Today's port was Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia, situated on the island of Tahiti, and the largest of the islands. Papeete is the seat of government, as well as the commercial, industrial, and financial businesses and services for the country. The residence of the French High Commissioner lives here.
Over 30,000 years ago, migrants arrived from Southeast Asia and settled in Polynesia. They remained isolated until the British arrived in 1767, followed by captains Cook and Bligh, and French explorer Bougainville. The British brought missionaries, and that is when everything changed with the introduction of Christianity.
The best way to get to know this city is by visiting their Marche Municipal, or the Marketplace. Spread over 7000 square meters, you can find a full range of authentic Polynesian products and get the feel of their way of living. You can buy uru (breadfruit), sweet potatoes, bananas, pineapples, limes, and mangoes to name a few. Deep sea fish, lagoon fish, tuna, mahi mahi, swordfish, and parrot fish….some of the largest we have ever seen. Tropical flowers are also sold here as well, and at a reasonable price. Handicrafts from the Austral islands include woven hats and baskets, while stone and wood carvings can be found from the Marquesas. Other sale items are monoi, the coconut oil, and a wide array of shell jewelry. Pearl items can be bought on the outside tables, and island clothing is available on the second level.
There were 13 ship tours here with site-seeing, culture, and water activities. There were a few island bus tours with lunch, a 4x4 ATV ride to see cascading waterfalls, tropical vegetation, exotic flowers and killer views. There was a guided tour through downtown, which we always do on or own. Or you could book a swimming and snorkeling excursion, sailing in a catamaran, or enjoy a sunset sail and cocktail on a 65 foot boat. The most expensive tour were a choice between an overnight in a bungalow or a bungalow over the water in Moorea. That cost from $800 to $950 a person, and the transfer there was by ferry. We have participated in them all, except for the bungalow.
And this was the first port that we encountered heavy rain. Once the sun came up, we could see the heavy black clouds coming our way as the ship entered the sheltered harbor at Papeete. While we were having breakfast in the dining room, we could see sheets of water running down the back windows. Recalling that this is fairly normal for this time of year, we all hoped it was passing, and it would clear up. And it did just that. There were showers off and on most the early morning, but the afternoon was rain-free, at least in town. No matter what, we took the umbrellas and did use them.
Before we left the ship, we hunted down Henk (Christel), the hotel director, and Shiv, the executive housekeeper. They were all leaving today for a short vacation, then will return in Cartagena in early January. The Mensinks will be able to spend Christmas off of the ship, but Shiv has the longest flight home to India.
Our job for the morning was to make or way to Marche Municipal, or the Marketplace. Remember the information building that used to be right across from the pier? Well, it is no longer there. All that is left is a tent with tables of souvenirs and clothing. No more welcome dancers. By the way, we were handed an ad for pre-booking tours for Moorea tomorrow. Three excursions offered were island tours from $40 to $50 per person.
Then we made our way towards the marketplace via the fabric shop street. Had to stop by the shop where we purchase the floral fabrics for blouses. The owner immediately recognized the print I had on today, as we bought the fabric last year. Originally, we had decided not to buy more, but knowing that might be a bad decision, we did come back on our way back to the ship. Hard to resist some of their new prints and the fabric is a blend with rayon, not just cotton, which can fade.
The traffic was stopped dead all around the market. The locals were out and about early today to get the best buys. The stop was really for photo-taking only, since we would stop here on or way back to the ship. We did go up the escalator to stroll around the upper shops. The nicer jewelry shops are on the second level, but it also extremely hot up there. It was necessary to use the stairs down, because the escalator was broken again.
From here, we made our way to the Cathedral and the French Polynesian Assembly building. Both were open for inspection, as well as the Assembly Garden. Formally named Queen Pomare IV Garden, this pond was used to fill canteens because the water was believed to be pure. It was kept a secret for many years, but it was also mosquito-laden back in the 1800's. Examples of many tropical plants and trees are labeled in this secret garden. It is dotted with some interesting tikis too.
Across the street, we entered Bougainville Park, which was started in 1934. The highlight of the park is a huge breadfruit tree. The bust of Louis Antoine de Bougainville stands tall at the entrance. He is flanked by two cannons from old ships.
From here, we back-tracked to the market to purchase some beautiful flowers for our room. They are heavy and buying them after our first walk was a good idea. And the bouquet of ginger, bird of paradise, and proteas will last until the end of the cruise. Many guests thought we could not bring the bouquet onboard, but we know that you cannot bring them off, but you can take them onboard.
With a quick clean-up and re-trimming, the bouquet lit up or room with color. Then we were off and running again. Time for lunch. By now, most of the showers had ended, and the sun was peeking out. The streets here have been undergoing renovations, which has made walking much more pleasant on the wider sidewalks. Sort of reminded us of the fancy streets in Rio. Initially, we were going to hike the Pomare Boulevard along the harbor, but it was closed in the center section. We had to go back in order to cross the street. It appeared that the center section of harbor park was being remodeled.
So we had to negotiate the street getting to the restaurant L Apizzeria. We had to trust that the cars would avoid the deep puddles on the side of the street, and they did. In fact, cars will stop and let you cross when you step into the street. That does not happen in most big cities, as they would sooner run you over than stop.
Finally at the restaurant, we discovered the door was open, and we were seated right away. We were the only tourists in there, as many of the business folks dine here at lunchtime. Of course, we ordered pizza, this time a Hawaii one, and two large Hinano beers. Delicious as always, we ended the meal with a dessert of profiteroles. So good. With the heat, rain, and humidity of the day, relaxing here under a nice ceiling fan, we appreciated the stop even more.
Back to the ship, we did make the one stop at the fabric shop, then took advantage of the rest of the afternoon cooling off in our room. Directly across from our veranda was the that tall-masted sailing vessel with a lot of activity happening there. Has to be a training boat, we assume. Around sunset, they played the French National Anthem, and lowered their flags for the evening. We could also watch the roulettes being set up for tonight's dinner onshore.
Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill, which was not crowded. Both of us had the wedge salads with the special clothesline bacon on the side. The small steak was perfect with fries and ½ of a baked potato. Dessert was one slice of Key lime pie and three scoop of Cherry Garcia ice cream. On or way to the elevators, we did stop in the show lounge to watch the local show, Mana, the Spirit of Tahiti. It was outstanding as always, drawing the biggest crowd so far.
Since we stayed until the wee hours of the night, there was no sail away. Tomorrow, the ship would silently leave the harbor, and float over to the sister island of Moorea.
Bill & Mary Ann
