Hi everyone and Happy Mother’s Day to my mum and all others celebrating in the UK!

At the end of my time in Pohnpei a few days ago, I got back on the Island Hopper to fly to Majuro, the capital and main island of the Marshall Islands. Before leaving Pohnpei, I had a nice chat with a lady selling snacks in the small room which comprises airport departures. She asked if I was married and, when I said no, replied: “Congratulations!” The plane stopped briefly in Kwajalein, a US military base. Only people with permits could leave the aircraft, and those left on board weren’t allowed to take photos and videos of the island. I saw a few military and cargo planes and some golfers waving us off, but otherwise not much to report.

The Marshall Islands are a very low-lying island chain formed of coral atolls, like many places in this part of the world. Majuro itself is extremely long and thin, with only one main road connecting one end of the island with the other (it apparently takes around 3 hours to drive its entire length, but the island is only 50-100m wide!). It was very hot and humid while I was there – probably the hottest place I’ve visited so far on this trip. Thankfully, my sunburn has healed well, leaving me with a sort of tan for once in my life, and I’m going to great lengths not to get burnt again!

I spent a couple of days relaxing in Majuro and catching up on this blog and various pieces of art. My hotel, Robert Reimers, was a decent enough option, with some idiosyncrasies like most hotels in this part of the world. It’s one of the oldest and most famous hotels in Majuro. One of the locals told me that the founder was a German man who was hidden by his nanny when the Japanese invaded the Marshall Islands in the 1940s and gave the colonial Germans 12 hours to leave. I believe he was later reunited with his family and founded both the hotel and a series of other businesses on the island. The hotel also had a restaurant/bar, which served nice enough food but was sadly fully enclosed with no terrace or direct view of the ocean just 30m or so away.

On my first full day in Majuro, I paid a visit to the Alele Museum, which is the national museum and archive of the Marshall Islands. There was a power outage on the day I visited but the staff allowed me, the only visitor, to look around using my phone flashlight. It’s a small but interesting museum with a good overview of traditional Marshallese crafts and culture, the legacy of American nuclear testing in the 1940s to 1960s, and modern challenges such as rising sea levels (which are particularly dangerous for such a low-lying country). Like several other countries I’ve visited on this trip, the Marshall Islands remains heavily dependent on aid from the US and other countries. I met quite a few people who are working for the UN and NGOs on various development projects.

On my last night in the Marshall Islands (for now), I’d booked to stay overnight on Bikendrik Island, a private island resort not far by boat from Majuro. It’s owned and run by a wonderfully eccentric Australian lady, Suzanne, and formerly her husband too when he was still alive. Much has been written about the island which I don’t intend to repeat at length here, including a fantastic article and video in The Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2015/jun/13/kaysers-of-bikendrick-island-video: Marshall Islands (Part 1) and Bikendrik Island

What I can say is that the island totally lived up to its billing and hefty price tag. I spent just over 24 hours there in a bungalow right next to the ocean, with views of the gardens and sea from the other side too. It was exquisitely decorated with many unique treasures, including two Picasso drawings which inspired me to paint the view in Cubist style! I took a wander around the island to enjoy the beautiful sea views, including a narrow channel separating the island from the next which runs very quickly at high tide (“do not swim here or you will end up in Papua New Guinea!”). I also went snorkelling in the lagoon and saw an incredible variety of fish on the coral reef. I was the only guest so I was able to completely relax and enjoy myself.

Despite the extraordinary beauty and tranquility of the island, the best thing about it was Suzanne and her amazing stories and cooking. We began each meal with a cocktail on her terrace (she mixed up 1920s English cocktails especially for me!). She told me about her life, which comprised many years working for the Gaddafis in Libya (!), and how she came to choose the Marshall Islands as her home. She had many interesting thoughts to share about the country and its current challenges. She then served me exquisite, multi-course French meals on vintage crockery with accompanying wine and spirits. How she manages to get hold of all those ingredients in such a remote place, I’ll never know! I could write many paragraphs about the delicious food but I’ll leave you with a photo of the boeuf bourgignon that I had as my main course for lunch on the first day:

The island was wild and stormy overnight, with no sounds apart from the pounding of the waves, the occasional barking dog, and the clicking of geckos. One gecko seemed particularly interested in my glass of coke and I managed to catch him in the act! I was rather sad to leave the island and return to Majuro the following morning, after a delicious breakfast of shakshuka – one of my favourites. I very much hope to return one day and would highly recommend a visit if you ever get the opportunity. More soon!

Cross-stitch progress update

(I’m planning to have this blog printed in book form for my own records and future enjoyment, and hope to mount the finished cross-stitch on the front cover!)