High Lights of the Vacation
Brian | |
Best Meal: | It was all good, but nothing outstanding. If I had to choose one, it would be the Beef Wellington on the Ocenia Regatta. |
Most Scenic: | Trip across the volcano on Tahiti Nui. |
Favourite Location: | Bora Bora because it is much less crowded than Tahiti. |
Favourite Memory: | Watching our boat being swarmed by the beautiful Ma’o Mauri which are Blacktip Reef Sharks |
Marg | |
Best Meal: | Surf and Turf in the Polo Grill |
Most Scenic: | View from the balcony in our room in the Te Moana Resort of Moorea Island and the ocean |
Favourite Location: | Bora Bora for the scenery and glass bottom boat ride to see the sharks |
Favourite Memory: | Mud bath in Laukota Fiji |
By the numbers | |
Approximate distance travelled by cruise liner (km) | 7,000 |
Approximate distance travelled by air plane (km) | 26,000 |
Approximate distance travelled by automobile (km) | 1,300 |
Total | 34,300 |
Number of days | 18 |
Number of days at sea | 9 |
Number of countries | 6 |
Number of cities | 12 |
Pictures Taken | 1,021 |
Some Random Thoughts
Below is a collection of random thoughts that I made during the vacation, but they didn’t make into the daily blog.
The people of the South Pacific Islands are some of the politest people you can meet. In French Polynesia you are always greeted by “Ia Orana” and In Fiji it’s “Bula”. They are pronounced as “yo-rah-nah” and 'boo-lah' respectively.
Tribalism is common in the South Pacific. The histories of villages are woven very deeply within a single tribe and can date back many generations spanning centuries. The tribe’s history can be seen in tattoos adoring the males of the tribe.
It is funny how the smallest of gestures can impress your hosts. On Fiji, I wore a soccer shirt that was a copy of their national rugby team's uniform. I had numerous thumbs ups from the locals.
It seems to us that the people of the islands are taller and physically bigger that people in North America.
I came into this vacation with the mission to try new foods. I must admit I didn’t discover any dishes that I thought were fantastic nor did find any dishes that I thought were wretched. There were a lot of seafood dishes with coconut milk bases, but nothing that has me looking for a South Pacific restaurant here at home.
I tired Tartare de Thon. This is raw red tuna, pineapple chunks, rice and spices mixed together and shaped into a paddy. I had raw tuna steak once before and didn’t like it, but this was delicious.
We’ve never been big fans of curry because it can be too spicy for our palette. Twice on this trip, I tried Mahi Mahi with green curry in coconut milk. The curry added very little to the taste. In fact, the cilantro added more flavour.
My new favourite breakfast is pineapple and orange pieces. It must because it is so fresh!
After our stay at the Te Moana Resort on Tahiti, I’ve changed my mind about all inclusive resorts and may give it a try at some time in the future.
The sunsets over Moorea island will stick with me for a long time.
Even though we arrived at the tail end of the rainy season, we never had a day wiped out because of the rain. Sure there were torrential downpours, but they never seemed to last very long.
Ireland claims to be the Emerald Isle, but it doesn’t compare the lush green forests on the islands that we visited.
It is too bad we’re not the strongest of swimmers as by all accounts this was a snorkeler’s paradise.
We managed to miss the dreaded traveller’s ABC, “Another Big Church”, with the exception of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Apia on Samoa.
It’s probable my imagination, but it seems every island has a Captain Cook and Munity on the Bounty connection.
Each of the islands has it fair share of wild dogs. Fortunately, they don’t seem to be aggressive.
At the Te Moana resort, we had our own pet rooster that woke me up each morning at sunrise and inspected us each morning at breakfast in the outdoor patio restaurant.
The Central Pacific Franc (CFP) is used in French Polynesia and is roughly equivalent to 80 francs to the dollar. It is a little freaky to see your restaurant meal come to 12,000 francs ($150).
I’m not sure if these countries have a minimum wage law. If they do, is it considered a living wage? I wonder about this because every time we left a tip, their expression of gratitude was stunning in their sincerity. This leads me to believe that tipping is a rare event.
Credit card terminals on the islands don’t have TAP facilities. I find this strange because the technology was invented twenty two years ago in Australia for the Sydney Olympics.
Mastercard must have angered the merchants on Fiji as they charge a fee to use that card in their stores. Visa doesn’t have that problem.
Most Canadians would weep if they saw how cheap cell phone and internet plans are on these islands. One plan I saw on Tahiti was 60Gb for about $12.
It is only after you try to access your account on a web site that requires 2FA (two form authentication) that you wish you had roaming on your cell phone.
None of the islands that we visited allow guns. Not surprisingly there is little violent crime. One of the stories that cracked me up was a story about a gang that robbed a bank on Bora Bora, only discover that there was no way off the island. They were captured by the police that same day.
