Tahiti Nui

Today we are in Tahiti! Hazy skies greeted us at 5:30 this morning when the sun should have been smiling down on us. We have waited so long to be here. But everyone on board is smiling and cheerfully greeting each other because at long last we are here! And we have great news!! Tahiti is welcoming us to come ashore and roam around on our own! We can actually be tourists, not Bubble People! A quick breakfast was in order because at 8:30am Carol and I were going to take a catamaran tour of the lagoon. We were supposed to snorkel on the fantastic West Coast reef. That is what we booked and had so been looking forward to. Unfortunately this is the rainy season but to save the day, Viking added catamaran tours to accomodate the snorkelers and ATVers. Too muddy and dangerous because of the terrain. During the last couple of days, Tahiti has had more than a month’s worth of rain. Yes,in just 48 hours Papeete had so much rain that the lagoon bottom was so disturbed that the water was too opaque to see any fish. or even other snorkelers! Not a safe situation. The surface of the should-be-clear-blue-water had rafts of mountainside debris floating on the rough waves. Logs bumped up again the bouy markers and the floating lighthouse minatures bobbed helplessy. But the catamaran was sailing and we were going to be aboard. We went down to the pier - yea! Land! And passed under the red canopy to join group 16 and board the Ocean Queen. We had a good bench seat but did not lower ourselves onto the netting. I was sure I could get down on it but figured I would not be very graceful standing back up on a rocking boat. We were barely away from the Orion when the rain started and our side of the boat had to lower the plastic window since the wind was blowing from the West. Since Carol and I were at the front we could see forward as well as out the other side which happen to be facing the Western Shore. The mountain greeness rose lushly above the white houses along the shore. Brown and metal 'shacks' lay alongside of them. We came to the Hotel Intercontinental - a spectacular site. The rich brown roof line above the long, cream colored, verandahed facade makes it pop from the verdant landscape. Set well back from the sea it is fronted by a broad lawn. The boardwalks of the Palapa platforms reached out to us like welcoming arms. These overwater bungalows are highly sought after and many people planning this trip made reservations as the ship is docked overnight. Those plans had to be cancelled because passengers realized that they may not have the opportunity to leave "our bubble." We were so happily excited and relieved when we got word that we could just walk about. No one that I know tried to rebook. Probably because the weather was not good for the dream of snorkeling in the Tahitian Lagoon. Our boat sailed slowly along the shore. Music played, the view changed as other boats passed between us and the partner boat that we were following. More than once we stopped for a short while because planes were coming in for a landing at the very long airstrip that runs parrallel to the water. Some of the planes are not small as they can bring 300 passengers from LAX in 8 hours. Because this was a substitute tour it was expanded from the original catamaran cruise. We sailed out over the breaking waters of the reef to search for dolphins. They had been spotted playing in the waves earlier but decided, maybe because of the rain, to go home and we could find none to admire. On the return, the weather cleared a little and there were outrigger canoe racers practicing for an upcoming race. Our guide said that this is the National Sport of French Polynesia. Tahiti is, of course, that capita of the Archipelego. There are five island countries. Tahiti, Bora Bora, Moorea, Raiatea, Rangiroa that are part of the Tahitian archipelago. There are six archipelagos making up French Polynesia. French Polynesia is part of Oceania and so the various lecturers bring a lot of understanding of this mythical world. There were also several young folks HydroFoil Kiteboarding! The first young man we spotted had a kite that looked like a Monarch Butterfly. He was so adept at weaving between and around the boats that it was stunning. Some had two handles to manipulate their 'flight' while others had one long handle. This must take not only dexterity to maintain balance but incredible strength to hold the kite away from your body and and weave travel patterns from the kite. Quite a few people were using sea kayaks. This now seemed to be the simplest of the individual means of sea surfing. Our crew of three included Diane. She moved here just 3 years ago from her home in the Basque territory of France. She came to help a childhood girlfriend who emigrated 6 years ago and had started a small company making natural sunscreen for faces. The boat crewing, however, is their primary income. She saiid to look for the store Reef if we can to buy it. Pretty expensive, though. Diane served us beautiful fresh Passion Fruit, Mango, Pineapple, Grapefruit, and Bananas. Also we had a variety of juices available. As the cruise progresses the fruit punch became rum punch. After all, what is a catamaran trip without it! Back at the ship we raced to our cabin to hang up our swimsuits and shower. We only had about an hour fifteen until our next tour. We grabbed a quick bite upstairs and joined our group at the end of the pier. This was a bus tour of the West Coast. So nice to be on a plain old cruise tour again. It has been more that two years since have had the priviledge to pay someone to tote us around! Our guide, Magrite, was originally from the Black Forest. She met a Tahitian years ago when he was on vacation in Germany. That is a funny concept to me. Traveling from a tropical islands to visit a cold European country. Seems counterintuitive. But they have been happy ever since