Category Archives: Travel

Nirvana on Rangiroa

Breaking News-Blog Release Dates

We have had so much fun in French Polynesia that our blogs can’t keep up!  As many of you know, our blogs are usually 6-8 weeks behind us.  Why do you ask?  It takes several hours to write each blog, compose the photos, upload the data and fix the SEO.  So, normally, I write the blog post offline.  When I find internet, I upload the content, photos and load the blog.  But the problem arises when we can’t find access to the world wide web, which can last for weeks on end.

Needless to say, we stock pile posts and schedule them to be released while we are offline. This will ensure that you always have something fabulous to read each week.  However, I have written so many posts about all of our amazing Polynesian adventures that they were being scheduled out through next year!  Yikes 3.5 months is way too long to wait.

Blog Release Dates

So, we have a new release schedule. Check out a new blog every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday!  Imagine all the work you can delay while reading our blog!  Blogs are released at 0700 PST every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday through the end of the year.

Website: svSugarShack.com

Did you know you can register at our blog?  Go to “Home” page, then on right hand side click “Register.” You will receive emails when a new blog is released once you are registered.  It’s easy and free.  This way you won’t miss a single adventure.

Gallery: Photos of Sugar Shack

Many of you have asked for photos of Sugar Shack.  We have created a new Gallery which has photos of the interior and exterior.  Go to the “home” page and click on  “Sugar Shack Gallery Page” then click on “Photos of Sugar Shack.”

Sugar Shack Standing Proud

Sugar Shack Standing Proud

Tracking us on Sugar Shack

Did you know that you can track our location at any time? Simply go to our “Home” page, click “Current Location.”

Send us Some Love

We always love to hear from you. Please don’t be shy about sending a comment on our blog, Facebook page or Instagram account (sv Sugar Shack)!

Makatea Belvedere Lookout

Makatea Belvedere Lookout

Facebook

Did you know that you can “like” us on our Sugar Shack Facebook page?  I know it’s hard to remember to check our blog, svSugarShack.com each week, so be sure to “like” our svSugarShack Facebook  page (facebook.com/svsugarshack) to see when new posts are launched.

Lightning Strike Blog

Tomorrow we will launch a post on our lightning strike that occurred in Costa Rica two years ago.  Stay tuned.

Tahiti Marina Tainia

Tahiti Excursion

What?  Tahiti, but you just arrived in the Gambiers!  What is going on?  Well, let me tell you.  Matt and I sold our home in Austin Texas.  However, we did not want to fly back to the states to sign the documents so we hired an attorney to act as our “power of attorney (POA).”  The only problem was the title company insisted on a U.S. notary signing the POA.  So, we had to fly to Tahiti to meet the U.S. Consulate to notarize our documents.  We also had to submit our carte de sejur application for our long stay visa and run a few other errands so all good!

We took a ferry from Mangareva to an uninhabited neighboring island called Totegegie, where the airport is located.  Ferry and airport below.  The airport is lovely from the outside 🙂

Ferry to GMR Airport and Airport

Ferry to GMR Airport and Airport

We hopped on Air Tahiti, connected in HAO and 6 hours later arrived in Papeete, Tahiti.

HAO Airport

HAO Airport

Arriving in Papeete

We found several marine stores and made mental lists for boat parts and products when we come back with the boat.  We found many decently stocked markets, pharmacies and hardware stores as well.  We met with our agent, visited the local poste to get a stamp and then submitted our visa paperwork at the Haute Commissionaire’s office.  We attempted to get signed up for a local wifi service, but we could not convince anyone to give us a local address.  We will have to work on this when we return in June with the boat.

And of course, we met with the U.S. Consulate who told us wild stories and became a new friend.  He  notarized our documents and we gave them to our agent to fedex them to the states.

Matt has to get a French HAM license or our SSB radio.  Evidently, his U.S. HAM license is not valid or legal with our current equipment in French Polynesia.  So, he had to get a French HAM license.  We got the proper forms and email address to send off when we return to the boat.

After two days of running all over the island to complete our business, we spent the 3rd and final day playing tourist.  We drove around the entire island and even saw a little bit of Tahiti Iti.  It is not a big island so the round trip would probably only take you 2.5 hours if you did not stop.

Grottes de Maraa

Along the coast of Tahiti we came across the Grotties de Maraa.  Thinking this had to be a “grotto” we hopped out and jumped on the lush, over populated path.  We came across a strange tree that had roots growing from high branches and a beautiful pyramid red flower.

Grotes in Tahiti Walking Path

Grotes in Tahiti Walking Path

There were two grottes along this path.  The first one appeared to have an enormous weeping wall that steadily dripped fresh water into the pool below.  The lily pads were easily plucked from the water, but from a far they appeared for form a pretty green highway to the cave.

Grottes

Grottes de Maraa

The second grottes had a wide variety of plants, ferns, flowers, and trees growing off the side of the wall leading to the fresh water pool.  It was as if they formed a layered curtain to hide the entrance for intruders.  Such incredibly beauty!

