Fare Aute Moorea

... Tahiti Airport Motel which is apparently walking distance from the airport - I then try and reassure same person that I wasn't taking the **** as we both turn around and see it glaring me in the face across the car park. It is there - up a small dirt track - but you couldn't miss the sign. I spend the night in the relative comfort of the motel and am up the next day to catch the bus to town "le truck". Papet'te is a small seaside sailors town. It is here ...

... we did get to nosy inside the Hilton's grounds. We realised after our short visit to the Hilton that the French Polynesian Islands would make a great holiday destination for anybody with money but not so great for the poor travelers. With that in mind we returned to our cosy little bungalow where we chilled out before tea. Tonights menu was chicken nuggets and chips - 2 problems, 1st we brought a box of 30 nuggets to discover only 25 inside, we were not best pleased and ...

... got to know the place more we did find that there was a small cockroach problem around the toilet block every night, this made it a bit exciting if you needed a late night trip! The strange thing about these South Pacific islands is the giant reefs that surround them. As we looked out to see the waves were breaking about 500m out, the water closer to land was flat as a pond. When we went out in Kayaks for a closer inspection the sea was no deeper than a few meters all the way out ...

... wir noch 3 Tage in Moorea, einer weiteren Insel von Tahiti. Das Bungalow dort hatte nicht den Charme des vorigen, aber es war auch mit wunderschoener Meeressicht auf den schoensten Strand der Insel. Wir hatten gehoert, dass man hier Korallenriffe und die buntesten Fische direkt vor der Haustuere des Hotels hat und so sprang mein Liebster euphorisch ins Wasser, gleich nachdem wir ankamen, und sah auch fuer ca. 10 Minuten tollste Fische und Riffe - bis er vor lauter Aufregung wegen ...

... well until I came across some rather brave fish who decided to defend their waters by swimming at me - brushing past my legs, and I reckon trying to 'nip' at me - well that was enough to have me wading through the water for the safety of the beach - I don't mind seeing them swimming around but not keen on them actually touching me. Maybe next time I'll wear a wet suit. On our last day we headed back to Tahiti to enjoy the delights of the Sofitel ...

... and snorkeled a bit. Then we went by the Intercontinental Hotel because they had this thing where you can swim with the dolphins and I wanted to see how much it was. Too much money for me :( BOOO! But we did get to see the dolphins at least!! Then we came back to the ship for lunch! Mom and Dad went back to the island and Jeff and I stayed on the ship. The back of the ship opens up and there is a water sports platform out there. So Jeff and I ...

First of all, Moorea is as close to my perception of paradise as I´ve ever encountered. It really is an incredibly beautiful place, with turquoise waters the likes of which I´ve never seen - except in brochures - and stunning mountains in the interior. That said, it is very very expensive, and I guess that´s why it was as quiet as I found it. When I checked into my bungalow, I thought they´d made a mistake with my reservation, as I´d asked for the cheapest bungalow ...

... so I pottered around until they came back. We went around the island again, this time much faster and much more enjoyable, but it was there that I christened the island "land of potholes." We went to the supermarket and paid extortionate prices for a few simple things before going back for a pleasant enough evening "chez nous" (at our place) Before we arrived at the island we were on Tahiti and we were eating crepes, someone called my name and it was ...

... a silky one in green with flowers on it and a stiffer cloth one dyed in shades of green. I was apparently on green kick it seems. Then I just sort of wandered around near the port, unwilling to get back on the ship before I had to, knowing that it would be 8 days before I would get off it again. It was Halloween so there was a party, but I didn't think I would go. Fortunately Liz convinced me, but since I have 8 days with nothing to talk about, I'll save that one for another entry.

... another short line to send our bags through the x-ray machine. Then another short line through immigration and security. When we reached the gate area, all seats were taken because the 22.00h flight is delayed until 01.30h. So we sat on an odd cushionless box, or along a wall. K&K disappeared with their friends. (When we checked on, we were told our flight would depart an hour late ... about a half hour after midnight. Hopefully, they can make up most of that en route.) Our ...