Third Time to Tahiti

Boston to LA, on our way to Papeete; Friday, April 4, 2014

Start of our trip, a day of traveling. 

Our United flight was supposed to take off at 11:50am, to Newark/NJ then connect to LA. We got up at 6, fed the dogs and took them for a walk. JJ did very well, walked almost the entire street. Djuna of course did her full street walk. Both dogs sensed something was going on and were a little nervous. I felt very bad for leaving them, even though I have 2 good dog sitters.

We wanted to leave the house at 8:30 but ended up leaving almost 15 minutes late.  We rented an AVIS car and picked it up the day before. I drove Bob to Sheraton in Framingham and did not get in the car until this morning.  Ugh – it reeked of smoke!! And the trash from the previous renter was still in the pocket of the door. Ugh!! Complaint to the AVIS guy at Logan, for whatever it's worth.

When we checked in, we were told the flight was delayed and would not leave until 1pm. Since our LA flight would not leave until 5pm, we were OK. It turned out we actually took off before 1pm. The delay was caused by runway repair at Newark airport.

We got to Newark around 2pm, at terminal C. Very nice terminal! Lots of shops to wonder around. We boarded the plane before 5 and the plane took off a little later than scheduled. We arrived in LA around 9pm local time, at terminal 7. We had to get our luggage and took the shuttle to the international terminal. A pain! By the time we checked in with Air Tahiti Nui and went through security, there were less than 20 minutes left before boarding. The international terminal was quite nice, with lots of shops and eating places, but we did not have the time to look at any. We met Ira and Fran at the gate – they arrived earlier than we did and stayed in the club.

We boarded the plane around 10:15pm local time, which would be 1am back home. A long day.  We definitely did the right thing to have booked business class seats on AirTahiti Nui. It was nice!

Arrived in Papeete; Saturday, April 5, 2014

The flight from LA to Papeete was 8+ hours. It was smooth and we were comfortable. I probably slept 4 or 5 hours – tried to watch the movie "Gravity" but fell asleep part of the way. After I woke up, I watched the Dog Whisperer – really admire Caezer Millan! Got to get his DVDs and try some of the methods with Djuna and hopefully SS would do it with Iubi too.

They fed us a light late night snack then a breakfast. Not bad. We arrived in Papeete before 5am local time. When I saw the lights of Papeete from the plane, it was the first time in this trip that I started to feel excited. Hello Tahiti! Of course Papeete was sleeping at this early hour. As soon as we stepped out of the plane, we felt the warm and humid air – it was probably in the 70s. When we walked into the airport, they had a lady dancing the Polynesian dance, with 2 guys playing the music. I really love the dance!

We booked a day hotel so we can have some rest before we're allowed to board the ship at noon time. Ira did the research on cruise critic and we booked the hotel Tiare Tahiti ,which was close to the pier. A taxi took us to the hotel. It was a very simple hotel. I was quite apprehensive at first. But after turning on the AC and looked around in the room, it was OK. Perfectly adequate for our purpose of resting a few hours. We took our showers and rested. Our room looked right at our ship! I stepped onto the balcony and took a few pictures. I turned on the TV (an old small TV) but all stations were in French. Oh well. We will meet the Warrens at noon and head to the ship.

Oh, when we looked out from our hotel room, we saw the various piers aside from where our big ship docked. There was the dock where we boarded the sail boat to go to Marlon Brando’s island, Tetiaroa, the first time we came here! It was a charter boat by a French couple. And their name was still there on the board by the pier! I read from the magazine on the plane that Brando’s children actually sold the island to a hotel and a hotel is being built! We want to go there once more!

We took our showers. The water pressure was very good which made me happy. I could not sleep even though I was very tired, so I watched my downloaded Chinese soap on my iPad and rested for a couple of hours. Around noon time, we checked out of the hotel and walked to the pier. It was an easy 10-minute walk, even with the luggage. Boy it was quite hot!

Boarding the ship was very smooth! The checkin was painless, nicely done. We had the welcome buffet on the 12th floor and our room was ready by 1pm. Oh our room was very nice and we liked it very much! Better than the Regent! Quite spacious, with 2 sitting areas, an ample walk-in closet, bath and shower, even a laptop! We’re very pleased! I think we can do the 180 around the world cruise with this cruise line!

Since the luggage had not arrived, we walked out to the market across the street to get our flowers. The Warrens and we each got a nice bouquet of gorgeous tropical flowers, for merely $15. And I got my fragrant flower wreath around my neck – smelled so good! It sure was HOT outside. It is fall here. Apparently the best time to come is their winter, like we did last time, around July/August.

Our luggage arrived around 3 or 3:30. After unpacking, Bob and I took a walk along the water. It was still hot especially under the sun. We were hoping to find Bob a pair of sandals, but all stores were closed by noon on Saturday. The sole of one of his sandals seems to be falling apart. I wanted to get him a 2nd pair of sandals before we left, he refused. But he did not know this pair had the problem. I guess he would have to wear this broken pair of sandals all this trip - nowhere on these islands we would be able to find good sandals :-(

We had dinner at the specialty restaurant Red Ginger. Oh my - it was one of the best fusion restaurants we've ever been to! Every dish was absolutely 6-star delicious! We ordered multiple appetizers, salads, plus a few entrees. I had not stuffed myself to this extent for a very long time. We have reservation to go back there again. But we want to make at least another reservation. Very impressed!

Bob and I took a walk on deck 14 - 21 rounds, probably only a little more than a mile. But it's better than not walking. 

Did not take any meaningful photos these 2 days, just a few to remember the various places. I need to take pictures with "lines" - Ron's assignment for us and we need to turn 3-5 pictures in next class 4/27. I have not seen anything with lines that were worth taking .... Maybe I simply don't have the photographer's eyes ....

Wonderful Revisiting Moorea; Sunday, April 6, 2014

Bob and I got up before 7 and went to the gym, walked on the treadmill for more than half an hour. I way over ate last night at Red Ginger - food was still in my stomach this morning, even after last night's walk on the deck. We both slept really well - the bed was very comfortable! Really like this ship!

Mandatory life boat drill was at 8:15. Then we went to breakfast at the buffet. Ira told us that Oceania's food was very good and now we can attest to that. Even the buffet breakfast was very good! I had my oatmeal and fruits, plus a muffin and some lox. Good!

