Pursuit of the Endless Summer #2

South Pacific Paradise

Dale, the Mighty Tahitian warrior

Ten hours after leaving L.A., our flight arrived in Tahiti - 2am local time. We were greeted with a tiare (a fragrant white flower with a yellow center) to wear behind our ear, and our passports were quickly stamped. Now we had several hours to kill before the inexpensive public transport began, so we hung out in the airport cafe and met other budget travellers (most package tourists were whisked away immediately upon arrival).

At 6am, we hopped on 'le truck' with two Swedish girls and a British surfer, the only other people on the bus who spoke English (it's funny how we were surprised that most people in French Polynesia spoke mostly French). After a 15 minute ride, we arrived in the capital city of Papeete, which is the main transportation hub to the surrounding islands. Everyone congregated around the central marketplace, which was full of fresh fruit, snacks, and local art - we enjoyed a baguette egg and ham sandwich and planned our first day.

We hadn't worried about travelling around the Society Islands since most guidebooks said it was "no problem" booking the fast catamaran boats. Unfortunately, we learned from the locals at the harborside that all the fast boats were 'kaput'. So we went with the flow and decided to take a ferry to Moorea, the nearest island, and figure everything else out later.

Room with a view

We found the best spot on Moorea to camp, and set up our tent on the beach right next to the ocean at Chez Nelson (Club Med shared this same beach just a 100 yards away and we enjoyed using their facilities). Several people from our flight also stayed here, and with the communal kitchen, bathrooms, and friendly atmosphere, we quickly became acquainted with these fellow travellers.

Most memorable was Jay, a surfer from England with long, blonde dreadlocks, who has been travelling and working around the world for the last five years. His relaxed demeanour and outlook on travelling helped get us in the right frame of mind for our journey. Jay pitched his tent and hammock next to us, and together we enjoyed much of our time just relaxing. We also appreciated the camaraderie and helpful advice from Charles (a Brit) and Stacy (American), a recently engaged couple who were travelling together for 7 months.

All of us often cooked our meals together and sat around afterwards comparing travel stories. A few times just the two of us ate alone at nearby restaurants: the creperie was a good breakfast stop, and on Halloween night we sat outside at the Hibiscus restaurant enjoying fresh fish and a spectacular lightning show. Although the storms were dramatic, the rain was surprising frequent and torrential - trying to dry out in this warm and humid weather was a downside of camping.

Since we saved money by camping and cooking, we decided to splurge on a humpback whale island tour with Dr. Poole, a renowned marine biologist. We were fortunate to spend about 30 minutes watching a mother and baby humpback play at the surface. Other activities on Moorea included morning yoga sessions on the beach. Dale and I became 'instructors' and taught Jay and the two Swedish girls a few basic routines while the rest of the camp watched and laughed. Dale also became known as 'gadget' man - the water filter was the biggest hit since the water on this island wasn't safe to drink. After four relaxing days, it was time to move on - since we decided against taking the slow ferry (18 hours) we flew (45 minutes) to one of the outermost islands, Bora Bora.

Chez Rosine Masson

We stayed for 7 nights in Bora Bora at Chez Rosine Masson pension - the best value for our money ($50 a night vs. $500 a night for the over the water bungalows of the luxury resorts 50 yards down the beach). Our small room in this house was clean and fairly quiet (except when the roosters crowed, which seems to be the 4:30 am alarm clock for all of French Polynesia).

Sharing accommodations in close quarters allowed us to spend time with several interesting travellers. Stacy and Charles who we met in the airport in Tahiti, are a younger and more energetic version of us on a much tighter budget (they ate a lot of pasta and baguettes!). We were amused by stories of their daily excursions, such as their determination to bushwhack their own trail through the jungle to the mountaintops, and especially the 'frisky' stingray that swam up Charles' shorts (nibble, nibble). They had a great method of deciding who gets to do which jobs - rock, paper, scissors - a tip we've begun using ourselves.

Another fun couple was Nicolas and Lucy, newlyweds on their honeymoon, who taught us that all French aren't snobbish - some are just crazy! Nicolas often sang to himself around the house and loved to swim in the ocean during huge rainstorms. He was the test pilot for the household bicycles, which are no longer available for rent because of his big crash (after the chain fell off). Most importantly, he knew the police and fire chiefs who were his own personal taxi service - which also came in handy for us for rides. His connections brought a local fisherman to our house with his catch of a huge 30 lb yellow fin tuna; for several nights the entire household ate fresh sashimi and tuna steaks. We enjoyed his wonderful crepes, which were creatively made with beer in the batter and survived his potent drinks made mostly with rum soaked in fresh cut fruit. Overall, for all of our differences, everyone got along great.

Once we figured out the logistics of travelling (lodging, transportation, and food), we had free time to enjoy activities. Since we spent most of our budget on necessities, which oftentimes were outrageously priced ($17 for a bottle of sunscreen), we had to find creative ways to get the most bang for our buck.

