Catching Up

We (Peter and I) just returned from a weeklong dive vacation, so I'm returning to reality.  Much of modern life takes a break when one is limited to the resources (electronic, electric, sanitary) of a small mid-Pacific island.  It does, though, provide a degree of freedom.  Other than having to meter out the use of things that I had in very limited quantity (like the charge on the battery in my camera, since I'd forgotten to bring the extra battery and the battery charger), there were things that were lovely to have in abundance, like the fresh, deep green tangerines that are native to Kosrae.  We ate these on the dive boat along with fresh native bananas.  I ate many servings of breadfruit chips (something between our own potato chips and fries) during lunches and dinners, and my breakfasts consistently included slices of fresh papaya which were longer and generally larger than the Hawaiian papayas I've had in the past.

I indulged in things such as free-flowing coffee and iced coffee (with which I kept myself somewhat hydrated, along with liberal douses of rainwater for drinking).  We made two boat dives per day.  We were the only divers at the resort for the week we were there, so we had the dive boat to ourselves, as well as the DM (Dive Master), Salek,  who served as our guide and dive leader.  He held a line to a float that allowed the dive boat to follow us, as we were primarily on "drift" dives, during which we floated along with the current, which was sometimes quite strong and swift, as can be seen in this movie Peter captured:

We watched fruit bats flying during our walks in the evening dusk, tried stand-up paddling (the first time for either of us) one afternoon, and occasionally ate in the covered outdoor seating area of the restaurant, where we could watch the rain that sometimes fell torrentially.

It was idyllic in many ways.  Although we live in one divers' paradise (and there are many great SCUBA dive sites in Southern California), I had never experienced warm water diving. along with the varied and fascinating sea life, like this before.  And it was wonderful!  The brightly-colored living coral, both hard and soft, anemones, fish, including barracuda, eagle rays, and the young sea turtle I swam with all made the trip memorable.

I was reminded, though, of reality when we went to one marina, however, because next to the road, near the marina, was a sign that advertised a campaign for preparing the islands for climate change.  There, where everyday lives are dependent on the ocean and its vicissitudes, people are recognizing and facing the reality that is climate change.  Here, in San Diego, our local government is also preparing for the effects of climate change, as well, though I'm not convinced it is seen as emergent an event as it is on the islands where most people live within a mere few feet of sea level.

No, they do not drive electric vehicles on the islands (their electricity is, unfortunately, made by burning diesel).  When speaking with Adam, a young historian who led us on a tour of historic sites on the island, we mentioned seeing an aquaculture center, which turned out to have been a private enterprise established by a man who essentially wanted legal cover for taking and selling tens of thousands of reef fish from the island and its surrounding waters.

There is hope, though, that there will be sustainable practices used and taught there in the future, as that businessman owner appears to have abandoned the project and it has been taken over by local authorities who have a less selfish and commercial view of the institution.

The owners of the resort where we stayed (and I use the term "resort" advisedly) are Australian natives, as are their sons and daughter-in-law.  One son was the main Dive Master and dive operator, and the younger served as our boat driver for the last two days of diving (we had five dive days total while there).  The parents were on a three-month holiday and would not return until October.  Sounds like the business is doing well for them, at least.

But now that I am returned to San Diego, I will start on the projects which I began to think about while we were still in Advanced Bakeshop Skills, including making chocolate confections using corn syrup to prevent crystallization of the sugar and grinding my own cocoa beans which had been given to me by my parents, who procured them on a trip on which they cruised through the Panama Canal.

I now have another ingredient to look for in grocery stores:  breadfruit.  I wonder what its interior really feels like when it is fresh, for it appears to have a central core from which fibers grow to an outer skin.  The texture appears that way, at least.  I will need to research my local markets and see if any of them carry it, and report if I find them.

I had originally intended to list each meal as we had them, but after the first couple of days, I realized that this was no foodie holiday.  The food was definitely secondary to the outdoor activities.  They also had kayaks out back near the mangrove, but we didn't take the opportunity to take any of them out (we went paddling on boards, instead).

Enough.  I'm sure there will be more substantive topics for me to cover in future installments.  For now, I'm relaxing and getting ready for sending Kat back to school.