Tag Archives: republic of marshall islands

The Return to Majuro

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It was time to return to Majuro after spending a month in the States.  We started our long return trip back to Monday on Monday and arrived on Thursday.  It is not as bad as it seems.

Texas to California

We woke up in Boerne (San Antonio, TX) at the Melnar’s house.  Matt and I drove the 1 hour 45 minutes to Austin.  We enjoyed our last TexMex meal at Maudie’s before we went to the airport.  We had a 3hr15min flight from Austin to Los Angeles where we arrived at 7:30pm.  Finally, we collected our 3 bags totaling 150lbs and went to Kimberly’s house.

My sweet sister made a delicious meal for us and then we spent the next 3 hours repacking our bags.  I had left one bag full of new stuff at her house.  We had to make sure each bag weighed less than 50lbs.  It was tricky but I managed to get each bag right in at 50lbs!  Lucky me.

Kimberly took us to the airport the next day.  We ended up having to pay for one extra bag each on United.  A mere $200 to go with the other $300 in baggage fees we’ve paid.

Our flight from Los Angeles to Hawaii was 5.5 hours.

Honolulu, Hawaii

We arrived at 5:00pm, collected our 4 bags plus our 3 carry on bags.  The Pacific Marina Inn sent their shuttle for us.  We had just enough time to Uber to dinner on a pier.  This is not a particularly nice place to stay, but they have a free shuttle, are close to the airport and have wifi.

The next morning we left the hotel at 4:00am.  We could not check in online and we had a ton of bags so we wanted to arrive early.  We were first in line but by the time the desk opened there were 50 people behind us.  See photo below with the carts filled with coolers.  Thank goodness we arrived early.

The flight to Majuro is 5 hours.

Majuro, Marshall Islands

We made it!  Matt with our 7 bags weighing in at over 250lbs.  I am so glad we made it back with all of our luggage.

Welcome to Majuro

Welcome to Majuro

Oh No!!

We get back to the boat and it is a HOT MESS! 

  • The waterline and bottom were disgusting and covered in growth. 
  • The inside was moldy and smelled dank.

This all despite the fact that we hired a friend to come to the boat daily.  

It took me 2.5 days to go through our bags and stow the junk.  Then I spent another day cleaning the interior of the boat.

We decided to go out to eat our first night back. 

While we were at dinner a massive rain storm hit Majuro.  Winds were blowing upward of 40-50kts, trees were blowing sideways, streets were flooded, and the power and internet went out. Gesh! 

Of course we had a 1/2 mile to walk back to the dinghy and mile dinghy ride to the boat. We were soaked.

When we got back to the boat we discovered a massive leak over the master bed. Great.  Everything was soaked through (sheets, pillows, mattresses, topper).

A trip to the laundry place was in order.  Luckily they have decent machines and it only cost $8 to do 2 loads of laundry (wash/dry).

We have a washer machine onboard but our water tanks are low and it keeps drizzling outside. 

We provisioned at two different stores to prepare for our upcoming voyage.  Then we left for Enemonit.

Cleaning the Outside

We wanted to use our pressure washer and wash down pump to clean the anchor chain as it came up.  We knew it would be filthy based on the waterline of the boat. 

Unfortunately, the wash down pump didn’t start so we had to bring the chain up dirty.  Not ideal!

We motor sailed the 5 miles to Enemonit, picked up a mooring and called it a night. 

The next morning there was a horrible fish smell in the house. 

We could smell the anchor chain – oh goodness! We quickly dropped all of the chain on the sea bed so we could clean it later.

It was time to clean the waterline and the bottom of the boat. I’m in the water at 7:30am and spend the next 2 hours cleaning. 

I scrubbed the chain as it slowly came up.  It took a long time and I was exhausted!  I spent 4 hours in the water.

We prepared our passage meals, got out our passage safety gear and headed back to town to clear out.

Meal Preparation

One of the things we’ve learned along the way is that having pre-cooked meals prior to leaving is a must have. 

Matt and I spent the better part of a day preparing and cooking the following for our 3 week trip:

  • Pulled pork (perfect for tacos, migas, and sandwiches)  (4 meals x 2 ppl)
  • Gumbo (just add rice and it makes a healthy hearty meal) (5 meals x 2ppl)
  • Butter Chicken (with curry) (4 meals x 2ppl)
  • Pot stickers (great for a snack or light meal) (2 meals x 2 ppl)
  • Eggplant Parmesan (1 meal x 2 ppl)
  • Snickerdoodle cookie dough (just bake)
  • Peppermint cookie dough (just bake)
  • English Muffins

We have to eat through all of our meats, dairy (milk, butter, cheese, eggs), produce (fruit, veg, onions, potato’s, fresh garlic), nuts, popcorn, honey and any seed product. 

