There are two things I tend to avoid during international travel - public phones and driving. I managed the public phones in Tahiti well enough (after that first mishap) and was surprised with a crazy drive on my last night.
Sam picked me up about 2 hours after my ferry from Moorea landed. During that time, I got a veal dinner at the local square filled with roulettes (food vans). Yes, a cut off the animal in the photo is what I ate (with french fries). Sam had to transport his motorcycle from his old house to his new, and he needed me to drive his VW Polo. We headed out of Papeete toward his old house, in the dark, after an hour’s rain. The highway part was fine, however we then pulled onto a local road that began to climb up what felt like a mountain. I mean I could feel my ears pop on the way up. He swerved all over to miss potholes (one of the reasons he moved), and broken branches and leaves were strewn all over the wet asphalt. We then hit a stretch of dirt road, where the street lights stopped, and he navigated multiple hairpin turns. Finally, we reached the apex of whatever we were climbing, whereupon there was a house with a view of the distant twinkling lights below.
By the time we reached the top, my nerves were going AWOL. I took a pee down the driveway a bit, and tried not to picture the precipitous cliffs that lined the road I was about to head down (at night, after the rain remember). Sam seemed confident in me, and I’d be driving an automatic VW, so I tried to take some comfort in those facts. I put the car in 1st gear, and off we went.
I’m sure I was hunched over the wheel like a 90-year old grandmother. Did I mention there were no lights during the scariest muddy section? I let the car go slowly down, braking softly for fear of skidding off the mountain. Sam went slow, and after passing a few of the hairpin turns, I started to breathe a little easier. I reminded myself not to get overconfident because even after we hit the lit asphalt section, the road was still wet, and there were crazy dogs that ran out at us at one point. Sam pulled up to me and gave me his cell phone in case it rained, which meant if we lost each other, I was in a bit of trouble! A few minutes later he pulled up and gave me his left side mirror which accidentally broke off. I had to laugh at that point. We breezed down the highway, through quiet Pape’ete, and onward to his new home.
Sometimes the adventures come without warning, and without cost!
From RBL: I dare you to convince single women (aged 18-35) to have their photo taken with their hand on your shoulder.
Reward: $5 per woman. No limit.
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It didn’t take long for me to complete my first dare (technically the second submitted). I met Christina and Alexandra on Moorea, and as we got to know each other, the cameras came out. They tipped me off to a fantastic activity in South Africa - something I would’ve never thought possible for tourists. I’ll leave it as a surprise!
As you saw from the previous photos, Moorea is a little bit of paradise in the South Pacific. It’s a short 20-minute ferry ride west of Tahiti. I want to try and catch you up now that I’m in New Zealand and internet access is cheap by comparison.
I spent 3 nights on Moorea, and lucked out with a private dorm room the whole time. Camping Chez Nelson was set on a fantastic stretch of (rare) beach along a beautiful section of the blue lagoon which encircles the entire island. My first night I happened upon Lucy from New Zealand. We had first met on the brightly lit airport terminal bus at an ungodly hour like 1am in Los Angeles. Serendipity had her staying in the dorm next to me, along with Madeline from Scotland, who was working on her first novel, and planned to finish it up with a 3-month stint on Fiji. We dined on (tiny) lobsters, and had an all around great time together.
The next day it rained (a lot) and I said a wet goodbye to Lucy and Madeline, and let the day pass slowly. Later, I met 4 new arrivals - Christina and Alexandra from Colorado and Alex and Robert from Germany. I had taken Benadryl due to what appeared to be a swelling bug bite, though it unintentionally drugged me to sleep for 11 hours. The next day I went snorkeling on the northern side of the island - which gave me a whole new appreciation for the views of the green mountains and wispy clouds. Even when it rained, the views above and below water were perfect. We saw sting rays, black tip sharks, tiki scupltures carved underwater out of coral, and plenty of pretty fish.
That third night I played a card game - Phase 10 - with my four new friends until we retired a little after 10pm (late by Polynesian standards). The next day I awoke, ate some more crepes with Alexandra, took the bus back to the ferry, and the ferry back to Tahiti.
Bonus Video - I couldn’t resist this monologue, though the turqouise waters don’t show up as well due to the clouds. Tahitian postcard goes to the first person to peg where I got the quote. While not original, it perfectly described my feelings at the start of this journey.
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!
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.
If I’m going to make mistakes, it mine as well be in the South Pacific!
After a really challenging travel day from New York to Tahiti, I was wondering what I had signed up for. 15 hours of flying and all the airport waiting that goes along with it. Every part of my body was sore, and I arrived at 7:30am with a full day ahead of me. The service on Air Tahiti Nui did ease some of the stress though - I was quite happy with them and the food, though it helped that I managed to have extra seats on both legs of my trip.
Despite my plane arriving an hour late, Sam from Couchsurfing was waiting for me with a traditional lei when I walked out of the airport terminal. I grabbed some cash from an ATM, and we were off in his VW - picking up the ferry schedule, coffee, and a drop-off at a nearby hostel. Aside from two short walks around Papeete, I laid in bed all day given the lack of sleep in the past 24+ hours.
Sam is a French doctor, and the nicest guy I could’ve hoped for. He’s been on the island for a year, and seems to do it all - surfing, kiteboarding, wakeboarding, juggling, and practicing medicine. He invited me to a friend’s going away party that first night, and I had to muster the energy to take advantage of it. We each picked up a 6-pack of beer, which ran about $14.70 (easily the most I’ve EVER paid for 6 cans of beer). We hung out with some of his friends at his new house, then walked to the backyard party a few feet from a black sand beach. I was surrounded by French people, however a few spoke English, and I had a good time. They had an 8-person drum circle going at one point, and there was plenty of food and beer. I ended up crashing at Sam’s place after all.
The next morning, he drove me to the ferry so I could get over to Moorea, the smaller, less developed (and prettier) island neighbor. I’ve got to wrap up, though it has been raining all morning so I’m about to get drenched on the way back to the campground (Chez Nelson).
Moorea is picture perfect, though I don’t know that I’m going to manage to upload photos from here. Internet time should be far cheaper in New Zealand (you can wait until Dec 7….right!?).
At first, I thought staying at campground/hostel Chez Nelson on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia was a godsend. It’s only $20 the first night, $16 each additional night for a dorm, and several people have recommended it in the BootsnAll forum. Then I checked Couchsurfing on a whim, and was surprised to find 5 results!
I just e-mailed my first couchsurfer from the guest perspective. I’m suddenly even *more* excited to head to the island paradise, if that is possible. While saving a little money would be nice, I’m thinking more about how the experience of staying with a local could enrich my stay. I’ll let you know if I get the green light.
Fun Facts About Tahiti from my Lonely Planet guide (as costly as any other with far fewer pages):
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I spent 3 nights on Moorea, and lucked out with a private dorm room the whole time. Camping Chez Nelson was set on a fantastic stretch of (rare) beach along a beautiful section of the blue lagoon which encircles the entire island. My first night I happened upon Lucy from New Zealand. We had first met on the brightly lit airport terminal bus at an ungodly hour like 1am in Los Angeles. Serendipity had her staying in the dorm next to me, along with Madeline from Scotland, who was working on her first novel, and planned to finish it up with a 3-month stint on Fiji. We dined on (tiny) lobsters, and had an all around great time together.