Grottes de Maraa

Grottes de Maraa

Les Tres Cascades

About 10 miles from Papeete, the main town, we found Les Tres Cascades.  We were running out of time so we only walked to one of the falls, but it is my understanding that it is the prettiest.

Tres Cascades (three waterfalls) which are all over 300′ tall.  The myth is a powerful chief forbade all the males in the town from speaking or interacting with his beautiful daughter or risk death.  At 17 she secretly met a wizard of the valley who hid them behind a waterfall so her guards could not find them.  In addition, he curtained another waterfall to hide the guards.  Thus creating the tres casacades.

On the way to the entrance, we captured one of the falls.  The interesting thing to me was that many small shacks were at the base of these stunning waterfalls.

Les Tres Cascades

Les Tres Cascades

Les Tres Cascades

Les Tres Cascades

Tou du Souffleur (Blow Hole) 1-collage w/ 3 pics

Perched along the rocky coast of Tahiti and bordered by a scenic black sand beach, Arahoho Blowhole is one of the island’s most visited natural wonders. As waves crash against the shore, a powerful geyser-like eruption sends spectacular plumes of water into the air out of the side of the rocks.

Blow Hole

Blow Hole

We did a lot of business and frequented a few bars at the Marina Taina.

Tahiti Marina Tainia

Tahiti Marina Tainia

Beautiful sunset from the Pink Coconut bar

Sunset from Pink Coconut, Tahiti

Sunset from Pink Coconut, Tahiti

All said and done, Tahiti is a very green, lush, vibrant island.  We were mostly doing “city” stuff so we did not see the splendor of the island, the white sand beaches, turquoise waters or serene scenes.  Hopefully, we will when we come back with the boat!

Mano del Desierto

Antofagasta Adventures

Where ever we go we seem to find or make an adventure out of it.  Although we only spent a little time in this city, we had a lot of crazy Antofagasta Adventures.  Whether it be exploring, working on a project, or searching for a connector.

Local sculpture between the water and city

Local sculpture between the water and city

EXPLORING:

Matt and I had not explored the southern portion of Antofagasta.  So, we set out on a bright, sunny day, turned right and kept walking.  We passed several pop up tiendas with locals selling their wares, a new Jumbo grocery market and an Easy hardware store.

Pop up Tiendas

Pop up Tiendas

We finally made it to Balneario Municipal Antofagasta which is “the” beach for locals.  They have a giant slide, a floating islands in the center of the bay, free showers and several eateries.  They even had a sectioned off area for kids to play in the water.  It was a protected bay with about 2′ of water.

Beach: Balneario Municipal Antofagasta

Beach: Balneario Municipal Antofagasta

We walked a little further and realized we were almost to the end of town.  So, we doubled back, stopped in for a cold beverage and hit the Jumbo and Easy stores.

As you know, there is a never ending project list on a boat (as on a house).  After we were rested and finished exploring Antofagasta, we checked a few boat projects and pre-departure preparations off our list.

Mano  del Desierto – Hand in the Desert

Several tour companies highlighted tourist spots in and around Antofagasta.  One of those spots is a giant hand in the desert.  What, you ask?  We had to see it.  We rented a car and drove 45 minutes into the Atacama Desert.  You certainly can’t miss it because it is huge.

Mano del Desierto

Mano del Desierto

The Mano del Desierto sculpture was constructed by the Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal at an altitude of 1,100 meters above sea level. Its exaggerated size is said to emphasize human vulnerability and helplessness.  The work has a base of iron and concrete, and stands 11 metres (36 ft) tall.

Mano del Desierto

Mano del Desierto

Matt thought it would be fun to try to take the rental car (a Chevrolet Sail) up the mountain.  Unfortunately, it only made it half way before we rolled it back down.  We did manage to hike to the top, which was hard with the altitude.

Matt trying to drive the rental car up the hill

Matt trying to drive the rental car up the hill

Cerro El Ancla (Anchor Hill)

We stare at this upside down anchor every day.  We gauge where we need to go and where we’ve been using the anchor as a mark.  The “Cerro El Ancla” anchor symbol, installed since the beginning of the city of Antofagasta, has become one of the emblems of the city

The origins of the anchor lie in the foundation of the city itself. In the founding charter of La Chimba, it was ordered to mark with an anchor the most visible point of the hill adjacent to the nascent population. In 1868 , Jorge Hicks ordered an employee named Clavería to paint an anchor, as a reference sign for the ships that sailed San Jorge Bay to Antofagasta.  Claveria misread instructions Hicks, thus finally painted an inverted anchor.

It is no easy thing to get to the ancla.  First, you have to walk / hike to the top of the city to get to the base of the hill.  Then you hit the dirt roads.  In the first picture, the flag indicates where the anchor is located.  The second photo is a shot 1/2 way up the hill.  The center is a shot from the base of the hill.

Trails to Cerro El Ancla

Trails to Cerro El Ancla

At the base of the hill is the monument to the upside down anchor (top left).  Me sitting on the anchor, resting and admiring the view (top right) Photo with the arrow shows you where Sugar Shack is located.  And if you zoom in on the bottom right you can see me still sitting on the anchor as Matt walks around and to the top.

Cerro El Ancla

Cerro El Ancla