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‘Round the World

Better Pack Your Sense of Humor

Posted by Dave on December 5th, 2007

Baguette in Paradise (Moorea)

On my first day in Pape’ete, I managed to make some silly mistakes. Jetlag, culture shock, and oppressive heat make for a tough first day. I mostly took it easy, though Sam did give me some phone cards since he said it wouldn’t be worth it to buy my own just to call him a few times. I have a phobia of foreign phones, and therefore am not adept at using them.

So I went to 3-4 different public phones, sliding the phone card in and out like a ATM, and I couldn’t figure out why calls weren’t working. I went and bought a new card thinking the ones I got from Sam were too low on credits. I think that cost me about $20. I finally asked someone for help, and she pointed out you just keep the card in the machine. And it worked. Tahiti is an expensive place to make mistakes!

Night 1 in Tahiti

I tried to use the computer at the hostel the first day, and found the keyboard was the French layout - so I got nowhere in 10 minutes, at a cost of about $2.50.

Lastly, about 28 hours after landing in Tahiti, I learned that the exchange rate I was using from my 2006 Lonely Planet was off by 20%. I was underestimating my spending by 20%!!! So now I’ll always check rates online a country or two in advance.

Night 2 - Pacific Sunset on Moorea

If I’m going to make mistakes, it mine as well be in the South Pacific! :)

 Dolphin Show

Dare Me to do something fun, weird, or challenging on the road!

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16 Comments »

Comment by crambox UNITED STATES (94 comments.)
2007-12-05 14:05:39

Nice pictures, well at least you are learning from your mistakes early in the trip..

 
Comment by Leo UNITED STATES
2007-12-05 15:00:45

Dave,

Judging by the pictures, all I can say is…mistakes should be the last thing on your mind!!

Cheers!
Leo

Comment by Dave NEW ZEALAND
2007-12-06 22:57:51

Yeah Leo - they were not on my mind long - trust me!

 
 
Comment by Kango Suz UNITED STATES (9 comments.)
2007-12-05 16:57:42

Great pictures! Thanks for not making us wait! I never thought about non-qrty keyboards, I would have done the same thing typing is so second-nature to me….

Have a good one!

 
Comment by Laura UNITED STATES (9 comments.)
2007-12-05 18:19:58

Dave,
I’ve encountered that foreign (or should I say, non-English) keyboard situation. I’ve typed many emails from cyber cafes without apostrophes because it’s a character I can’t always find! Obviously, you figured it out but if you need access to an English based virtual keyboard quickly, try http://www.enetplanet.com/kb_en/ — you can “type” using a keyboard you’re familiar with (granted, it’s slow going as you’re actually poking letters with a mouse) but you can produce your text, copy it and then paste it where it needs to go. When you don’t have a lot of time or $$ to waste, sometimes this can be your best buddy.

Looks like you’re having fun! Troubles in paradise ain’t so bad after all, huh? :smile:

Comment by Dave NEW ZEALAND
2007-12-06 22:59:32

Thanks Laura - I knew there was something like that out there. I bookmarked it for future reference. I found an internet cafe that had both English and French options.

 
 
Comment by lissie AUSTRALIA (8 comments.)
2007-12-05 19:11:52

I use xe.com for exchange rates - excellent site. One tip Ifind that works is memorise the equivalent of $1 $15 $50 in local curency and then when I price is mentioned you know whether its cheap OK or XXXX !

Comment by Dave NEW ZEALAND
2007-12-06 23:00:35

Lissie - funny you mentioned that tip because on the plane ride to New Zealand I worked out some common money intervals so I could start to familiarize myself a little better with the currency before arrival.

 
 
Comment by Ames
2007-12-05 21:35:34

Wow— beautiful…. in all aspects :) FYI- It snowed in Virginia today!!!

 
Comment by liz
2007-12-06 06:36:10

so what did you do with the phone card?

glad you’re enjoying paradise. it’s a balmy -8C and windchill of -16C here in Toronto this morning.

Comment by Dave NEW ZEALAND
2007-12-06 23:01:09

I managed to use up most of the phone card I bought, and gave them all back to Sam before leaving.

 
 
Comment by Adrienne UNITED STATES
2007-12-06 11:13:45

Great pics, Dave!! I can see you are definitely enjoying the view!! :razz:

 
Comment by RBL UNITED STATES
2007-12-06 12:14:14

Well done…I owe you $10.

Comment by Dave NEW ZEALAND
2007-12-06 23:02:00

Not quite - both ladies in the photo were spoken for, however I do intend to post 2 newer pics which will make up for it. :)

 
 
Comment by GREAD lion CHINA (1 comments.)
2007-12-07 00:19:40

Great pictures! It seems you are very lucky and get to travel quite a bit.

 
Comment by Stu (113 comments.)
2007-12-07 16:46:46

while your sunning yourself i’m pushing snow :( dont hurry back to VA.

 
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