With the exception of Fiji, there is not a dominating Chinese presence in the nations we visited, or at least not as substantial as the American press and government would lead you to believe.
I admit I’m a news junkie. Somehow though when you’re in the serenity of the South Pacific, the petty politics that you read about on CBC, BBC, or CNN, just seems irrelevant
Mormons from Salt Lake City are among the biggest importers of produce from Tahiti. They import Noni, which is used in beauty products. The pulp of the Noni fruit actually has a quite pungent smell.
Since the lifting of Covid restrictions, the people of the islands let you know they appreciate you visiting and supporting their beleaguered economies.
Airplane travel has not improved in the year since most Covid restrictions have been lifted. They still herd you into cramped seats, like cattle on their way to the slaughterhouse. Ask for a drink on Air Canada and you get a cup that might contain two sips. As if a can of coke is going to break them. This is pathetic.
It is shocking the number of four and five star resorts that are still closed because they haven’t recovered from the Covid shutdown. Club Med seems to be the hardest hit.
I’ve been told it is wise to say nothing if you don’t have anything good to say. With that in mind, I won’t comment on Oceania Cruises.
Our next trip is to Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland ending up in Boston. This is scheduled for the summer of 2024.
Goodbye Tahiti.
We started our long journey home yesterday. We left Pepeete at 9:45pm Friday and got into Toronto, via San Francisco at 8:00pm Saturday. Pepeete International is a strange airport. It is an open air concept. The departure lounge has a roof but is missing two of its walls. You get a nice breeze, which I guess is the reason.
It was a long uncomfortable trip. Both flights were fully booked. The seats were so crammed together, any movement is torture.
Especially for Margaret. She caught some virus on Thursday, not Covid 19 thank goodness, and has not been able to keep anything down. The excessive mucus has resulted in long coughing spells. To make matters worse, all the coughing has strained her stomach muscles. She is dehydrated and weak.
It took over an hour to get our luggage at Pearson, so we didn't hit the road until close to 10pm. Marg was too weak from lack of sleep to drive all the way back to Port Stanley after being on a plane for close to 18 hours, so stay in Toronto overnight.
P.S.
On Sunday got to the hospital and the doctor confirmed, after multiple test, that it is indeed a virus. They treated her for her pain and replenished her fluids. So we are official home.
On the penultimate day of our vacation, I decided to take a 4x4 excursion through the dormant volcano that makes up Tahiti Nui or the biggest volcanic massif on the island of Tahiti. This was, without a doubt, the most extended physical torture and never wracking experience I have ever experienced. I’m glad Marg decided to skip this excursion because I sure she would have been physically sick.
For six and half hours we drove up and down two thousand
metre mountains with ten to twenty degree inclines using cow paths not wider
than the width of the 4x4’s axile. Usually, the only barrier separating us from
a three hundred metre plunge to our certain death was a growth of ferns. These
cow paths had so many deep potholes that Ottawa drivers should be ashamed for
complaining about their roads. The 4x4 had little suspension left and each
pothole, which occurred every other second, sent bone jarring shocks throughout
your entire body.
I would have hated every moment of this excursion except it had “THE MOST AMAZING SCENERY I HAVE EVERY WITHNESSED!”
The volcanic edifice that surrounds the central crater is
made up of several large mountains that hold the rain within the valley, which
produces a lush rain forest.
Our trip started by a leisurely climb through the east side
of the island. We should have know we were heading into the jungles, when we
stopped to let a convoy of French soldiers pass. They had been in the valley on
jungle warfare exercises. Along the way, our guide pointed out the various
plants and trees that make up the rain forest.
The climb at this point started getting very steep.
As you can imagine the rain forest is very hot an oppressively humid. Eventually after about an hour, we stopped at a small river crossing, where I was able to take a short swim to cool off. The rocks were very slippery, and I took a couple of tumbles onto my butt.
We then descended to the crater floor, where we had lunch. The
was a tremendous view of the valley and mountain pass we had just used to gain access
to the crater.
For the rest of the afternoon, we were treated to some spectacular scenery as we made our way west to the ocean.
With all the bone crushing jarring on this trip, I was very glad to return to the resort. I immediately joined Marg with a drink in the newly opened infinity pool.
We woke up this morning to a wonderous site. They have finished repairing the infinity pool with the swim up bar and are filling it with water. Hopefully, it will be ready for use by the afternoon or tomorrow at the latest.
We decided
to go into Papeete to do the obligatory souvenir shopping. After spending the afternoon
there, I can in all honesty say that this is one of my least favourite cities I have
ever visited.
The
shopping area is a busy concrete jungle that holds the oppressive heat in with little
or no breeze.
The tourist
maps bear no relation to the actual street layout and the scale of the maps are
a joke. You would have better luck winning the lottery than finding a street
sign at a corner.