Our plan today was to rent a car and drive around the island - visit some shops, beaches, and maybe do some shallow water snorkeling It took us a little while to get tendered to shore. When we got on shore, Bob found out he forgot his driver's license and he needed it to rent the car, so he had to take the tender back to the ship. That allowed us some time to shop around at the various stands right at the pier. My memories came back for this place when I saw the yellow building and the shop stands. But the merchandise seemed to be much more abundant than 7 years ago. 

By around 11am, we got into our rental car and started our journey. Our first stop was the Belvedere, the lookout point where you get a very good view of the Cook's bay and the gorgeous mountains. The mountains are the most fantastic sites of Moorea - the jagged shapes, enshrined in clouds, the lush vegetation, very beautiful. Then we drove on the loop road and circled the entire island, stopping at various shops (that were open). The nice pearl jewelries (in the nice jewelry stores) really made me drool:-).

Bob had very good memory. He spotted the local jeweler house where we bought me a necklace 7 years ago. We stopped there. The same young French lady even though she did not remember me. The puppy Bob thought he remembered was a big dog now. When I saw the house, I remembered. I wanted to have a ring, which can easily adjust the size. She happened to have a silver ring that would take 2 pearls. We picked 2 class C pearls that I liked and I got a ring!

We did not get the chance to go into the water. The road condition was not that great, very bumpy, so it took longer. It started raining around 3. And we got back on the ship around 4. A hot shower to wash away the stickiness felt so good!

Somehow the ship changed its itinerary a bit at the last minute (which disrupted a lot of people's plan, especially the ones who had arranged own tours with local companies like we did). Tomorrow we will be Huahine instead of a sea day (towards Roratonga); and we will have only 1 day at Roratonga instead of 2 :-(. Roratonga is part of New Zealand Cook Islands. We were there once and really loved the place!

We had dinner in the main dining room. Food was very good, but after Reg Ginger last night, the main dining room was a let-down :-( Nothing really to complain at all about the food and service, just can't be compared with Red Ginger. 

After dinner, Fran and I wondered around the shops (they just opened today). Bob "went to work" in the casino for a little. Then Bob and I walked the 14th floor deck, probably a mile. I am very tired now. Bob went back to "work" again and I am going to bed. 

Marc's Motu Picnic Tour; Monday, April 7, 2014

We got up at 6 today, hoping to go to the gym and do some treadmill. But it turned out the gym did not open until 8 today, so we walked on the deck instead. We walked for about 40 minutes, at about 3 mile/hr speed. Better than not doing it. The weather was already very warm and humid at that early hour.

After breakfast, we met the Warrens at 8:15 on the 5th floor lounge to get our tender tickets and then got on shore before 9. Marc's people were already waiting there. There were 24 people on our boat. Armando was our captain and guide and everything. He first took us to a snorkeling place. Everybody went in the water. Bob and I went in also, but we stayed near the boat, hanging on to the pontoon. It felt SO GOOD to be in the beautiful clear water! I did put on my snorkel mask and saw some fish. After this snorkeling, Amando took us to the pearl farm, the same pearl farm we went to before (where I bought a pearl). This pearl farm is owned by a guy from California who married a local girl. He was there and told the visitors about how they culture pearls. Interesting. I did not see any pearls that caught my eye.

After the pearl farm, the original plan was to do drift snorkeling. But it turned out the water was too rough today, so Armando changed his route a little bit. For those of us who did not swim too well, he dropped us off at the picnic site where we could go in the shallow water. For the rest, he took them drift snorkeling. Ira and Fran later told us that the snorkeling was good, but the current was strong so they drifted very fast.

The Motu picnic was as I remembered. The marinated raw tuna, barbecued chicken and fish, etc. etc. Everything was delicious. And Armando told us a little bit about the Huahine island, etc.

It was a good trip, as expected, and we enjoyed it, just like the last 2 times. And I do like this island, very beautiful! Next time if we come again, we will rent a car and explore this place some more!

We got back on our ship around 3:30. It felt wonderful to be clean again, after a hot shower!

Tonight we had dinner at the specialty French restaurant Jacques. It was very good! I had 2 appetizers - escargot  and frog legs, both were very good! Then the soup, the entree, and the dessert. All were so good and I simply could not resist. Boy if we spend half a year on this ship, I would probably gain 50 lbs!

We're sailing towards Rarotonga and the sea is pretty rough, hard to walk steady. I was very tired and sleepy so we did not do our after-dinner walk. This is not good ....

Sea Day #1; Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Our first sea day today, as we sailed towards Rarotonga.

We got up around 8 - I slept more than 8 hours and rested well, even though still feeling somewhat tired when we got up. My shoulders and back were sun burnt from yesterday, yikes!

The Warrens joined us for breakfast and we chatted for a while afterwards. Then I went to the gym ad walked on the treadmill for an hour, watching Jacque Peppin's "Fast Food My Way", which was really great! I've got to get the DVD and make some of the dishes from him!

We then played games in the game room till about 2pm. Then Bob and Ira went to the Blackjack tournament, while Fran and I went to the shops on the 5th floor - I wanted to consult Fran on the "travel memory globe" which I really want. We made the decision to get the mini globe (vs the small one which was almost twice the size of the mini, a bit too big for me). Can't wait to get it! Then Fran and I wondered around the ship, got a few bites of food, etc. I really do like this cruise line a lot! If there's another cruise that offers the itinerary  we want, it's worth the splurge to do it again! The world cruise with this line is definitely worth considering.

We had dinner at the specialty Italian restaurant Toscana tonight. Again both the food and the service were very very good! For the entree, I might not have ordered the right dish - I ordered the sea bass, which was good, but not as good as the one in Red Ginger. 

It was 9:30 after we finished dinner. I was again very tired, even though we really did not do much today. Bob just went to "work". I am going to bed. Tomorrow we'll have a 50/50 chance of getting on shore at Rarotonga - if the sea is too rough, then we won't be able to tender. For the last 2 cruises we took here, we only got on shore once. I pray we can do it tomorrow!

Rarotonga - Glad to be Back Again! Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Our ship anchored by Rarotonga around 6:30am. I got up before then and went on the balcony to look at the shoreline of Rarotonga. This is the island I really liked - it's not very developed and has the best beaches and snorkel places! The water is so clear and shallow - one can just walk in then see the fish. You can snorkel or just walk in the water. There is only a 50/50 chance for the tender to operate, because of the rough sea. We're lucky today!

Bob and I went to the gym before 7 and walked o the treadmill for 40 minutes or so, before going to breakfast. Then we met the Warrens at 9 to get the tender tickets. 

