Tahiti

Ia Orana!! (that is Hello in Tahitian)

To accompany this write up of our day to day honeymoon memories, see our Honeymoon Photographs.

Day 1

We woke up early and headed to the Austin Airport to catch a flight to LAX. From there, we took our bags to the international terminal and checked in with Air Tahiti Nui. The people at the counter were very nice and, as it would turn out, also joined us on our flight to Papeete. After exchanging a bit of money, we grabbed a bite to eat. Although it was nearing lunchtime in Austin, they were still serving breakfast in L.A. While we waited at the gate, we started watching the movie “Daybreakers” and for being about vampires, I rather enjoyed it (not too scary). Before we boarded the plane, I wrapped a Therma Care around my back and I will never travel without one again. The heat lasted the length of the 8 1/2 hour flight and made my back feel comfortable in the seat.

There were not many people on our flight and the crew was super friendly. We were served a hot lunch (some kind of fish and some kind of chicken which were questionable and left untouched), watched a few movies (The Other Guys, Dinner for Schmucks and Toy Story 3), had a ham sandwich and landed soon after.

When we landed in Tahiti, we received a lei greeting with fresh flowers and their fresh floral scent. When our driver arrived, we took the van to the hotel and listened to a cover of Cher’s “Believe” playing on the radio (we also heard several covers of Justin Bieber’s popular tunes in town).

When we arrived at the hotel, there were three men playing ukuleles in the lobby. Upon check in, we were given a glass of fresh mango juice and then were escorted to our bungalow over the water. It was already dark outside but so serene and absolutely beautiful! (Or, “so pretty!” as Rich described many things on the trip). We unpacked our bags, freshened up and headed over to the Tiki Bar to catch the “ballet” show and grab a tropical drink and snack (a deep fried platter – so long salads!). Then, it was time for bed.

Day 2

We woke up around 3:30 but could not sleep anymore (in part because of the time difference, but also the excitement) and we got out of bed around 4 and sat on our bungalow deck with a cup of nescafe. From our little hut, across the water, we could see the island of Moorea (where we would spend our last day).

After watching the water for a bit, we got showered and dressed and took Le Truck (bus) into Papeete. The bus ride was a nice tour of the city in itself. We went to the market where there was fresh fruit and kitschy Tahitian souvenirs. At the center, was a big Christmas tree and men seated around playing instruments and making music for the crowd. We walked around the town for awhile and because we had gotten up so early, it was only about 10 o’clock when we looked at our watch. We stumbled upon a brewery, 3 Brasseurs, that Rich read about in the travel books and decided to take a load off and have a beer. Rich had a Monaco which was a blonde with lemonade and grenadine. I had a fun fruity drink.

On our way back to Le Truck stop, we found a bodega where we could pick up some bottles of water and snacks. I had packed some snacks for us, but couldn’t resist the Nice biscuits and Rich got a box of Cocoa Krispies and a carton of unchilled milk for the morning. The bus ride back to the hotel was jam packed but the folks were incredibly eager to find you a seat. Ladies first, I got a seat but Rich had to stand by the door – the door which would not close and the driver did not seem happy about this. It finally closed and the seat next to me opened up. (The woman who was sitting next to me, said something in French and I responded in French that I understand a little French, if you speak slowly. She repeated what she said slowly…I did not understand. So, I did what I do and I smiled and nodded).

When we got back to the hotel, there was a bucket of champagne sitting on our table. We saved this for our breakfast on the bungalow day.

On the way back to the hotel, we passed a store called Champion that looked like the local grocery store and decided to take a walk over and check out the goods. When we arrived, we made it through the turnstile and as far as the fresh chocolate croissants before the lights went out and the store was dark. Oddly, we noticed that no one seemed phased by this as they all continued to shop. How can you shop when you can’t even see?? (When the lights went out at Abercrombie, a Canadian woman would not stop shopping, even wanting to try on clothes, and I posed a similar question. But, it’s rather simple – your eyes adjust and the dim store becomes a bit brighter. Needless to say, we were those people who continued shopping.) We made it around the perimeter of the store before we realized the music had stopped but continued to make our way up and down at least 5 aisles before the security man spotted us and tried to tell us that the store was closed. He did not speak English and I don’t know the French word for “closed.” (Now, as I write this, I remember the French word for closed – fermer.) But eventually, through a bit of gesturing, we figured it out and exited the store which appeared to be rather empty, not even employees at the register. We still aren’t sure if the power went out or if “lights out, music off” are closing time warnings.

Back at the hotel, we put on our bathing suits and went to the sandy bottom pool with the swim up bar. We got a Tahine Colada which was so good that we treated ourselves to one every afternoon. They are made of coconut ice cream, banana juice and grenadine (and rum if you like it). Sooo delicious. After our quick dip we took a nap and then it was time for dinner and another show at Tiare.

We decided to partake in the buffet at Tiare since it was only done on show nights and this would be the only show we would see. We helped ourselves to fresh breads and salads (not the leafy kind) and Rich even tried sushi and I think he kinda liked it. Then we headed back up for entrees with rice, lobsters and the head of a pig staring at his own dish. After this we picked out dessert and I took one of just about everything. The pink cookie was particularly tasty. Then, we got the bill and lets just say that grabbed another plate.

