November 16, 2012
The next morning, we headed into the town of Pengai. I was struck by how much it reminded me of Baja, Mexico as it managed to have a dry, dusty feeling in spite of being in the tropics. It’s not the prettiest place and there’s not much there; so most cruisers choose to bypass it.
There is one attraction, though, and that’s the legendary Mariner’s Cafe. It’s owned by former cruisers who years ago opened this little bar/restaurant. They cater to the cruising crowd, offering advice and information, internet service, and general camaraderie. They also have a guest book, and it’s fun to go look at who’s been there before you. Even though we hadn’t planned to stop here, I was glad we got to see it. I was aware as we signed the book that we were very likely to be the last entry for 2012.
The customs office wasn’t far as this is a very small town. We had heard the locals here are friendly, but we didn’t find that to be the case as almost all our hellos to passers-by were either ignored or met with stares. It was a startling contrast to the warm and friendly people of Vava’u. The customs official was OK, but he wanted to know: “Why so many boats this year? There are too many boats!” I felt as though he expected us to do something about this. (I have to say he’d be really shocked at the number if every boat actually checked in!)
All in all the welcome here was really lukewarm, even from the Mariner’s Cafe. Maybe the masses of boats this year have worn everyone out. We decided to head on to our next destination that afternoon, Uoleva Beach, a few miles south. We had caught up to three other boats here yesterday, and they had all left by the time we returned to Legacy. Once again, we were alone. -Cyndi
