"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report # 24 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia January 23, 2016 Saturday Part # 1 Partly cloudy & 85 degrees 75 Pictures---- Morning

Sent: Sunday, January 24, 2016 11:57:42 AM
Subject: Report # 24 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia January 23, 2016 Saturday Part # 1 Partly cloudy & 85 degrees 75 Pictures---- Morning

Report # 24 Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia January 23, 2016 Saturday Part # 1 Partly cloudy & 85 degrees

Our port of call for today was Papeete, the capital of Tahiti with a population of 186,909. Tahiti is the largest island in Polynesia with a total of 651 square miles. The highest peak is Mt. Orohena at 6790 feet. Tahiti is known as the island of marinated raw fish and sweet fragrances. And it is a sharp contrast to the atoll where we visited yesterday.

We had company, as the Paul Gauguin ship was in port. She is a 4 plus star vessel of 19,200 gross tons. The ship was built in 1998 and carries a total of 332 passengers. It is described as an elegant, cool ship for chic warm weather cruisers. It has a retractable aft marina platform for water sports….all complimentary except for scuba diving. The dress code is totally relaxed all day and evening. Gratuities, sodas, water, wine and liquor are included, making it close to all inclusive. There is some entertainment, but their strong point are the lecturers. An interesting fact is that the only time the ship is docked is in Papeete, because all of their ports are tender ports. Today must be a turn over day, because we saw many people leaving with suitcases, then new passengers arriving in the afternoon.

We have been lucky enough to have been here many times in the past. We have done all of the tours, some of them twice. The best way to get a feeling for this part of the world is to take a tour of the islands, see the sights, explore the museums, taste the food, and best of all, experience the wonders of the tropical waters. Having covered all of that, we get the most pleasure from mixing with the people, doing what they do like today, on a Saturday.

So after breakfast, we went into town with the intent of doing some shopping. Our walk brought us to the Municipal Marketplace, where you can find about anything Polynesian that exists. The lower floor is all about the crafts, flowers, and fish and produce stands. Upstairs, you can find clothing and jewelry, as well as a café with a bar. The entire market was full of local shoppers and cruise folks. We made one stop upstairs for a Hinano t-shirt and a bar of scented coconut oil soap.

Continuing on, we strolled the town, taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling city. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception was closed, as were the French Polynesian Assembly and the adjoining Queen Pomare's garden and Pond. All five of the archipelagos are represented here with the votes from 57 members. The garden was created in 1858 for the Queen. Samples of the native trees and plants are planted here among the meandering streams and ponds in this garden. The deepest part of one pond is said to have the purest water on the island, and is where the queen bathed daily with the help of servants. Too bad it was closed today.

We made a sweep through Bougainville Park, where several souvenir stands were set up. Seashell jewelry was being made on the spot, baskets and purses were displayed, and the vendors were friendly without pressuring anyone to buy. With two ships in port, we are sure they did well. After taking many photos, we decided to go back to the market to get our flowers.

It took five minutes to find the perfect flowers of ginger, protea, bird of paradise, and caladmium blooms. Then we walked back to the ship to get them into fresh water. The weather was very warm and humid this morning, so after exploring for two hours, we needed to cool off.

Before we boarded, we passed by the line of vendors who were selling snorkel and sight-seeing tours for Moorea tomorrow. They are there every time we have been here. It is hard to believe, but these folks sell 3 or 4 hour tours in Moorea to swim with the rays and sharks for a fraction of the ship's tour. We told our tablemates about it, so we hope they consider doing that tomorrow.

This was a good time to download photos and get some emails out. The internet has been spotty, but if you get the timing right, it can be OK. So by 1pm, we took off again for an afternoon walk. Finally, after several years of construction, the waterfront walkway has been completed. The small boat marina has also been renovated on this stretch of waterfront. Eventually the wide walkway leads to Paofai Gardens, a park that covers several acres on the harbor. Brick pathways meander through grassy knolls covered with tropical trees and flowering bushes. There are places to play games on the grass, or bring the kids to a playground. Fountains and ponds are surrounded with comfortable benches….a serene setting.

