Ua Pou is an island that is difficult to describe, and even the photos don’t do it justice. Located in isolation in the South Pacific, nearly all of its outside supplies come by boat, and the locals find their own ways to live and carry on between monthly visits of the cargo ship, the Aranui, which also carried us there. The children are particularly adept at finding their own amusement; more about that on a future post.
The top left photo shows the Aranui at the dock at the village of Hakahau, where we docked 10 years ago during our first visit there. The upper right photo shows the airport which offers limited commercial service. Landing is done uphill and takeoff downhill regardless of the wind direction, and once committed to landing, for better or for worse, the airplane will end up on the ground. There is no option to abort the landing on final approach due to the surrounding mountains, so we were quite content to arrive by boat!
The lower two images show the towering spires of volcanic plugs that were intermittently cloaked with clouds. They were taken as we reluctantly departed this amazing island. It is a place we return to again and again in our minds.
#uapou #aranui #marquesas #frenchpolynesia
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Eskildoodle Photos and Feelings 