The tender ride to shore was quite smooth. When we walked on the dock towards the shore, we saw 2 big octopus in the water! That was quite a site! Never seen octopus this big so close in real life! It turned out that they were a male and a female and they were making love :-) Too funny! Ira and Fran watched for a long time and explained things to me. We took some video, but I am not sure how well I did - the sun was too strong and I could not see what I was recording :-(

Bob had reserved an AVIS rental car for us (this time he remembered to bring his license :-)). But the car rental place was in town and we're quite a ways from town. The ship had arranged free shuttle vans for us so it was quite convenient. We got to town, visited the various shops there (which was kind of disappointing), got our small rental car, and drove on. Oh, our little under water "wallet" broke so we were hoping to get one in the dive shop there. But it was closed. On the door there was a sign saying "back in 10 minutes". We waited for at least 15 minutes, there was no sign of the shop owner. We were told this is island 10 minutes, which meant at least 2 hours :-)

Our first stop was the beach across from the fruits stand of Roratonga - the same place we visited 9 years ago when we first came here. Fond memories of shallow water and fish surrounding us. This time we brought lots of bread to feed the fish. The beach and the water were unbelievably beautiful! The color of the water was hard to describe - so blue, so clean! The water was very shallow - we can walk 200 feet in and the water would be only to our waist! There were corals under our feet which was why there were so many fish. Unfortunately I forgot to bring my snorkel mask, so I did not get to get into the water to look. I walked at least 100 feet into the water, fed the fish, and had fun!

Our second stop was at the Rarotongan Resort and Spa - we visited there last time but I could not remember a thing. We went to the beach and went in the water. Boy there were so many fish!! Other people were feeding the fish with bread. A nice New Zealand young boy gave me some bread and we had so much fun feeding the fish and saw them swarming around us! I really want to come back to this island again!

We drove around the entire circle of the island and came back to AVIS rental car around 3:15. Took the shuttle back to the pier and waited in a long line for our tender. We saw 3 tenders near our ship and it took them a long time to come back to get us. We wondered why it took so long. But after we got on the tender, we understood why. The tender ride to the ship was uneventful, that is, until we pulled next to the ship and were about to get off the tender. It was a real adventure to get people off the tender, because the current was too strong. The tender would rise up and down with the big waves, and the waves pushed the tender against the landing, making horrible crashing sound and creating big jolts. The captain informed us that they would be calling us one by one and escort us off the tender one by one. Everyone followed the directions very well. With the first try, a few people got on the landing. But the current was too strong, making it dangerous for people to get off the tenter, so they decided to let the ship pull closer to shore. After quite a while, our tender did the second try. This time it was even worse. The waves pushed the tender so hard against the landing, almost crashed the tender. One window was broken, and the emergency flare went off, making a red smoke. We did not know what's going on, thinking the tender was on fire, so people started taking down the fire distinguisher. We were then told everything was OK. The tender pulled away from the landing, later made the 3rd try. Now more officers came to the landing and another captain came on the tender. This time, we all got off the tender, one by one, safely. The crew was extremely helpful! 4 or 5 of them stood by the gate of the tender and on the landing, to assist/grab everyone of us, making sure we were safe.

It was quite an "exciting" experience! We could laugh after we got back on the ship :-) And it felt so good to be clean and relaxed after a nice shower!

The ship sailed away from Rarotonga around 6. We had dinner at the main dining room at 6:30. Both service and food were very good! 

Sea Day #2; Thursday, April 10, 2014

I've been going to bed early every night since we got on the ship. Last night I went to bed around 10! Quite unbelievable for me :-) Bob went to "work" and came back before 11:30. We slept till around 7 this morning. Went to the gym and walked on the treadmill for close to an hour, before having our breakfast. We then went to talk to the guy about future cruises, and ended up making a reservation for the 12/1-12/16/14 south America cruise, on this same ship. We've been wanting to see south America, and have looked into the cruises offered by Princess and Celebrity, which are less expensive. We made the decision to try this one, because we really enjoy this ship and everything it offers.

We played games with the Warrens till lunch time. Today's lunch featured Oriental buffet, including whole roasted pigs with crispy skin! Everything was excellent! If I were 20 years younger, I would stuffed myself silly since there were so many good choices. Really love the food offered by this ship, and its service.

I attended the lecture in the afternoon about "Nautical know-how, facts and sayings", by Chris Croxon. It turned out to be the 2nd of a series of lectures and was very good! I will definitely try to attend the third one. After the lecture, Bob and I took the Waltz dance class and enjoyed it. Then we went to the jewelry store to confirm the settings of the travel memory globe and browsed the other jewelries - really liked one of the H Stern rings of the "Art Works" collection. Maybe next time :-)

Tonight we had dinner at the Red Ginger again, and again enjoyed it very much! If it were up to me, and if we are able to get reservations, I would eat there every day :-). They had some nice touches such as bringing out multiple sets of chop sticks and let you choose a pair you like, etc. The only thing that came short in my opinion is their tea - they have a fancy selection of teas, but all come in tea bags (even though the tea bags are the fancy kind).  Not much flavor to those teas.

Tonight was the first time that after dinner I did not feel exhausted and wanted to go to bed right away. Maybe I finally caught up on my sleep. We walked over to the jewelry shop again to look at the pearls with the Warrens. These are pearl jewelries by Tara. Really beautiful! We liked a gold pearl ring for Fran - it was set in yellow gold and diamonds and looked like an octopus. Gorgeous!

For all these nights on the ship, we never went to the shows (which start at 9:30 every night). Tonight we took a peek. It was a cabaret show, with themes from Frank Sinatra. The quality of the performance was high. But this type of shows was not to Bob's and my taste. So we came back to our room and Bob went out to "work".

Tomorrow we will be in Bora Bora and will be there for 2 days. We will have a long day with Patrick's tour. I hope to be up early and get some treadmill before we go.

A Fun Day on Bora Bora; Friday, April 11, 2014

We got up before 6am - slept less than 6 hours last night, somehow I was not tired, maybe because I had a cup of coffee at lunch (had not done coffee for a very long time). We did our 1-hour treadmill and then went to breakfast. By 9am, we got on shore with the Warrens and met our tour lead Patrick, the very well known tour lead whose tour got raving reviews. Our agenda today was to first do a 4x4 ride inland, then transfer to the boat to do snorkeling, swimming with the sharks, playing with the sting rays, etc.

The weather could not have been more cooperative and better. Beautiful sunny day, blue sky, blue water, white puffy clouds, green mountains, paradise!

