[password] caesar

[position] 19 08.912s 178 33.945w

[status] 0730hrs 9 July 2018. As of today, we've been in Falaga for one month, the longest of any boat this season, so far. The yachtie fleet is down to 4 boats, including us, from a high of 14. Due to strong, persistent SE-SSE 17-24kt winds no boats have arrived in the past 2-weeks. That's fine with us. The less the merrier. Our whole object visiting remote locations is the remoteness.

For the past 2 days I have been crafting a jury-rig repair on our host's water tank. It's a large plastic tank given by the government as part of a program to change over villagers' tanks from old concrete ones. Our hosts got their tank about a year ago along with the rest of the villagers. There is only one mechanical part to the tank - the faucet valve. Guess what broke? All that is required is to tighten a plastic nut on the inside of the tank and a plastic nut at the same time on the outside of the tank to secure the plastic through-pipe. Well, they overtightened the inside nut and broke it. We truly love the villagers. They're wonderfully friendly and generous people. But giving them something mechanical to take care of and last is as likely as Trump being a great president, or even a mediocre one.. I think my fix will be good. But we now have to wait for sufficient rain to fill the tank to the level of the valve to see if it doesn't leak. This being the dry season, and Falaga not known for copious rain during any part of the year, it may be a long wait.

Yesterday Leilani got to do what she likes best. Shopping. That's right, she went to the shopping mall at two of the three villages on Falaga. She was happy as a pig in mud. Both stores are spacious huts the size of a walk-in closet stocked with all the latest onions, potatoes, flour, vegie oil, rice, sandpaper, matches, and socks. She didn't know where to start. So she bought essentials - oil, rice, flour - to give as presents to our hosts. We kept the onions and potatoes. She thought about getting them socks, but didn't know their size.

After all the repair work and shopping, we're glad it's Sunday, a day of rest. We really need it. Until next time.

Sototale
John & Leilani

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