The Zaandam arrived to the port of Papeete, Tahiti, early this morning under mostly clear skies, 77 degrees (already ) with 78% humidity. The winds were minimal at 3.4 mph as we entered the harbor, not having to wait for the air controller to give us the go-ahead as no planes were landing at the same time. On the way here from Huahine, the ship maintained a constant roll, due to the slow speed of 9 knots we suspect. At least we will be here in Tahiti for two full days, and will have a night with no rocking and rolling. The Captain docked starboard to the pier so they could do bunkering of fuel and "big and heavy" loading according to Arsa in the Pinnacle Grill. We have finally run out of fresh strawberries in our breakfast yogurts, and were surprised they had lasted so long. Like we have been saying, we have been spoiled forever.
We had a surprise visit from one of our nice President's Club buddies who asked where we were yesterday during the special event in the Wajang. Due to the timing of this event, we already had cocktail plans and chose not to change them. Besides the starting time of this demo was 7pm and our dinner was 7:30pm. Bad timing for those of us who had late seating and that was probably just the two of us out of 11 members. The story of this event was that it was not anything like they expected as it was supposed to be a food demo. It turned out to be several tastings of hors d'oeuvres as well as beverages of your choice. According to our source, there were as many staff and crew members mixing with the guests. It was nice that she missed us, but we figured if it involved eating food, that would ruin dinner for us. We did hear after dinner last night that the person that was supposed to be part of the demo was not able to attend. Maybe that's why it went in a different direction. Then she added a cute story about an unplanned trip to Bora Bora with another single Pres. Club lady we know. They decided to go over to shore to seek out baguettes, which was not something our friend was familiar with. Well, almost everybody knows about baguettes in French Polynesia, and buying one is the thing to do. You will see locals eating these plain rolls or ham and cheese delights even while strolling the town. Those cruise guests that like to be seen doing a local thing will have one half-eaten sticking out of their Legendary cruise bag. We can verify that the French sure know how to make a good French bread. Anyway, our friend said they were delicious and they truly "looked good" walking down the road with them. And it is the little things like that , she said is making her trip a happy one. She admits there are some disappointments with changes, and we have to agree with her. Us old-timers remember the past and do not like change.
We left the ship at 11am, during the time our balcony was being washed down once again. The salt had begun to build up and that was cleaned off. Then at 10:30am, there was a different drill to test the speakers on the outside decks and the hallways of the guest's decks. Truthfully, many of the speakers on the promenade deck have not been working since Alaska. They chose not to blast the music needed for this test in the staterooms but said they would need to check every room for sound. They never checked ours.
We left the ship after accomplishing some computer work. So the question was : should we bring the umbrellas with us, trusting the captain's weather report yesterday with sun in the morning and showers in the late afternoon? The answer should have been "no". We no sooner left the gangway, collected our gifted tiare blossoms, and took some pictures of the local Tahitian greeters when the rain began….lightly at first. Figures…we left the umbrellas in the room. That's when we discovered that the new terminal building was completed and opened after about 3 or 4 years in the making. Now we were required to enter the building either by a staircase or a much further away ramp. We chose the ramp and got to the end of it when the rain came down really good. Not just a shower now. Lucky for all, it was brief but long enough to check out the many souvenir tables that were set up in this nice and spacious building. Trying to find a match for a Bora Bora pearl pendant we bought years ago, we found a pair that were perfect with the mother of pearl shell with carvings on them. An info desk had been set up, but there were no visible signs of brochures or maps there. Everything tends to be online or cell phone downloads these days. We guess modern is nice, but we sure miss the old info shack with souvenir tables set up under red tents. There was always a Tahitian dance going on, and many guests loved to join in with the local group of guys and girls wrapped in traditional sarongs and fluffy skirts. Those days are long gone now.
Walking down a ramp on the opposite side, we crossed the busy road and found our way to the Papeete Market or Marche as it is called here. Built in 1989, renovated in 2006, and modernized in 2015, this market has it all. The lower street level has handicraft from all of the archipelagos, fish and meat market, ready-made sandwiches with baguettes, produce, flowers, island clothing, cosmetics, and shell jewelry. The biggest selection of black pearls can be found here and outside the building, although they are not precious ones, they are still nice and affordable. The second floor has more of the same. With 7,000 square meters, there is a lot to see and buy. For this particular trip, this will be the last place to purchase these items with such a huge selection.
One of us was able to stroll through one of the fabric stores without being tempted to buy more. Very, very hard to do, but being overweight in the luggage is more to worry about. We made our way through the downtown area passing the Papeete Catholic Cathedral of Notre Dame. Once again the doors were shut tight and a man was sleeping in the doorway with his dog. We figured that the reason for closing this church is to keep these people outside. Up the street was the Hinano shop with the best variety of t-shirts and more. We were able to find three new ones to add to the collection. It still looked like rain was on the way, so we decided to head back and take our purchases to the room. No sense getting the new t-shirts wet.
We went back out by 1:30pm, and headed right for lunch at our favorite Papeete pizzeria called L'Apizzeria. It is located near the Paofai Church across from the Paofai Park. The walk took us past Bougainville Park where 2 canons from the 1915 warship Zelee is located. Bougainville's statue is in the center of these canons. We got there at 2pm and were seated around the side of the restaurant where a cool breeze was blowing. Along with ceiling fans, it was most comfortable.
We ordered two Hinano draft Blonde beers and one large Hawaiian pizza with extra onions on the top. As always, it was delicious having been cooked in a real wood-fired pizza oven. For an added treat, we had their profiteroles, which came like a mile high. Wow. We did manage to polish off the entire thing. It was so pleasant sitting here, and as always, you are never rushed. An hour whizzed by before we thought to leave. Now an interesting thing occurred when we looked closer at the receipt when we got back to the room. They had the pricing in 5 currencies. Naturally, Pacific French Francs was first. If you paid with New Zealand dollars the bill would have been 94.41 or for the Aussies, it was 82.76. Euro was 46.68 and Yen was 5976.39. We paid $54.88 USD with our American Express…widely accepted here. By the time we left, the sun has re-appeared and the rain was gone. Funny, just the opposite of what usually happens here. But this time, we did pack the umbrellas. That's why the showers stopped. Crossing the street, back to the ramp, and through the terminal with 17 stairs down to the bottom, we were back onboard by 3pm.
We had the final delivery of the President's Club bi-monthly gift of flowers for each of us. Then we watched as the "roulettes" food trucks began to arrive at Vaite Square. There were far fewer than normal for a Friday night. The crew likes going there after the dining rooms on the ship close. While we were busy with computer work, the Paul Gauguin cruise ship took the berth across from us. This is their turn-around point for short sailings within the islands.
Our dinner time arrived and we both ordered the pickled papaya with sliced Thai steak appetizer. Caesar salads followed, then we had the sliced pork with macaroni and coleslaw salad. Very good. We were totally full and passed on the dessert. This always disappoints Regie, but when we told him about the lunch profiteroles, he understood.
There was a local show by the Spirit of Tahiti singers, dancers, and musicians. Always a colorful dazzling show for the guests.
So much for day one in Tahiti.
Bill & Mary Ann