8 of us were on this whole day tour. For the 4x4 tour, we got on the truck and our guide/driver first took us up the mountain to see the American bunker and canons from WW II. The most interesting thing about this was the drive - the road, or the non-road to be more accurate - was more bumpy than the road to the Green Sand Beach in Hawaii. It was pretty scary at times. But we made it. The views from where the 2 canons were were very nice! We then drove to another lookout place where there was a "king kong" rock. It was not too far from Patrick's new home lot. We got another good view of Bora Bora from a different angle. We were driven around the island to the spot where Patrick was waiting for us with the boat.

The first stop after we got on the boat was a spot where there might be manta rays. Almost all of us got into the water. Patrick was going to use a float to drag me to the spot where the water was quite deep, I chickened out. But I had a great time snorkeling right by the boat, seeing some fishes in the water. A couple actually saw the manta ray! Not everyone saw it though, even Patrick did not see it.

After the manta ray, it was picnic time. Patrick took us to the picnic site, which was actually his family land, right next to the 4 Season's hotel. His family had been preparing the lunch which was a Polynesian feast! We had barbecued tuna, 3 different kinds; roasted suckling pig; roasted bread fruit, taro root, plantain, banana, etc. etc. Patrick gave us a quick introduction of the Polynesian custom before we started the lunch. The plate we used was made of leaves. Very nice. And we ate with our hands. Food was delicious!

After lunch, we got on our boat. The first stop was to swim with the sharks. Patrick took us outside of the lagoon. We got in the water and the sharks were right there, with us! There was a 8-feet lemon shark, so close to us! And a few other smaller sharks. That big shark had 2 little fish on him, one on top, one at his underside, cleaning him. It's really unfortunate that my under water camera ran out of battery so I was not able to take any picture!:-( It was SO COOL!! I got in the water but was holding on to the ladder of the boat the entire time. And I really really enjoyed snorkeling!! Just wish I could swim better and could swim out to see more fish!!

After the shark, Patrick took us back into the lagoon to a place where the water was relatively shallow - we could touch the bottom standing up. There were a whole bunch of big sting rays there! Patrick first went into the water, with a few fish in his hand. The rays all swam over to him, climbed on him, kissed him, played with him. So cute!!! We all went into the water, touched the sting rays. Wow! Just wonderful!! Then a sting ray bit me! They don't have teeth, just gum. And he nibbled me with his gum! It scared me and I came back on the boat. Patrick said it's because he had not had Chinese food for a while :-)

The last stop was at a coral garden where there were many many tropical fish!! Absolutely amazing!! We all went in and just stayed by the boat. Very nice coral and tons of fish! Patrick brought a bunch of baguette so of course the fish all swarmed over. They were really eye candies!! I don't think there's anywhere else we could have enjoyed fish like this!

We came back to the ship around 5. The best feeling was after a nice shower and everything was clean!! Ah!!! .... We met the Warrens for buffet dinner - it was Polynesian night and they put out such a nice spread! Amazingly fresh seafood, and a big variety of other choices - lamb chops, steak, pork, you name it! We wanted to eat early so we can watch the Polynesian dance show which turned out to be OK but quite fun.

Tomorrow we have another snorkeling tour which starts at 8:15! God awful early hour :-( We'd better get to bed early.

Best Snorkeling Experience I've Had! Saturday, April 12, 2014

We got up at 6 today. Did not have the time to do the treadmill. Met Ira for the tender at 7:45 (Fran was not feeling well so she stayed on the ship) and got on shore around 8. It turned out today's experience was beyond worth getting up this early!

Today we did a snorkeling tour with Reef Discovery. The boat met us right on the pier - beautiful, clean motor boat! Our guide was Terry, a French man probably in his early 40s. He's from Brittny France and has been here more than 15 years. He is a dive instructor. We stopped at 4 snorkeling spots. I told Terry I did not swim well and was afraid of water, so I would just stay by the boat. He showed me the float thing and told me to jump in the water and put it around me, and he would drag me to see the fish. Wow!!! He was SO VERY KIND!! A very patient and kind man!!! So I did snorkeling at all 4 spots!! The best snorkeling experience I'd had!! 

First stop was at a coral garden to see the fish, many fish! Second was to see the sting rays - not to play with them like yesterday, but to watch them. These was a big sting ray and a small school of spotted eagle rays. The third stop was trying to see the manta ray. This was in deep water and we had to all stay together. We saw the manta!! Not a big one, and it was quite far away, but we DID see it!! Beautiful thing!! Terry said it was a female one not quite mature yet. I tried to take video, but was not able to capture any good image because it was deep and the water was not that clear. The 4th stop was at another coral garden, with SO MANY different kinds of fish, and beautiful coral!! I was trying to take video and photos, but was not really capturing anything. Terry took my camera and dove in close to the fish and coral, took a few beautiful photos for me! 

Bob and I said this would be the last time we came here (since it was the third time), but now we are saying we will come back again! And we will do it with Reef Discovery!! Patrick's was good, but Reef Discovery was superb!!

Terry dropped us at the famous Bloody Mary's restaurant/bar. The 7 of us from the boat sat at one table and enjoyed lunch. Bloody Mary's was known for its unique setting and atmosphere.

By the time we came out of the restaurant, the rain had become constant - it rained while we were snorkeling at our 3rd spot, and it was fun. But it was not too fun to be in the rain on land. We got on a truck and came back to the pier and then the ship. It was only 2-ish. I was hoping to make it to the dive shop and town, but did not get the chance. Our ship would set sail at 4, towards the Marquesas islands.

Bob and I did our treadmill before having dinner with Ira and Fran at 6:30. We had no specialty restaurant reservation today, so we ate in the main dining room.

Sea Day #3; Sunday, April 13, 2014

We're on route to Huku Hiva, one of the Marquesas islands. I did not realize the distance to there was as long as the one to Rarotonga, if not longer. So we would have 1 sea day over, another sea day back. Today is our sea day #3. With this nice ship, we did not mind the sea day at all.

This was a restful day. We got up past 7. The treadmills were all taken so we had breakfast and then went to the gym and did our exercise. Somehow we had to adjust our watch half an hour ahead - not sure why there's the time difference. After the exercise, it was probably close to 11. We went to a lecture by Chris Croxson who talked about tropical coral reef and some reef fish. Then we played some game with the Warrens, till about 1:30pm. Then Fran and I attended a "fashion show" - actually a show and talk by the lady Veronica from Tara and Sons the pearl shop. Beautiful jewelries! And I learned a little about how to maintain pearls.