Store hours
are totally random. The market closes at 2pm instead of the advertised time of
3pm. Other stores close for lunch and reopen when they feel like it. Entrances
to shopping concourses are carefully camouflaged to avoid detection. After
wasting an hour looking for the black pearl market, we found that it was closing
in five minutes after we found it. This was an hour earlier than advertised.
Most
restaurant close in the middle of the afternoon. If they do remain open, they may
or may not serve food. At least the beer in the one café we found was cold.
I was very
glad to get back to the hotel and a sense of sanity.
You wouldn’t believe the looks Marg gets when she orders a hamburger, here in the South Pacific islands. Marg will order the hamburger with no bun, because of her Gluten sensitivity. First the waitress appears to be confused as if she didn’t hear properly. So, they’ll repeat the order as a question. When Marg confirms she does not want a bun, they try to convince her that the bun is indeed part of the meal. After Marg again askes for no bun, they get the most stunned look on their face, as if they are being asked for the impossible. Finally, when the hamburger arrives, they again ask Marg if that is what she wanted, thinking there must have been a terrible mistake. They then retreat to the kitchen, where I am sure they tell the cooks about the crazy North American lady and her bunless hamburger.
This afternoon
we went on an excursion around the island of Tahiti. This was one of the better
trips we have taken, mainly because of the guide. He was friendly and extremely informative. He
knowledge of local customs and myths, Tahitian plants and trees, and the
Tahitian environment were outstanding.
Our first
stop was Arahurahu Marae, which was a ceremonial place of worship where chiefs
were cremated, and their ashes scattered in grounds surrounding the alter. This
is Tahiti's best example of the ancient Polynesian temples and meeting places called
Marae. It has been fully restored and properly maintained like a museum. It is now
used for the reenactment of old Polynesian ceremonies during the July Heiva Nui
celebrations.
The beach was black volcanic sand. This is because the area is feed by a fresh water stream and coral can’t survive in fresh water. White sandy beaches in this area is made up of mostly crushed coral from the sea.
Next up were the Water Gardens of Vaipahi. The gardens are steeped in local mythology. It seems that the bodies of dead warriors were washed in the waters of the this garden in preparation for journey to meet their gods. Vaipahi Gardens displays a wonderful selection of endemic plants and trees.
After going around the southern tip of the big island, we came to Maraa Grotto. The grotto is fed by a high narrow waterfall. Our guide told us that the stream at the bottom of the fall is prone to flashing flooding and that people who live downstream, do so at their own risk because there is no insurance available.
Our next stop was the Arahoho Blowhole. A lava tube is created by liquid lava flowing under cold and hard lava, producing a channel. When waves crash against the rocks and enter this channel, the result is a powerful sea water geyser that showers on lookers. Unfortunately, today it was not very powerful.
Our last
stop was Point Venus. Located in the north on the edge of Matavai Bay, it is a
special area where successive landings of European navigators landed. James
Cook named it after the planet in commemoration of the transit of Venus that
was observed during one of his scientific voyages to Tahiti. There is also a
special memorial to the sailors of the HMS Bounty, who returned to Tahiti to
live after their munity.
We had the guide
drop us off at the Blue Banana restaurant, where we a nice sunset supper.
Today will go down in our travel memories as one of the strangest miscommunications we’re ever had in our travels.
We decided that in the afternoon we would get a taxi and go
into Papeete to do some shopping. Marg is looking to buy some cloths and is
interested in the Tahitian black pearls, while I’m interested in the local
architecture. The main area for stores
in the downtown is called Le Marché.
The taxi driver, who picked us up at 13:30, was the same lady
that driven us back to the resort after dinner last night at Casa Biancia. When
we told her that we wanted to go to Le Marché, she looked panic stricken. She
told us that the stores there would close within the next hour. As an
alternative, she said she could take us to a Carrefour store, which she said was a large
department store with attached sidewalk cafes for lunch. She compared it to a
Walmart. While driving us there she kept talking about how locals go to Le
Marché on Sunday to get reduced prices on groceries and fruits and how you can’t
get alcohol at the Carrefour on Sundays.
It was only after she dropped us off that we realized that
she thought we wanted to go the main farmer’s market in Papeete for groceries, instead of the speciality stores and souvenir shops. The Carrefour can best be
described as a huge grocery store, with a few isles of other merchandise. To
top it off, the store didn’t have gluten free bakery items, Gatorade or diet Code/Pepsi,
which were the only things we could have possibly wanted. What a waste of our valuable time, as we have
only a few days left on our vacation. We will try again later this week.
What a gorgeous sunset we had tonight. The red glow over the mountains of Moorea was fabulous.
For dinner we ate al fresco, next to the lagoon. Marg had a seafood dish with rice, and I had fish with green curry and coconut milk. I’m not a big curry fan, but this was very mild and not at all spicy.
The resort had a popular local singer performing tonight,
but I must admit most of his songs sounded the same and were just plain boring. I guess you can’t please
everyone!
