We wanted to up the long and winding road to the top of mountain at our starboard side.

But before, I prepared a business card for the French family of the SV Mojita at our starboard side. But before I could deliver it by our tender, they lifted the hook to go to Omoa just 5 NM south from here. I signaled them to come close to MaRe. Then I took an oar from our tender, and attached the business card on at the end of the oar. With such a long arm they could come close enough to take it. For me, being used to the Japanese etiquette of passing business card on with two hands, it was a kind of a funny way to give them our business card.

A while later we took the tender to the tiny harbor and started out long walk. I knew from my hike with Shigeo to the waterfall that at the very end of the village the road ascents steeply. Thus is necessary because there is not much space to built a less steep road.

We slowly but steadily walk up on the concrete built steep road. Although we were always in the same caldera the scenery changed with every meter we moved up. There are the mountains with trees on them and there are ones with no trees at all. This must have been caused be different volcanic eruptions in ancient days when the island were born as volcanos which blew their “heads” and only calderas remained.

The highest parts of the mountain walls are more or less vertical for several hundred meters. Their top is almost always covered in clouds. Thus, there should be cloud forest vegetation up there. Unfortunately there are no hiking trails up there. It looks even to be very difficult for experienced mountain climbers to reach the ridge of the highest caldera walls.

While walking we talked about the terms we should use for these remains of volcano. Can a part of caldera be called a “mountain”? We have no idea and thus just use the term “mountain” to refer to the remaining big and high “junks” of the caldera.

(Should you know how to call these “things”, please send a mail to skipper-cat-mare@myiridium.net)

Over all these scenery we could see the additional element of fast scurrying patches of sunlight, creating fast changing emphasis on the various elements, the tree covered areas, the meadow like looking parts of the landscape, the ridges of the caldera remnants, the houses down in the village, the sea.

Apropos houses, from high up I started estimating the number of houses of the village and ended up by about 100. As there are few, which I know but could not see, I would say the number of houses it’s between 100 – 150.

Then we came around a curve and there was a bull standing on our right side of the road and being tied to a tree on the left side of the road. Thus, the bull had full control of all places were we possibly could pass. Is the bull friendly and just staring at us foreigners, or does he wants to have some fun with getting foreigners on the horns and throw them somewhere, or is it preferred to stamp on us strange people? We approached him carefully and he simply watched me and ignored OBM stepping over his line on the other side of the street. When she was save I wanted to go to left street side as well. Then the bull suddenly put his head down to attack! But got immediately, too tired for action, and just trotted slowly to the other side of the street giving me the full right side.

When we got the first view down into bay, it was an incredible view on the flat sea with a very low swell but with wind patterns created by the gusts. Then there were also patches with sunlight interchanging with clouds shaded areas. A never ending story of changes.

Finally we reached a man made plateau were a even a caterpillar used to built the road was getting more rust every day. Sitting at it’s edge towards the bay, we saw our MaRe down there. She looked so tiny with lots of water around her. Close to her there was the even smaller Anixi swinging on her anchor. In the West there was the endless Pacific Ocean.

Looking at the high mountains from even a higher place let them appear so small. Only the real top ridges on the other side were, still higher and have their heads inside the clouds.

We rested their for a while and then started our descent. I was a bit afraid because I had still a not fully recovered knee and a huge hematoma in my right bum. After we walked for less than a kilometer, a car came from direction of Omoa, which means it’s goes to Hanavave. We got a ride down into the village on the cargo area of the pick up car. In less than 10 min we were down in the village…