Mamitupu Morning

The calmest times on the boat, whether on a passage or not, are the early morning hours. Nothing beats having a cup of warm coffee and watching the night disappear. At Mamitipu, just before dawn, I thought I was the only person on the water until I saw the outline of a canoe being rowed from the island village to land. Shortly thereafter, as the sun began to appear, another canoe and another glided past. It was morning rush hour at Manitipu, except this one was distinctly not the usual rush hour as everyone had a smile and a wave for me.

Yesterday, an older man paddled by the boat. After some back and forth, we realized he was requesting payment for staying in their bay. He had with him an official looking pad with an old piece of ditto paper. After thumbing through the pages, I figured out the cost was USD 10. I filled in the form,in duplicate, and gave him the money. Then he offered up some embroidered patches for sale. We bit.

We had read that the remote villages have nightly congressos, led by the village chief, so that the people can discuss and debate the matters of the day. I wonder whether anyone brought up the presence of the foreign boat as a news item? We certainly discussed them during our nightly meal, wondering what they do on the mainland and reflecting on how content the people of Mamitupu seemed.