five times grabbing it by the head. After each plunge -here I recommend to use gloves so you don't burnt yourself- take it by the end of the tentacles and stretch it. After the fifth time we leave it in the boiling water for 40 minutes without turning down the heat. Next we will verify if it is soft with a knife and let it cool down in the same pot, patiently.
In Mauururu when not waves the point is magasin Mohana, home of our friend Tiarere, a talented dancer and choreographer.
After visiting a few times and make friend the girls invited me to dance with them. They want me to be part of the parade for the Heiva that will take place next Saturday. Tahitian dances are difficult to master but the girls are disciplined and get together every day, sometimes twice a day to practice. I am not so disciplined and only join them when there are no waves. My lack of perseverance and of talent kept me from participating in the comparsa officially. But still I join them and become part of the group.We made with palms and flowers the most beautiful outfits for the parade night. I kept on trying to get the Tahitian swing.
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| Foto: Melissa Mahoney |
In the same way as we arrived, two weeks later, in a hurry, without thinking much, still dreaming of coconut crab.
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