Bob and Ira went to the blackjack tournament. Fran and I had a late lunch and then looked at the videos and photos on my laptop. Fran was not feeling well yesterday so she was not able to experience the Reef Discovery snorkel - now we just have to come back again! :-) I think next time we come back here, we may not do another cruise, but just come straight to Bora Bora, stay in the OWB for a week and do the snorkeling.

There was a captain's reception at 5:30 today. We went and then had dinner at the Polo Grill, the 4th specialty restaurant, the steak house. Of the 4 specialty restaurants, this was probably the least exciting one. Our entrees took a long time. The delay turned out to be because the kitchen got my order wrong so they had to do it over, so they let others' dishes sit there. By the time mine was ready and they served us all our dinners, others' dishes were cold. Bad handling. The waiter should have asked us if we wanted to serve the other dinners first, or re-do the others' dishes. So it turned out the dinner was not too enjoyable.

Tonight's show was called "Under the Big Top". We watched it for a while. Good performance and pretty fancy stage setting. But not quite our cup of tea.

We did not do much today, but somehow we felt tired and sleepy. Tomorrow we will arrive at Huku Hiva at noon time. It'll be a leisurely morning followed by a leisurely day - from what we've read, there is not really too much to see and do on Huku Hiva, even though it is supposed to be a very beautiful island, quite undeveloped. We will see ....

Nuku Hiva - Enjoyed the Visit; Monday, April 14, 2014

We got up late, almost 8. Bob went down to the clinic to check his head - he bumped his head on the tender the first day and it seemed to have a little infection. The doc here cleaned it up, gave him antibiotic for a week, and he won't be able to get in the water for the next couple of days. We went to breakfast at around 9. After breakfast, we went to do some treadmill. While I was on the treadmill, the ship arrived at Nuku Hiva - a beautiful site as the ship sailed and anchored in the bay, by the jagged mountains. I got off the treadmill, took my camera, and got on deck 14 and 15 to take some pictures. It really was a beautiful island!

We got on shore with the Warrens around noon time. There were vendors of wood carvings, jewelries, etc. right there on the pier, under tents. This actually exceeded our expectations - we thought there would not be much shopping here. And there were people offering tours of the island, on 4x4's. I was very tempted to do one of the tours, but somehow ended up not doing it. We looked at the stuff they were selling and then started walking towards "town", as we thought the town would be 1km away. But it turned out the town was where the pier was :-) But we walked any way. Ira did some investigation and said there was a church, the Notre Dame, worth visiting. We got there. It was a beautiful stone church, with some very nice wood carvings. By the way, wood carving is the most famous thing on this island. There were also some carved stone statues along the ocean front. I guess they're called "tiki". We walked probably for more than a mile and then turned back. It was extremely humid! And quite hot.

We came back to the pier around 3:30. I shopped around some more. I wanted to get a wooden carved oar, for about $100. It was beautiful! But I did not get it because I worried about how to get it home .... I think I regret not getting it, because we probably would not come back to this place again :-( I got a couple of souvenirs, for my daughter and grandson, hoping they would like it.

It felt good to be back on the ship, in the air conditioned environment. But I kept thinking I should go back on shore to get something .... Oh well.

Tonight was the start of Passover and there was a seder dinner. We went with Ira and Fran and learned something I did not know before. It was very nice of the ship to put out the effort to do the seder and it was nicely done. The dinner took a while - started around 6 and finished shortly before 9.

Tonight's show was by the local dancers from Nuku Hiva. It was the best show. The Nuku Hiva dance was very different from the Hawaiian and Tahitian dance we've seen. The dance here was mostly by men and it was kind of a warrior dance. Women mainly came on the stage to sing and accompany the male dance. There was a bird dance that was extremely nice, both women and men danced. I regret that I did not bring my camera to take video of the dance, just as I regret I did not get a wood carving oar :-(

The original schedule had us anchor at the other big Marquesas island Hiva Oa. But the captain today announced that the sea would be too rough tomorrow for the tenders, so the schedule was changed. Tomorrow will be another sea day and we will go to the island Fakarava the day after tomorrow instead. Fakarava is one of the Tuamotu islands. We will be able to go snorkeling off the beach.

Sea Day #4; Tuesday, April 15, 2014

We got up after 7 and met the Warrens for breakfast at 8:30. There was not too much to do - not too many of the ship organized activities interested us, so we played games till about 11. Then Bob and I did treadmill for about an hour before having lunch. After lunch, Bob and Ira attended the wine tasting which turned out to be very good. Our waiter at the French restaurant recommended this one - it was the last of the 4 wine tastings and the fanciest. They tasted 5 different wines plus a very good champagne at the end. Fran and I looked at the video she took of the octopi which was very good, and the video she took of last night's dance. I want to get the dance video from her to show Caleb.

There was a dance class at 3:30, Merengue. We all went - a very crowded class and I would have loved to learn more. But Fran and I had a cooking class at 4, so we did not get to learn much.

The cooking class was "Italian Family Table" and it was wonderful! The instructor was excellent. The facility was very professional. We were told only the Marina and Rivera have such a cooking teaching facility. It was a 1.5+ hr class, very professionally conducted. Much better than the cooking class I took once at Sur La Table! The eggplant inoltini alla parmigiana and Penne alls Michelangelo were SO VERY GOOD! I will definitely cook them after I get home! After the cooking class, we were allowed to invite our spouses to come to the classroom to taste the food.

We all ate way too much today and none of us was hungry at dinner. So we went to the buffet and had a relatively light dinner. Bob and I walked the deck 10+ rounds before dinner after enjoying the sunset. Today's sunset was very beautiful.

After dinner, the 4 of us played more games before heading back to our rooms. Tomorrow we will be at the Fakarava island, which was supposed to be one of the most beautiful atoll in Tuomotu. The entire atoll is like a giant beach, we were told.

Fakarava - Island of Dreams; Wednesday, April 16, 2014

We got up after 7am. By the time we got up, our ship was already in the big lagoon of Fakarava. Fakarava is a big atoll. There is no tall mountains on land like Bora Bora and other islands. I got out on the balcony hoping to capture something on the photo, but the photos were not impressive, as there was just the flat strip of land beyond the beautiful blue water.

We got on shore shortly past 9. The pier where we got on land was the "town". There were a couple pearl vendors there (all seemed to be operated by French), and some stands selling basic pearl and shell jewelries. We shopped around for a while. Then we started walking north where we were told there was a good spot to get in the water to see fish. 

We walked for about a mile - probably much less than a mile but under the very hot sun it felt like more than a mile! It was SO HOT that I could feel the skin burning under the sun! Very fortunate that we walked by a dive shop where I got a rash guard!! That really saved my skin - because of the prednisone I've been taking, I already got sun poisoning rash on my neck and my shoulders and back are already burnt.