The show that evening was a story of a captain from the West who falls in love with a Polynesian princess. (like the movie “The Bounty.”) After the show, we called it a night.

Day 3

We set the alarm to wake up in time for the sunrise but we missed it and it was already bright before we saw the sun. We would have to try again tomorrow. We decided to find out what was going on for the day and met with Nicole, the director of Marama Tours activities and excursions. She was able to sign us up for a Safari that morning as well as a lagoon tour of Moorea later later in the week.

We were picked up in a Land Rover truck (a model that Rich would love to have but can not find State side) and greeted by our tour guide for the afternoon, Hotu, who was very friendly and full of information (and apparently has seen Borat, “Very niiice.”). On our tour were a French couple and a couple from Des Moines, Jonathan and Emily, who were nice enough to take some photos of us after our camera conked out.

Our first stop was the gas station to buy bug spray. We tried to ask the guy stocking the shelves where we could find it, but he did not speak English and apparently “mosquito” is not international. So Rich started to make a spraying motion with his one hand up and down his other arm with intervals of swatting motions. The young man knew what we wanted and said, “Off!” This purchase turned out to be so necessary because the mosquitoes we came across in the jungle were on a mission for nippin. Hotu said that there are no dangerous animals on the islands – no spiders, snakes, scorpions or bobcats – but the mosquitoes are ruthless.

On the way to the jungle, we made a few stops. After passing a black sand beach (which comes from the lava and is finer than brown sand), we pulled off at a bluff overlooking part of ocean where coral doesn’t live (there is no salt in that part of the water) and surfers can ride the waves safely. Then, we stopped off the side of the road for a quick Tahitian horticultural lesson. We saw an avocado tree (I had no idea avocados grew on trees!), a pistachio tree (I had no idea that these grew on trees either!), papaya, basil (it smelled like basil but it didn’t look like leafy basil, more like compact branchy basil), leaves that smelled like lemon (I realized this when the French girl said, “limon!”) and one of my new favorite fruits, pomme etoile – star apple. When you see photos, it is the purple fruit with the clear jelly center and big black seed.

Once we were in the jungle, we stopped to admire the lush green mountains and random spigots of waterfalls emerging from them. Here is where our camera died. We made another stop at a temple (a perimeter of rocks surrounding a large boulder). As we drove deeper into the jungle, it began to rain. We drove over a low bridge that was beginning to fill with water and asked if the river flooded. It does but apparently there must be another way out because Hotu didn’t seem concerned. We finally arrived at the watering whole and jumped in in the rain. Here, I learned how to balance rocks on top of rocks and I am quite good at it! Can’t wait to show off my skills the next time we go to Pendernales Park. On the way back, we passed families who were laying out and setting up their massive speakers for a Sunday barbecue. People in Tahiti love their music and they love it loud.

Back at the hotel, we went snorkeling off our bungalow. I didn’t quite get the hang of it yet but discovered later after a shower that salt water gives my hair volume and I like that. For dinner, we went to the Tiki Bar for a Hinano (local beer) and Faahoo (fruity drink with grapefruit) and shared popcorn and the coconut & olives (so good, and after smelling the basil on the safari, I think it was some kind of basil oil on the olives).

Day 4

We set the alarm a half hour earlier than we had woken up the day before so that we could try to see the sunrise. We waited and waited but I think it was the mountain that blocked our view while it was coming up and once again the sky was bright before the sun was in it. We sat on the back of our bungalow and had our Nescafe and read our books (p.s. I looove my Kindle and think everyone who reads anything should have one).

That morning, we went back into Papeete. First, we had breakfast at Le Retro with delicious coffee and fresh croissants and euro style scrambled eggs (You know me and making decisions – when I tried to change my order to an omelette to scrambled, we said scram-bell and the waitress looked confused, then she said scrahm-bluh and knew what we wanted. I guess that answers my question of if similar sounding words translate – nope). The eggs were served with a leaf of lettuce. It was so large that I thought it had to be more than a garnish, but wasn’t sure what to do with it. So I filled it with some egg and made a lettuce wrapped breakfast taco. Bon appetit!

We walked around the parks, along the water and perused through another market. We ordered a smoothie (another word that when spoken in English by a French speaker is pronounced “smoochie”). We saw landmarks, government buildings and the Robert Wan pearl museum. On the way home, we stopped at Champion again to get orange juice for our mimosas the next morning.

In the afternoon, we went to the Tiare pool with the grotto and realized that we prefer the sandy bottom pool (and Tahine Coladas). For dinner, we went back to Tiare. I ordered the french onion soup and a Cesar salad. Rich got the fish and chips and so did the little boy (the blond, chubby American boy as he will later be referred) sitting behind us. This little boy would not eat his fish and only wanted his fries. We had seen him at the pool earlier and he was loud (“You’re stuuupid” at the top of his lungs to his sister) and obnoxious (stealing his sister’s book and running around the pool – the sister was no charmer either screaming, “Moooom! He’s got my BOOOOK!!! Noooo!! Ahhhh!!!”) with menacing characteristics. Later on another tour, we met a couple who knew exactly who we were talking about when I said, “except for that one little boy” – the blond, chubby American boy. They too had overheard him (hard not to) making a fuss at dinner refusing to eat his fish and only wanting his chips – why does he keep ordering the fish and chips??

