And so it was Sunday. I love Sunday on the land, because on the sea it really does not matter what day it is. But for the navigation the sailor wouldn’t even know what time it is. But what for? The sun rises - the day comes, the moon appears – the night falls. That’s it. But this is on the sea, and here Sunday means amongst other things, little traffic. Imagine that in the town of Port Vila even though it is very small - I have counted only 18 streets☺, there are as many cars and buses as mosquitos! I mean a lot! These are mostly overcrowded buses as hardly any citizen of the island possesses his own vehicle. For 100 Vatu (more less 3 PLN, or 1 Dollar US) one can take a ride wherever one wishes to go unless he or she will not come to agreement regarding the price at the beginning of the bus craziness and this ride can afterwards cost one even 20 times more! There are also taxis, but sometimes in such terrible condition that you get into it and shortly afterwards it turns out the taxi driver cannot start the engine. However, if the car manages to start it goes like a crazy horse! Woe to all pedestrians, as there is no speed limit in here – and in connection to the just mentioned speeding there are not any tickets for speeding. ☺ And I also heard that it happens that policemen help drunk drivers to open the car door when they are not able to do so. It’s very kind of them, isn’t it? Okay, but going back to Sunday. Its good I didn’t get used to drinking beer as it’s impossible to buy any alcohol drinks anywhere (so there’s no wonder there aren’t many of my fellow countrymen in here)
Actually almost all stores are closed, so I guess there’s no sense to go around and look for the missing yacht parts. Especially that this Sunday is a special Sunday. Special as it’s raining. What am I saying? It’s not raining, it’s pouring! You should regret you didn’t see my face when I got back on Tanasza. ....Before going to the toilet I left the hatch open.....Well I wasn’t born today. I shouldn’t have been in the toilet that long or just closed the hatch. But its supposed to be about Sunday. So if it is raining, there’s no need to go up the mast to get the furler of the jib. I mean I might do it but unfortunately I cannot do it on my own as the steps are only half of the mast height and I don’t have a selfclimber, the device that lets me go up the mast myself (by the way if anyone has one they don’t need, or would like to help me buy it, you know where you can find me). Because of this rainy Sunday I cannot count on any fellow that would certainly crop up on the quayside. If it only was a nice sunny day I could drag him to work right away. So for the lack of selfclimber device, marvelous raining Sunday and lack of possible work victim I am happy with my little rest time. I will go to the café to feel the local atmosphere, I will write some post cards, meet some friends, read the instructions of furler installation. Sundays are lovely days!
Few hours later:
On the my way through the town I met a lazy man sitting on a stick who was selling necklaces and bracelets. He was a citizen of the neighboring little tiny island where there aren’t any shops. Seemingly it is practiced that the council of such little island from time to time ships a person to the main town where some gifts are collected, decorations from shells are sold to tourists and with money collected this way, school equipment is bought afterwards. The salesman asked about blankets and clothes. We agreed that he would come to Tanasza later on. Surely I will find something for them that I can do without. On the way back from the town I was about to buy some fresh vegetables and fruit. They have a really well provided for market. One can find here red grapefruit, papaya, avocado, carrots, coconuts, chirimoye....Everything organic and smelling like from the garden of my grandma. Saleswomen often with little babies sleeping on matting underneath a market roof, peeling nuts in the evenings, cleansing the coconuts. And proceeding this way for six days a week before they go back to their villages.
And today, damn, the market was not opened. Yet it is SUNDAY!
PS. Á propos chirimoyi - I wanted to make a video and I went to the market so you could see how it really looks. I was very excited and wanted to buy chirimoyi and understand I am standing in front of the camera telling the story how my sister Agnieszka living in Chile was prizing the fruit, how it should be eaten and what it looks like inside. I turned the camera off and met my friend who just stated with regret that today at the market he cannot find exactly chirimoyi. I say – if not so, okay. ....Yet they are here and I indicated with a finger....and this way it appeared that my chirimoyi turned out to be a Papaya! Well I have never bought Papaya before, either! ☺
Actually almost all stores are closed, so I guess there’s no sense to go around and look for the missing yacht parts. Especially that this Sunday is a special Sunday. Special as it’s raining. What am I saying? It’s not raining, it’s pouring! You should regret you didn’t see my face when I got back on Tanasza. ....Before going to the toilet I left the hatch open.....Well I wasn’t born today. I shouldn’t have been in the toilet that long or just closed the hatch. But its supposed to be about Sunday. So if it is raining, there’s no need to go up the mast to get the furler of the jib. I mean I might do it but unfortunately I cannot do it on my own as the steps are only half of the mast height and I don’t have a selfclimber, the device that lets me go up the mast myself (by the way if anyone has one they don’t need, or would like to help me buy it, you know where you can find me). Because of this rainy Sunday I cannot count on any fellow that would certainly crop up on the quayside. If it only was a nice sunny day I could drag him to work right away. So for the lack of selfclimber device, marvelous raining Sunday and lack of possible work victim I am happy with my little rest time. I will go to the café to feel the local atmosphere, I will write some post cards, meet some friends, read the instructions of furler installation. Sundays are lovely days!
Few hours later:
On the my way through the town I met a lazy man sitting on a stick who was selling necklaces and bracelets. He was a citizen of the neighboring little tiny island where there aren’t any shops. Seemingly it is practiced that the council of such little island from time to time ships a person to the main town where some gifts are collected, decorations from shells are sold to tourists and with money collected this way, school equipment is bought afterwards. The salesman asked about blankets and clothes. We agreed that he would come to Tanasza later on. Surely I will find something for them that I can do without. On the way back from the town I was about to buy some fresh vegetables and fruit. They have a really well provided for market. One can find here red grapefruit, papaya, avocado, carrots, coconuts, chirimoye....Everything organic and smelling like from the garden of my grandma. Saleswomen often with little babies sleeping on matting underneath a market roof, peeling nuts in the evenings, cleansing the coconuts. And proceeding this way for six days a week before they go back to their villages.
And today, damn, the market was not opened. Yet it is SUNDAY!
PS. Á propos chirimoyi - I wanted to make a video and I went to the market so you could see how it really looks. I was very excited and wanted to buy chirimoyi and understand I am standing in front of the camera telling the story how my sister Agnieszka living in Chile was prizing the fruit, how it should be eaten and what it looks like inside. I turned the camera off and met my friend who just stated with regret that today at the market he cannot find exactly chirimoyi. I say – if not so, okay. ....Yet they are here and I indicated with a finger....and this way it appeared that my chirimoyi turned out to be a Papaya! Well I have never bought Papaya before, either! ☺