We basically walked along the water - we could have got into the water anywhere and there were people (from the ship) in the water all along the way. The place was really beautiful! The houses were clean and nice and there were flowers everywhere. We finally got to the spot where we felt would be the spot to get in the water. I got in, but I did not wear my snorkel mask. The water was shallow - i got in as deep as my chest and did not go any further. Fran and Ira went further and saw many fish. The fish were kind of small, but there were quite a variety. I saw some fish and corals. I was happy. Just being in the water felt so very good!

We stayed at the spot for probably an hour or so, then we got out and walked back - some locals told us the snorkeling would be better the opposite direction. We walked a couple of minutes beyond the pier and got in the water again. It was by a dive shop which was closed. This time I wore my snorkel mask, but I saw only a couple of interesting fish. It was interesting that there were more fish in the water right at the edge if I just stood on shore than if I got in the water.

The weather was really really hot! Even the locals said this was a hot day. We got back to the ship around 3. I kept thinking I wanted to see more of the island/atoll, but did not know what to do, and it was too hot to walk more.

Back on the ship, took the shower and cleaned up. Boy it felt wonderful! Then I started packing .... Sad isn't it?! The cruise is almost over - 2 more ports and then Papeete, that's it. Time flies when you're having fun. Need to pack in such a way that we can leave a suitcase at the Papeete airport and then fly to Taha'a. 

Tonight's dinner was at Toscana. For the entree, I ordered the lobster but I really did not like it - just don't like lobster with tomato sauce :-( I'll have to remember that. Oh, they had the eggplant appetizer just like what we made yesterday at the cooking class!

Another Fantastic Snorkeling Experience; Thursday, April 17, 2014

Today we anchored at Rangiroa, another atoll in the Tuomotu group of islands. We got up at 6, just about the time our ship sailed through the Tiputa pass into the big lagoon. This is one of the largest lagoons in the world. 

We met the Warrens around 8:15 and got on shore around 8:30. Ira had made the arrangement with Rangiroa Paradive for the snorkeling tour and we went with them. Originally the snorkeling tour included drift snorkeling through the pass, but today the current was too strong so they could not do drift snorkeling, which was just fine with Bob and me :-) It turned out to be another fantastic snorkeling and ocean experience!

There were 8 of us, 4 couples, with Frank our guide (French) and another guy who drove the zodiac. Our first "stop" was to see the dolphins - I did not expect that and was really excited! There were a group of dolphins near the pass. They played right around our zodiac, jumping out of the water now and then. It was SO EXCITING!! The waves were just the right amount of roughness for the dolphins to play, and it was not too rough for us. I was the only one who put on the life jacket. Like others, I took video with my underwater camera, but really did not catch any good shots. We're all crowded in the zodiac and I had to hang on to the zodiac (to make sure I did not fall out of the boat:-)). I took a whole bunch of videos but nothing really did the dolphins justice :-(

Second stop was a coral garden type of place where many snorkeling boats were anchored. Everyone got in the water. Frank had a life/float ring for me and he stayed by me for a while, until I told him I would hang on to the rope of the zodiac. There were SO MANY fish!!! Unbelievable!! I think it had something to do with the fact that they were hanging some bait under the water there, some big fish head. All the fish swarmed around the bait. I just have never seen that many fish in one spot!! It was too much fun!!!

Our trip was done after the snorkeling. It was about noon time. We came back to the tender pier. There were a bunch of vendors there selling pearl and shell jewelries but nothing really spoke to me. We were told in the Kia Ora hotel/resort there was a dive shop where we could get rash guard, etc. We wanted to see if we could get one for Bob. We were hoping there was a taxi, but taxies were hard to find. So Bob and I walked. It was about a mile, but because of the heat, it was tough, especially Bob had to carry the bag. We thought about going back to the ship to drop off the stuff and then come back, but decided against it. The walk to the resort actually could be fun, if it were not so hot. The road was open ocean side of the atoll and it was quite beautiful.

We finally got to the hotel, but the dive shop was closed until 2pm, and it was only 12:30 when we got there. There really was nothing much to do there. It was a nice resort - the only one on Rangiroa, I think. It has OWBs and nice swimming pools, a restaurant, gift shops, etc. But all shops were closed at noon time. There turned out to be 6 or 8 of us there from the ship. One of the ladies spoke with the receptionist who was kind enough to call a taxi for us. We waited for a while, the taxi finally arrived. It was such a short ride, but it felt very long when we walked :-)

Back on the ship around 2.Showered and cleaned. Had hamburgers for lunch. Our ship weighed anchor at 4:30. I got out on the balcony and watched Rangiroa as our ship sailed away - somehow I had not done this before.

We had dinner at the French specialty restaurant Jaques at 8pm. Again, stuffed myself. Continued packing after dinner. Tomorrow will be our last port call, Raiatea.

A Dry Day on Raiatea; Friday, April 18, 2014

Our ship docked at Raiatea around 7am. This was the only port that our ship docked (vs anchored) in this entire cruise, aside from Papeete. So today we did not have to tender on shore - we just walked off the ship.

We had a leisurely breakfast and got on shore around 9. The Warrens and we had decided to go our own ways today - they wanted to spend the afternoon packing and we wanted to drive around the island (since I had already packed most of the stuff). This was our third time in Raiatea. The last two times we did water activities. Today we decided to stay dry, rent a car, and drive around the island.

I had not memory of this place until I saw the pier where the "town" was and where all the shops were. Today was Good Friday so most of the shops would only open till 12pm/noon. And when we got on shore, only some shops were open. We shopped in a sport store and got Bob a rash guard. Things on the island are really expensive - a random T-shirt with a local logo would cost close to $40.

We got our rental car from Hertz - their people drove to the pier to pick Bob up and took him to the car rental place, then he drove back to the pier/town. For the next 3 hours, we/Bob drove around the entire island. It's about 90 km. Aside from the beautiful water and green lush mountains, there really was nothing much else. We stopped at a couple of places to take some photos, visit a pearl shop which was the outlet of a pearl farm. That's about it. We came back to the pier. Bob drove to return the car (and the guy drove him back to the pier). I came back to the ship. Then we had a late lunch on ship. and I continued to pack afterwards. I also did a load of laundry so we did not have to carry the dirty clothes to the resort tomorrow. Packing for tomorrow was a bit tricky, because the airline we're taking to fly to Raiatea (yes, we're flying back to this island and then the boat would take us to the Vahine resort) only allow 6.5lb carry-on. With my cameras, laptop, and iPad, and all the stuff that we don't dare to checkin, they would exceed the limit .... A big head ache!....

