April 13, 2016
A Mystery Island: Success!!!
Dea's eye was feeling really bad in the morning and she decided to just stay on the boat and rest while I implemented my cunning plan to cycle in Vanuatu. It was a good cunning plan, even by my standards. The previous night, working by headtorch in our cramped room while Dea rested, I'd taken my bicycle entirely apart, and now I planned to take it across to Vanuatu piece by piece. The tender boats went back and forth all day. I reasoned I'd take the frame first, then come back for the wheels, and finally the fork and handlebars. Then I'd rebuild the bike on the island, cycle a hundred metres or so, and take it apart again to bring it back. It would only take all day. It was pure genius.
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Knowing that I'd have to make at least half a dozen trips back and forth on the lifeboats I was downstairs as soon as our cruise director Carlos made the announcement that the first boat was ready. I rushed downstairs with my bicycle frame in my hands, getting some very confused looks on the way, until I made it down to the staff manning the tender boats.
“No bicycles” they said, and a hand was held up to bar my progress.
“It's not a bicycle!” I protested, “It's a bicycle frame!”
Despite this true statement I was still not allowed through. I stepped aside to let the other passengers board, but I wasn't backing down. “I was told I couldn't take the bike because it would block the passageways. This is just a frame, I can hold it on my lap.”
“Wait” I was told, and one of the men made a call over the radio. He soon was given a message which he relayed to me. “The captain has said you can take your bicycle today. But you must go on the first tender boat, and come back on the last tender boat. Okay?”
While this was good news, it would have been better news had it been given to me before I took my bicycle apart! I could hardly believe it as I now stood with just my frame in my hands as the first tender boat reached full capacity and set sail for Vanuatu.
I took my protests, now becoming quite vehement, up to the front reception desk. I'd been given permission by the captain to take my bike on the first tender boat only, and now I'd missed it because I'd taken my bike apart quite needlessly, because nobody had passed on the message. Naturally I was quite vexed. Fortunately this vexation was appreciated by the front desk staff and I was soon talking with a more senior woman who was the head of customer relations or some sort. After hearing my story she said “You know this is a very small island, in fact it is just sand, you won't be able to ride your bike anyway.”
“I know! But I'm cycling around the world and I want to ride my bike in 100 countries, so I'd really like to cycle in Vanuatu!!!”
She turned to the lifeboat staff and spoke for a moment, before turning back to me and sighing, “Okay, you can put your bike back together and take it on another tender boat.”
Success!!!
I took my frame back up to the room to rebuild the bike and found Dea lying in bed taking eyedrops and looking all adorable and sick. She'd given in and paid the $95 to visit the doctor while I was trying to get on the boat, and he'd diagnosed her with conjunctivitis and prescribed her the eyedrops. I put my bike back together. With the cramped conditions and the rush I did a particularly poor job of it and actually managed to break my bike in several different ways (lost bearings from the headset, cables fraying, etc.) But it didn't matter. As long as I could cycle it a little bit I didn't need it to work very well.
I took the bike back down to the tender boats and walked up to board. “No bicycles” they said. No, not really. They let me on this time. “Be sure to bring it back on the last tender boat” they told me though. And finally I was on the lifeboat with my bicycle. Blocking the passageway a little bit, true, but it was a lifeboat. If we had to evacuate from a lifeboat we really would be in trouble. And we sailed over to Mystery Island, the very small little piece of paradise we were stopping at today. I was first out on the island where I found that it was indeed all sand and I couldn't cycle.
Funnily enough nobody lives on Mystery Island. It is a tiny little island, just a few square kilometres. There were locals on it though. They had come over from a village on the much larger and mountainous island just across the water. It was one of these who said hello to me and asked me what I was doing here with a bicycle. His name was Tony, and after hearing my story he offered to show me where I could ride the bike. Just on the other side of the island, through the palm trees, he led me to an airstrip of all things. It was built to service the allied forces in the second world war and with it being a long stretch of grass it now served as the scene for me to ride my bicycle in the 46th country of the trip, with Tony taking a photo to prove it.
I cycled up and down the length of the airstrip. It was about a kilometre each way and ran the entire length of the island. Even on this short trip I managed to somehow bend my derailleur all out of shape having not put everything back together properly. I locked up my poor bike against a palm tree and explored the rest of the sandy island on foot. This did not take long. There was a market of sarongs and bracelets that had been set up obviously just for the benefit of all the cruise ship passengers. Most of these people however, were to be found on the strip of beach that circled the island. I went snorkelling here and saw some fish but it wasn't as good as the day before, and I kept bumping into old people.
I decided to go back to the boat but on the way I noticed a sign advertising snorkelling trips to a nearby spot where turtles could be seen. I really wanted to see a turtle so I signed up for it. As it turned out I was the only one going. A nice Vanuatan man named Bruce was accompanying me and we went together on a boat with another man to the turtle-spotting location, which was about a hundred metres away from Mystery Island. Had I known I could have swum it myself! But it was worth going with Bruce, because he snorkelled with me over a magnificent reef for the best part of an hour. I scoured the coral desperately hoping to spot a turtle. Sadly, this time we were unlucky and saw none.
I went back to the cruise ship for lunch and to check on Dea. At this point we were both on board, and my bicycle was still locked to a tree on a desert island. Lying in bed with poor Dea we laughed at how funny it would be if we both fell asleep and the ship left before my bike could be retrieved. And by 'funny' I actually mean tragic. But luckily that didn't happen and I went back to the island to get it. Of course I had to wait until the last boat before I could return with it. I spent the time back on Mystery Island getting my country-sign photo in. Earlier I'd noticed a sign with Vanuatu written on it had been set up for the tourists to take their photo with for a couple of dollars and I thought that would be absolutely perfect. Now, however, it had disappeared! Luckily I spotted it packed away in one of the little shacks, and a local man fished it out for me. I hurriedly rearranged some sticks on the ground, and the man took the photo:
Now there was almost nobody left on Mystery Island. I got my bike and tried cycling on the sandy path that looped around the island. It was a struggle at times but I managed it. The beaches were empty. This little corner of paradise was being deserted once more. Soon it was time to board the last tender boat back to the ship. This was loaded with drinks coolers and stands and things that they'd used to greet the passengers on the island. There absolutely was no space in the passageways now, but fortunately the lifeboat encountered no difficulties and both me and my bicycle were soon back on the MS Noordam, and sailing away from country number 46.
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Today's ride: 4 km (2 miles)
Total: 48,588 km (30,173 miles)
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