One part of the park has a spot where dozens of canoes are stacked. This is a huge sport here, canoe racing. And now we know firsthand about the competition that takes the racers from the island of Huahine to Raiatea, to Tahaa, and finally Bora Bora. We happened to be in Raiatea last fall one day before that leg of the race began. The excitement was electric as we watched the TV team setting up for the start of the race. The following day, we were in Papeete, watching the coverage on the TV at the Marketplace. The café upstairs was full of fans cheering the canoers on. Sure was exciting knowing we had just been there the day before. Anyway, we are sure that some of these contestants come from here too.

We continued up to the new grandstands for concerts on the waterfront. Events take place there during the coolness of the evenings. It is also a good place to watch the local kids swimming in the surf there. It was pretty calm today, so there were few swimmers.

Time to head back, we made tracks to LaPizzeria, our most favorite Italian restaurant in Polynesia. It is very unassuming and almost hidden behind walls and shaded cloth. Taking a wild guess, we think this café was built onto an existing house. The lower level was turned into a kitchen with a huge wood-fired oven. You can watch the experienced pizza maker hard at work with her many creations while you wait for your order.

Today we were seated at a table with a fan overhead….a must. The seating area is really a patio that surrounds the house, and is covered with a canvas roofing. The floor is small rock, the tables and chairs heavy plastic. Like we said, not fancy, but oh so good pizza. We ordered our usual margherita pizza with "oignons", or onions on top. Two large Hinano beers helped cool us off. Normally, we never have dessert, but today was an exception. We "split" a banana split, a huge one piled with whipped cream, a chocolate drizzle, and sprinkled with sliced almonds. That should take care of desserts for a week in advance. But it was really worth it. Food can be expensive in French Polynesia, but we don't think it was any more than what we pay at home in California.

An hour had slipped by all too quickly, and it was time to go. As we walked past the same businesses we had passed this morning, we noticed that most of them were closed for the day. This is typical here, and no surprise. Now if we had arrived on a Sunday, the pizza place would have been closed, and all of the shops would have been closed all day. Even the Marketplace would only open from 3am to 9am. Sure glad today was Saturday. We made our way all the way down to where the Gauguin was docked. Many years ago, while on a Radisson cruise, we had the opportunity to visit the Gauguin, while she was in the Radisson fleet. Back then, security was showing our room card that showed we were on a sister ship. Easy. Since the ship is on the small side, we found the staterooms, public rooms, and the pool area to be rather small. Sailing on her would be a different experience, as the atmosphere was laid back and very casual. Might be nice for a change.

The Amsterdam was offering a deck BBQ this evening, beginning at 5:30pm. We took the camera and went up to deck nine to take some photos of the chefs grilling and the folks dining outside. Sure did smell good with the steaks, sausages, and shrimp skewers cooking on the grill. We don't eat dinner there, but sometimes we sample some of the meats. Today they had a suckling pig, complete with the head. A true luau. Looked like the crowd was happy.

We stayed long enough to watch the sunset dropping on the horizon. It was as good as it gets too. We went to the dining room to find that it was mostly empty of customers. Our service was excellent and speedy. We both ordered the salisberry? steak with mashed potatoes and peas. The gravy was really tasty. And to be good, we both ordered the raspberry jello. We knew that our waiters may have the chance to get off the ship tonight, so we ended our dinner by 9:30pm. There was one show only tonight with a local dance team performing a traditional dance with Tahitian music. Crowded to the gills, there was barely standing room. The group, Tahiti Ora, was as good as always. It was worth it just to see the costumes if nothing else.

Tomorrow at 5am, we will literally float to the sister island of Tahiti, Moorea, another piece of heaven on earth. We should wake up with the sights of Opunohu Bay and the towering volcanic peaks looming above the ship. Looking forward to it.

Bill & Mary Ann

The port of Papeete & the Paul Gauguin