Dinner at Red Ginger again - we started our cruise with dinner there, and ending there as well. My favorite restaurant on the ship! 5-star!

Tomorrow our ship will return to Papeete and our cruise will come to the end. Our flight to Raiatea is at 11:15am and the boat will pick us up at the Raiatea airport and take us to the Vahine resort near Taha'a. It'll be the 2nd leg of our trip and I'm looking forward to the OWB experience!

Off the Ship, Arrived at Vahine Island; Saturday, April 19, 2014

The 14-day cruise seemed to have gone by in a blink. Today when we woke up at 6am, our ship already docked at Papeete where we boarded the ship 14 days ago. Our 2 big suitcases were already taken down and we have some small packing to do in the morning. We had breakfast around 7 and left the room before 8. We played games with the Warrens in the game room till about 9am then we got off the ship. A taxi took us to the airport where we each left some luggage at the storage place, then got to the gate. Our carry-on were a little more than the allowed 6.5 pounds. But they did not make an issue. Unfortunately I could not put my cameras, laptop and iPad in the checkin bags - if they could guarantee that they would not be stolen, I would have checked everything in!

Our plane took off around 11:15am, on time. It was the flight to Bora Bora via Raiatea. There were quite a lot of people going to Bora Bora, including a few Japanese tour groups. The plane ride was about 40 minutes (or less). We landed on the air strip that we saw yesterday. We got off the plane. The porter from Vahine resort was already there waiting for us, with a big smile. He put all our luggage in the motor boat and off we went! It was a comfortable motor boat, with plastic enclosure so we would not get wet. The boat ride was about half an hour. We watched Raiatea become smaller and smaller, then Taha'a, then we arrived at the small Vahine island which is a motu to be more accurate. Lori the manager welcomed us and introduced the resort to us. This was a very small private resort, with 3 over-the-water-bungalows and 6 other bungalows by the water. The maximum # of guests were 18. It was very nice. The office, dining room/restaurant, and the bungalows were all tastefully done. It was quite different from the Moorea Pearl and Manihi resort where we stayed last 2 times. Those 2 were much bigger and more commercialized, in a way. This was a privately owned place - it turned out the wife of the owner was here on holiday with her 2 teenage sons. There was absolutely nothing to do except water activities. The water on the lagoon side was quite shallow and very calm. We were warned not to go beyond the reef. Walking from this end of the island to the other end took about 5 minutes.

We got into our bungalows after the introduction. Someone was already in the one at the end. We got the middle one, and the Warrens were in the closest one. Our room # was 8, theirs was 7. The room was nice, very similar to the ones we stayed before, perhaps not as fancy, but very nice. There was AC, and there was the glass opening under the coffee table where you could see the fish in the water.

After we unpacked, we went over to the restaurant to have lunch. Then we walked around the island a little, to see the open ocean side. It was too hot, so we came back to our rooms. Later we went into the water by our bungalow. The water was so shallow and so warm. Unfortunately there were not too many fish, unlike the ones we stayed before, because there were no corals around. This was one disappointment. But it was nice to be in the shallow water right by our room. Ira saw a sting ray, etc. I only saw it when we walked on the walkway to our room, not when I was in the water.

We spent some time in the water - so many sea cucumbers which made it difficult to walk without stepping on some. After washing off the salt water right on our deck, we stayed on the deck for a while. There was a nice hammock there and I enjoyed lying in it. Bob then took a long nap, while I walked to the office and got a USB thumb drive which had English movies. Oh, the wifi works well here, but there was only 1 TV in the public area that has channels. The TVs in the room do not have reception so we can watch movies from the thumb drive only.

Dinner was at 7. Oh, the chef was Lori's husband and he's pretty good. We had a big dinner and nowhere to walk it off :-( Oh well!

Fun Snorkeling Tour; Sunday, April 20, 2014

This was our first full day at Vahine. We got up around 7 - could have slept much later but somehow I was not able to sleep late :-( I was actually hoping to be up at sunrise but missed it.

Breakfast (included) was 7:30 - 9:30 and we went around 8. It was such a fantastic breakfast! Fresh fruits - passion fruit, banana, pineapple, and papaya; home-made yogurt and fresh fruit juice. I ordered muesli and egg white omelet, and of course fresh bread toast. The omelet was so very good! This chef really was good! I really enjoyed the breakfast!

There was a snorkeling tour at 10:30 this morning. Of course we signed up to go. Roe was our guide and driver of the outrigger. We went to a coral garden that was not too far away - apparently that was a good snorkeling spot as there were a few other snorkeling boats around. I told Roe that I did not swim well and I would just stay by the boat. He said no problem and he would let me hold on to the buoy ring and he would drag me. And he did, both me and Bob. Roe was such a strong swimmer - he dragged us up the current and to some absolutely gorgeous coral spots! It was the first time I saw the anemone!! It was so absolutely beautiful!! With the "nemo" fish swimming in and out of it. Just unbelievable!! Roe took my camera and took video for me. And we saw 2 big sting rays - they were "sleeping" at the sandy bottom, covered by sand. I did not see them initially even though Roe pointed to them to show me.

Roe told us he lived around the south tip end of Taha'a. He rowed his outrigger canoe over this morning - it took him about 35 minutes. He would row back tonight after work and it would take him an hour. That was hard work! He was very athletic and participated in the competitions. I just wish I could swim 1/100 as well as he did! Maybe next life :-)

We snorkeled for more than an hour. After we came back, I went into the water by our bungalow and watched the fish for a while. There were not many colorful fish, but the fish were plenty. 

By the time we were done playing in the water and washed up, and downloaded the video/pictures, it was around 1. We went to lunch and I had one of the best salad!! It has grapefruit, chicken, avocado, lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, toasted macadamia nuts, etc. Just delicious! 

The Warrens and we played games for a while after lunch, in the dining area. It got to be too hot and we came back to our bungalows. There really was nothing else to do and it was too hot to walk around. And somehow I did not feel like other water sports such as sea kayaking, etc. So we watched the movie "Steel Magnolia" the movie from the USB thumb drive. 

This resort was quite different from the ones we went before - there really was not much else to do aside from being in the water. For people who love being in a secluded quiet place and enjoy the ocean, this was it! 

The evening came quietly and the sunset was really fast. Again I only captured a little of the sunset. 