None of these things are allowed into Fiji.  So, we either eat it or feed the fish.   

Checking out of Majuro, Marshall Islands

We returned to Majuro at the beginning of April 2025. 

Be sure to read our blog post “A Magical Wedding.”

Delusions of Fresh Produce

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Fresh produce has always been a bit elusive in the remote islands of the Pacific.  Most islands are hundreds if not thousands of miles away from the “main town.”   And even the main towns have to have the produce either flown in or shipped in.  Both modes of transportation are long, hard journeys often leaving the produce bruised, damaged, and spoiled.

We were very excited to arrive in Majuro because we heard you could get American products which we craved.  The Marshall Islands often get their food supplies from the U.S. and Hawaii in particular.  So, we had hoped we would have access to some tasty fresh vegetables and fruit.  Delusions of grandeur.

There are several stores that sell produce, but only 2 have a “decent” selection.  The best day to shop for produce is the day after the plane arrives which are Tuesdays and Saturdays.  This photo was taken at one of the better stores.  The worker was literally just stocking the shelves.  Most of this will be gone in 1-2 days.

 

What Did we Find?

We mostly found staples like potatoes, cabbage, onions, small eggplant (aubergine).  On a good day, we could find monster carrots, apples, bananas, celery, grapes.  It is a treasure hunt to find unblemished produce.

If there was produce on the shelves it typically was in some form of decay or spoiled.  Yet, it was still exceedingly expensive.  We find it really hard to believe anyone would buy the produce in the ruined state at such high costs.  So you would assume there is a lot of waste.

Just a little rough….and yet so very expensive!

The pre-packaged fruit is bug free but as you can tell they are poor condition (these were just put on the shelves)

In addition, there often are lots of bugs and critters on or around the produce. 

Exorbitant Prices

Prices for the fresh produce tend to be extremely high.  Understandable considering they are coming from another country by plane or ship.  But, they tend to be a lot higher than expected.  For example

  • Grapes $11.85/lb (so one bag will be over $23)
  • Carrots $3.45/lb
  • Apples $3.39/lb
  • Eggplant  $6.49/lb
  • Avocados $8/99/lb
  • Broccoli $6.45/lb

Not sure how the locals can afford these prohibitive prices considering the average Marshallese only makes $4.00 per hour. 

These were discounted because on Tuesdays they give “elderly” a discount.  Yep, I am elderly after 55!

Some more crazy prices.

Growing Produce in the Islands

Many locals in French Polynesia, Fiji, and Vanuatu had thriving gardens.  Almost every island had banana, mango, breadfruit, and pandanus trees.  However, we have not been so lucky in the RMI.

Most, if not all, of islands in RMI are rock and coral.  Making the “soil” unfavorable for gardening. 

Effects of No Produce

It is so very sad to report, but 75% of Marshallese over 50 have Type II diabetes.  Maybe because they don’t have access to good produce. Maybe because there is too much of an American influence. Or maybe they were never taught healthy habits and there simply aren’t many options.

Our blog posts run 4-6 weeks behind live events.  This blog took place in early March. Check out how we amused ourselves while at the remote island of Enemonit.

Returning to Society

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Matt and I spent 3.5 months in the outer atolls of the Marshall Islands.  It was an adventure to “get away” and experience remote living.  However, we were low on provisions, fuel, propane, and beer which means time to return to society.

We planned to return to Majuro around mid-to late February.  This limits the amount of time we have to spend in this anchorage. You can read the reasons why we don’t like this anchorage here and here.  But we have to endure the industrial anchorage in order to go shopping.  

Uliga Anchorage

The main anchorage is incredibly industrial and packed with supply ships, tankers, derelict boats, and lots of defunct, rotting equipment near shore.  It does not make for a scenic spot.

This is a far cry from the peaceful, scenic anchorages we’ve been in for the past 4 months.

