For me, the island Makemo was not one of the most impressive ones of the Tuamotus. However, this might – at least partly – contributed to the fact that the weather was not as nice (overcast and unsteady), but also to the fact that the village is probably not as appealing as some others in the Tuamotus. There is no sandy beach, the anchorage has lots of bommies and the view is not really picturesque. Still, I met some very friendly locals. There are decent shops and even a boulangerie. Another surprise was the amazing underwater fauna at the anchorage in front of the village. Right under MAYA were several swarms of colourful fish! Snorkelling was amazing! To bad that I lost the action cam a while ago (on Amanu). The setting would be good for spectacular pictures!
After a few days at the village, we (SY Muffet and I) continued westward and anchored about 20 nautical miles from the village at a motu. Motus (small islands all around the atoll) are usually a nice place with the typical features of the Tuamotus (coconut palms, water in all shades of blue, sometimes sandy beaches and usually very a relaxed atmosphere). I can get enough from the snorkelling here and BBQ on the beach.