Dale in the blue lagoon

Bora Bora's unique beauty is caused by reefs that circle the entire island and create wide, shallow lagoons, which are as warm and turquoise as a swimming pool. Most of the white sand beaches are on the surrounding small islands inside the lagoon, called 'motos'. We took this photo on a moto and the volcanic peak of Bora Bora is behind us. We spent a day touring the island on a motorized outrigger canoe that took us to this moto for a picnic lunch. It wasn't your typical hot dogs and hamburger BBQ...our Polynesian guides prepared a beautiful buffet of fresh fish and fruit we ate from hand-woven baskets made with palm fronds.

One day we took the ferry to Maupiti, the smallest and most isolated of the Society Islands. Its circumference is only 6 miles, so we rented a 2 person kayak and paddled around the island. Many say Maupiti is like Bora Bora was before the tourist glut - quiet and unspoiled, a true picture of traditional Polynesian culture. Everyone we passed during our brief stay returned our gaze with a friendly smile.

Another day we decided to bicycle around Bora Bora, a more strenuous endeavour. This is the hot and humid season, and we felt like we were going to melt. We sure did miss our mountain bikes - luckily we encountered only one big hill for the entire 20 mile trip.

Several nights we dressed up in our tropical shirts and pareus (a sarong skirt) ready for entertainment. The big fancy resorts had traditional Polynesian shows, which we watched from the bar free of charge. Dale had a knack for getting involved . . . he was selected out of the crowd to learn to dance Polynesian style and a few nights later he was chosen to play a wooden drum, which he did with much better rhythm.

For the last 10 days in French Polynesia, we chose to relax in the 'sacred islands': Raiatea, Taha'a, Huahine. Raiatea is believed to be the starting point of Polynesian civilization before migration began to Hawaii, New Zealand, and other South Pacific islands. To explore this large, sparsely populated island we took a personal tour with an American anthropologist. We went to an ancient marea (ceremonial site) and learned the significance of tiki idols (human-like statues believed to have mystical powers) and human sacrifices (which dictate the strongest warrior must be killed to ensure a victorious war). Raiatea has no sandy beaches, so we camped in a resort inside a coconut plantation. It was a peaceful setting until we tried to sleep: When the nightly winds picked up the coconuts began dropping all around our tent - we never did get use to the sudden thud!

One day we spent visiting Taha'a on a boat and land excursion - our best tour yet. The first stop was at a vanilla plantation where we learned that vanilla is produced from an orchid in a very labor intensive process, and also enjoyed 80 proof vanilla rum samples. Next we stopped at a pearl farm and had a detailed demonstration of how Tahitian black pearls are made.

The last stop of the morning was at a rehabilitation center where a few endangered turtles were waiting to regain their health and be released to the open sea. For lunch we lounged at a motu and had a picnic feast. After eating more than our share of BBQ fresh fish, fruit, and bread, we went drift snorkelling. The small ocean inlet had a strong current, which allowed us to float past the coral and fish. When it was time to return to Raiatea we were surprised to be visited by a pod of dolphins that rode the bow wake of our boat - a great finish to our day.

The last island we stayed on was Huahine, an idealic place that is like everyone imagines the South Pacific; white sand beaches, lush valleys and mountains, plentiful fruit and flowers, and a charming port town with colonial buildings. We stayed at the remote southern tip of the island called Huahine-iti at an 'eco-campground'. It was a beautiful setting but very rustic: The Polynesian family owned a botanical garden and provided us with free mangos, papayas, and bananas but no toilet seats or paper - a cruel joke! We ate dinner at a restaurant famous for authentic Polynesian dishes, and it deliciously lived up to its reputation. Afterwards, back at the campgrounds we tried a very interesting fruit we had never tasted - Sour Sop - it had the consistency of cotton candy with a sweet honey-like flavor.

Our last night we stayed in Fare and treated ourselves to a room in a pension that is dubbed 'club bed'. We visited the maraes and another pearl farm by riding bicycles in the sweltering heat - Dale was not happy. Luckily, I finally found the perfect pearl earrings to end my quest and even Dale found a mother of pearl turtle necklace.

In order to get back to Papette from Huahine, we rode on a cargo ship, local style - sleeping outside on the deck for the 9 hour overnight journey. Budget travelling isn't for everyone - our journey from Tahiti to Fiji wasn't easy. After 10 hours in very rough seas, we arrived back in Papeete, Tahiti at 4:30 am. When the ship docked we quickly packed up our sleep mats and ran with our packs to catch 'le truck' before it filled up - the only transportation from the port to the airport.

Now we had 21 hours before our 1:30 am flight departed for Fiji, so we killed time by shopping in the city - hot, humid and filled with exhaust fumes (oh the tropics are great). Finally, we boarded our plane for Fiji and thought the six hour flight would be a chance to catch up on sleep. But wait, two hours into our flight we had a stopover in the Cook Islands, and for some reason we had to exit the plan and wait for 90 minutes before we could board again. We flew across the international date line (skipping Thanksgiving) and landed in Nadi, Fiji at 7:30 am.