Day 5

This was the morning of our breakfast on our bungalow brought by a canoe! We woke up early and made a cup of coffee and our mimosas and waited on our deck. When we found the piece of paper left for us by housekeeping that said we had a complimentary honeymoon breakfast – on a canoe! – I felt like we had won the lottery. I had checked off that I wanted everything! A man was rowing the canoe and a tiny woman carried the heavy tray off the canoe, up the stairs and set it on our side table, not missing a beat. Mauruuru! (that is Thank You in Tahitian)

Our breakfast was amazing! Fresh fruit smoothies with oranges, watermelon and cantaloupe. Plates of fresh fruit (including slices of pomme etoile). A basket of fresh breads, croissants and pastries. And eggs with bacon and tomatoes for me and sausage and potatoes for Rich.

After breakfast, we tried to make it in time to feed the fish at the lagoonarium, but we missed it. So, we got our snorkels and went swimming with the fish instead. I finally got the hang of snorkeling and once you stop hyperventilating, you can breathe underwater forever! We spent awhile in the lagoon and saw lots of brightly colored fish. Rich liked the 80s colored fish with the electric blue and hot pink stripes. I liked the black and white fish with the fluorescent yellow nose and bright blue eyes.

After snorkeling, we headed back to the sandy bottom pool and got the spot on the island! That is where we spent most of the afternoon. Then we went back to our bungalow to watch the sunset. For dinner, we went to Tiare again and for dessert, we went to Le Lotus. Le Lotus was the more upscale restaurant at the resort and I don’t think they were all too pleased at our skip to the end of the menu. We got ice cream treats – Rich got a Crispy Delight with caramel and nougat and I got an Iceburg which after working my way through a layer of chocolate and mint ice cream, I got an unusual yet familiar sensation in my mouth – the burning tinge of l’alcool. The green syrup in my Iceburg was Get 27. Unsure of what that was, I switched with Rich.

Day 6

Today was our last day and we went to Moorea! We took the ferry boat from Papeete to Moorea and went on a lagoon tour of the island. After we docked, we were looking for the bus to take to the tour and made new friends – Danny and Daniella, from Sydney who were also on their honeymoon.

We waited for our catamaran and then realized that we were going to be touring on a pontoon. Slightly disappointing but the tour turned out to be wonderful! We saw a sunken WWII vessel and a shipwrecked sailboat (but I don’t think that sailboat was a part of the historical scene, I think it was a tipped and sinking sailboat). Then, we anchored and got off the boat to feed the stingrays. The tour guides made sure that the stingrays came right up to you and at first I was a bit squeamish but after awhile, I warmed up to gliding aquatic pancakes. And while we were swimming, we noticed little fins peeking out the above the water and saw about 8 sharks circling around. They were tiny black fin sharks who didn’t do any biting that day.

Our next stop was the lagoon where we made lunch. Daniella helped make Poisson Cru (like sashimi or cerviche) a raw fish dish that is a staple in Tahiti. The dish is made with fresh coconut milk (made by grating the coconut and wringing it through a cheese cloth), fresh squeezed lime and chopped veggies. Aside from the fresh fruit, the rest of our meal was cooked – barbecue chicken, fish, rice and bread.

We had some time to snorkel around the lagoon. A stingray had followed us and was swimming around the boat and seemed to like me an awful lot. I got to give him a hug and a nice little pat on the back. I named him Ray. There was a lot of coral in the water and Rich’s leg and hand got to meet it after we bumped into each other snorkeling. We took some coral as a memento.

Before we left the lagoon, we learned how to open a coconut and how to make coconut milk. Shredding coconut seems like a lot of work. The random chickens (or roosters) and cats on the island enjoyed the discarded shells. Oh, there was the cutest little French girl on our tour. She was about 3 years old and heard the cats and let out the cutest, “Meow!” which answered another question, do animals make the same sounds – apparently.

We left Moorea and headed back to the hotel and spent our last bit of time at Danny and Daniella’s bungalow and were able to freshen up before heading to the airport. This time the flight was full and the plane ride was exhausting but we were able to sleep a bit. But oh my goodness, there was a lady in the aisle across from us creating a commotion about her seat being “sopping wet!” She must have spilt her drink (or perhaps she peed herself) and now her seat was “sopping wet!” and everyone knew it including her husband, poor guy.

Day 7

Then, we arrived at LAX and overheard another conversation by a boisterous man talking about politics. His sister called him out with, “Then why don’t you do something?” and his response was that complaining and voicing an opinion IS doing something. And he continued to babble that he did not want to start a revolution or anything… Sir, I am pretty sure that your iPhone and Lacoste polo are not the face of any revolution.

And alas, we are back in Austin! Nana! (that is Goodbye in Tahitian).