and have three adult children. Magrite knew her tour guide stuff! She admitted that for two years Tahiti has really suffered from lack of their primary source of income --- tourists! Homelessness has increased and resources have dwindled. Although they are a part of France they are like the stepchildren of the homeland. They did not benefit from income support in the time of crisis. Ourbus ride on seemed so long to me. Probably because I as very tired having awakened about four this morning. Maybe because of the antidipation. And then three hours on the water after a lot of inactivity. Maybe because the bus windows were were streaked with sat and grime making the viewing on this grey day not very easy. We arrived at our first stop which was a reconstructed Maire (mo-ray), the sacred ground of ceremonies and public meetings. Only the priests and gods were allowed to stand on the holy ground. This sacred space was made of basalt stones and bouders and the elevated platform was sacred. A couple of recreated stone Tikis were in place. They are copies of ones more inland to be found in spaces too revered for ordinary people to be. It is taboo, or as spelled here tapu, to touch the oeiginal receptacles of the gods. To this day there is enough superstition on the island to probit it. Back on board the bus we learned about agriculture in Tahiti, mostly on the smaller part of the land. Tahiti Iti is connected to the 'mainland', Tahiti Nui, by an isthmus. Dairy farming is a good business and provides milk but little meat for the people. Fruit trees are predominantly the cash crop. Vegetables and flowers also are common crops. We now know that there are only a few miles of white sand beaches, these on the West Side, while most of the isand is ringed by black sand. Surfing is very popular but the sites on the opposite side or on Tahiti Iti are better and attract serious suring. The Billabong competition is often held here. In 2024 when France hosts the Olympics the surfing and the canoeing events will be held in Tahiti. Lucky competitors are these people! At the second stop we visited the small but unique Vaipahi Gardens. Boardwalks connect the pebbled walks through tropical species. A rushing waterfall was a highlight stop during our walk. Did you ever notice how long it takes some people to take photos. Although several are waiting to have pictures of a special place or thing? Some people relatively park in the prize position so that they must appear in everyone's pictures. Or, people like me, walk away. Carol and I circled back to have a chance to see the site while everyone made their way back to the bus. More education on the way to the third and final stop, the Caverns. Here a series of caves store fresh water in cool darkness. The caverns are deeply carved into the mountain. Fish swim in the shallow water but the caves fall away into fringed darkness at their depths. Swimming is allowed but no one was there when we arrived. A man decorates a bike most everyday and props it in front of the entrance. I wanted to take a picture of the cave with the bike to set it off and to demonstrate its size. I gave him a dollar and as I backed up to take the shot he stepped into it. I said no thanks but he not only insisted he be in the shot but that it be his back to show off his tatoos! He posed several ways showing his back, leg, and arms. The tatoos were not as inked as others we have seen but he was very proud of them. As we returned to the ship Magrite continued our educatiion answering questions about education - the same as in France. Saleries - McDonald's employee makes the equivalent of about $1,500 a month. Gas stations do not have prices advertised because the government sets the gas prices. You pull up, you "tell the man how much you want to spend. He puts it in the tank and you drive away." She only knows if prices are or down by how soon she has to return to the station! A quick drive through the city pointing out the Catholic and Protestant Church and the Black Pearl Museum just beyond them, where the Market is, how to navigate the streets and we were home. Thank heaven we were going against the traffic as there is only one road around the island. All traffic travels in the same direction at the same times of day. Instead of rush hour traffic moves at the pace of a crab. Next to the road is a narrow macadam strip just beyond some low shrubs. Many people were running along it in either direction. Turns out that the few valleys which might have feeder streets are all privately owned so no one can actually enter the interior of the island without permision. We had passed earlier in the day, and way out in the country, about an hour by bus, a valley which is the only way to cross the island. A very narrow road runs through it. If crossing on foot or bicycle you are o.k. By car you may have to pull as far over as you can if an oncoming vehicle approaches. No buses run there. Just as we got to the ship dock, sheets of rain glazed the windshield. We didn't bother with jackets or ponchos or even take an umbrella from the waiting staff. We just hovered under the protection of the dock 'wings' above benches where earlier in the day folks were waiting for their tours. When the red canopy that marks the gangway had no one fumbling for their seapasses we made a dash and were aboard relatively unscathed. A quick ckeanup, early dinner in the restaurant, skipping the movie of The Bounty with Mel Gibson and we were in our jammies after the first genuine Port Day in more than two whole yesrs! We settled in with a cocktail and watched a very funny, movie with Diane Keaton and Jeremy Irons. Love, Weddings and Other Disasters was released in 2020! Try and find it where you are and be prepared with your popcorn and adult beverages for a good evening! Our first day in Tahiti was followed by a very, very good night's sleep along side the dock!