Majuro Errands

We had a lot of errands to do in Majuro but tried to limit our time in the actual anchorage.  We anchored at Eneko and Enemonit when we were not running errands.  Here is our to do list:

  1. Fuel Station for both gasoline and diesel
  2. Propane depot to refill our propane tanks
  3. Markets for food, fresh produce, and beer
  4. U.S. Embassy to pick up Christine’s passport
  5. Bikini  Island offices to collect our refund
  6. Rongelap Island Office to give her drone photos of Rongelap, Rongerik, and Alinginae
  7. MOCIA office to discuss updating the Outer Island Permit for them
  8. NTA the local telecom company to get our local SIM card activated
  9. Post Office to update the phone and names on our PO box account. Pick up parcels
  10. Police Station and Ministry of Finance to get a Marshall Islands Drivers License
  11. General Shopping: hardware, marine, miscellaneous…

Fuel

We mostly sailed between the atolls and did not use very much of diesel.  However, we used a lot of gas as we took the dinghy to a lot of the surrounding islands inside each lagoon.  Sweetie, our dinghy went through 35 gallons of gas and we returned with 7 gallons.  $315 in Diesel ($5.25/gal) and $132 in gas ($6.60/gal).

Propane

Sugar Shack has (2) 4kg (8.8klb) bottles and (2) 9kg (20lb) bottles of propane.  We use propane to cook, bake, and grill.  It had been awhile since we filled our tanks and we were running low.  We took the (2) 9kg tanks to be filled to the closest and most convenient place.  However, when we arrived they informed us that they ran out of propane the night before.  Ugh!  So, we had to taxi over to the only other place called Marshall Energy Company.  They filled our two tanks for $76 and we were on our way!

Provisions & Markets

We were so low on provisions. The boat was completely out of fresh produce, cheese, milk, eggs, butter, peanut butter, beer and snacks.  No snacks!  We had plenty of meats and pastas.  We did not do a “full” provision run because we only have 6 weeks left on the boat.  Matt and I are both coming to the U.S. so we did not want any food to go bad while we were away.

The one ship I won’t complain about…the Costco delivery ship.

U.S. Embassy

My passport expires in October 2025.  It is not a big deal to renew your passport if you are living in the U.S.  However, renewing it while living abroad can be a challenge.  Lucky for me there is a U.S. Embassy here in RMI.  I completed and submitted the application in October 2024.  The new passport was ready for pick up in early December.  However, we were hundreds of miles away from the embassy at the time.  Against regulations, they agreed to hold my passport until I returned.  So,  when I returned in January, I scheduled an appointment to bring in my old passport to get a hole punch and picked up my new one!  Excellent.

It sounds silly to renew your passport one year before it expires, right?  Well, most countries require at least 6 months on your passport.  It was too risky to get it in the U.S. with a short visit.  There is no embassy in Kiribati or Tuvalu.  And I would not have the full 6-months left as we entered Fiji.  So, I had to renew a year early.

Government Offices

Can you believe I have errands with multiple government officials?  Here is the list:

  • Bikini Government Office:  Matt and I paid $250 USD to visit Bikini Atoll for 1 day.  We knew it would be unlikely that we would go for just one day.  However, we had to pay for 1 day for the option to go.  In the end, we were not able to sail to Bikini so we asked for a refund.  To our surprise they agreed to refund us $200 of the $250 which we consider a win!
  • Rongelap Government Office:  The woman in charge of the permits is incredibly nice.  We offered to take drone shots of her three atolls: Rongerik, Rongelap, and Alinginae.  So, we stopped by to drop off a SIM card with all of our land and aerial footage.  She was over the moon excited.
  • MOCIA Office:  This office is in charge of issuing most of the outer island permits (except Bikini and Rongelap). Chief Mabel, the woman in charge, asked if we would help her revamp the application.  We’ve been working with them to perfect this new online form.
  • NTA Telecom:  I had to visit the main office to reactivate my local SIM card and load it up so I have connectivity while on shore.  It also allows me to make local calls and have local businesses call us.
  • Post Office:  We have a “virtual P.O. Box” so we can receive mail and parcels here in the Marshall Islands.  Did you know that USPS is the mail service in the Marshall Islands?  Yep, the USA provides the mail service here.  Anyway, I had to update our phone number and remove one of our cruising friends from our account.  Plus we had lots of packages delivered from Amazon!

Drivers License

A new drivers license is not something I need, but rather something I want.  Why? Well, why not?  It is pretty easy to get a Marshall Islands drivers license.  You go to the police station on Tuesday or Thursday and fill out a form.  Then you go to the Ministry of Finance to pay a $20 processing fee.  A quick return to the police station to show your receipt and take a photo.  Five minutes later you have a colorful Marshallese drivers license good for three years!

Our blog posts run 4-6 weeks behind actual live events.  We returned to society in early February 2025.  See what it is like to sail between the island chains in the Marshall Islands.