This is Deena, guest posting from San Francisco. Ia orana (pronounced like yoo-rana) means hello in Tahitian, and even though I’ve been back for a little more than a week, my heart is still in the islands. In addition to covering my bedroom in shell necklaces and tapa paintings and editing my 3000 (!) photos from the trip, I love looking through my tiny book of watercolor sketches to remember the insanely dramatic landscapes. I’m sad that my boat chapter is over, but excited to find out what adventures will happen next with my favorite crew.

Hanavave and her goats

I never got tired of the HUGE rainbows

Land ho! Our first sighting of Fatu Hiva at dawn.

A thank you card for Dolina, these are all the fruits she gave us!

These were the waves that conquered our crew

My favorite paintings were the ones I made for the crew 🙂