Dinner again was a delicious gourmet feast - bacon wrapped roasted banana, sushi (with chopsticks), froi gra with steak over risotto, and lemon mareng for dessert. Even though I was not a fan of froi gra and rare steak, it was deliciously prepared. So our gourmet experience from the ship has continued on.

A Quiet Day at Vahine; Monday, April 21, 2014

I

got up before 7. Bob was up shortly before 7:30. Another beautiful, and warm, day on Vahine.

After the very nice breakfast, Bob and I took a walk in the shallow water from the other side of the island all the way back to our side. The water was very refreshing and it was more clear than around the bungalows.We walked around the rocks and some corals in the shallow water, did not see much fish at all. I brought my snorkel mask with me but only got to use it at one spot where there were some colorful little fish in and out of a small coral. I took some pictures and videos.

After getting back to our bungalow, I got in the water to look for the fish. It's the same bunch of fish, but it was fun to just watch them. I wish there were more fish and better snorkeling at this resort!

Time flew by even when we were not doing anything much. We had lunch around 1:30. We had the same delicious salad, plus some french fries which were very good. By the time we came back to our bungalow, it was past 3. We took a nap. Then went into the water again to look at the fish. Bob took the outrigger canoe and rowed out quite a bit. Very nice. It was pretty amazing how fast that canoe could go.

Before dinner, we went to the Warrens bungalow and watched the video Fran brought with them, the video they took of our last Tahiti trip together, in 2007, 7 years ago. It was so much fun watching the video and re-live the memories! I had forgotten a lot of the things we did, and the video really brought back the fond memories!

We went to dinner at 7:30. Another 5-star gourmet feast! Absolutely delicious! The pre-appetizer was risotto with smoked fish. Appetizer was seared red tuna with some really nice sauce. Entree was grilled shrimp, scallops, with coconut curry. And dessert was pineapple something with home-made sorbet. Everything was SO DELICIOUS! This chef can definitely open his own 5-star restaurant!

After dinner, I got a loaf of baguette and fed the fish, as was every night, right in front of our dinner tables. The small fish attracted the black tip sharks. It was pretty exciting to see 5 or 6 sharks swim around in such shallow water right in front of our eyes. Last night one of the waiters brought out raw fish meat and fed the sharks. Oh boy it was exciting to watch the sharks eat! Today we did not have the meat to feed them. But there seemed to be much less fish tonight than last night. Maybe the sharks ate most of the bigger fish? ....

Tomorrow we will go to Taha'a for the day. The resort's boat will bring us over to Taha'a directly to where the rental car place is. We will rent a car and drive around, then come back in the evening. 

Enjoyed the Day in Taha'a; Tuesday, April 22, 2014

I was up around 6 - somehow woke up and could not fall back to sleep. 

We finished breakfast before 9 and got ready to go to Taha'a before 9:30. The motor boat took us over directly to the car rental place. It was a pretty quick ride. The rental car was manual and Bob was the driver. It was a Toyota with 3 rows of seats, but not much bigger than a sedan, with no trunk space. I don't think we have this kind of car in the States. The car did not look bad, but the rear view mirror was gone, the door does not open/close easily at least at my side, and the seat cover was pretty disgustingly dirty. The emergency brake was not working. But, it had air condition, the most important feature :-)

We drove around the entire island and really loved it! Taha'a was a much lovelier island than Raiatea, in my opinion. It was much less developed and less commercialized. It was very natural and quite beautiful! There was one very high-end resort on this island, Le Taha'a, which was built on a moth, with many OWBs. Quite pricy. Worth checking it out if we ever come back to here again. Vahine is good, but too quiet and does not have good snorkeling right off the OWBs. However the food at Vahine is unbeatable!

We stopped at a few places during the drive - a local market that sold some local jewelries made of shells; a couple of pearl farms; and the home of a guy, Tamahere, who owns tiarebreeze.com who sold pearls on the side. It was interesting to go into his residence which was very nicely done! He could just jump into the ocean from his pontoon (deck) any time! He was born and bred in Tahiti and came to Taha'a 20 some years ago. His wife was a school teacher and they had 4 kids. We later met his wife who must be a beautiful woman when young (still pretty now).

We came back to the car rental place around 4:30. They called our resort and the motor boat came to pick us up and dropped us off at our OWBs individually. Wow - what service! Very impressed.

Bob and I did not have lunch since we were not that hungry. Ira and Fran grabbed some cheese and a baguette from one of the little stores. There were a couple of places where we could have eaten but we did not bother to find them. This was really an under developed island but that's why we do like it. It's clean and beautiful!

Today's dinner was our last one here. Again it was another gourmet one. I especially enjoyed the 2 appetizers but I did not quite like the guinea fowl entree - it was very nicely done but I just did not care for the meat and gave most to Bob. Dessert was warm chocolate cake with home made ice-cream. I ate it all even though it was way too sweet for me.

6 black tipped sharks gathered in the shallow water in front of the dining tables, as every night. They were having territorial fights now and then, stirred up the water, quite a sight. Albert the octopus was still in the coral rock beneath the boat dock. Cute guy!

After dinner we went to Ira an Fran's bungalow and watched the video Fran took of the 2 octopi in Rarotonga. It was fantastic!

Tomorrow we will leave the island around 4:20pm. Our flight to Papeete is at 7pm, then we'll take the red-eye to LA. Time to go home. Both Bob and I miss home and miss our doggies!

Last Day at Vahine; Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Today was our last day here at Vahine. And it was a lazy do-nothing day for me.

Apparently there was a storm at night, with wind and rain, but Bob and I slept through it. When we got up in the morning, we could see the deck was wet. And it was more humid than the day before.

My stomach was not very happy - too much rich food in the past 2+ weeks. After breakfast, I finished packing and l lay in bed in the air conditioned bungalow. Bob took the outrigger canoe and rowed for a while. Then we had lunch around 1. After that, the Warrens came to our OWB (because they had to vacate theirs by 1pm because new guests were coming and they needed that bungalow) and we played games till close to 4pm. Air conditioned place was the only place I wanted to be at - it was too hot and humid for my liking, unless I could stay in the water.

The motor boat took us to Raiatea around 4:20. The owner's wife rode in the boat with us. She was going to Tahiti. It turned out that she was originally from Tahiti, with French and Chinese origin. Now they spend about 3 or 4 months on Vahine, but mainly living in Switzerland.

The boat ride seemed shorter than when we came. Our flight to Papeete was at 7:15, so we waited at the Raiatea airport for 2.5 hours. Our flight from Papeete to LA was t 11:50pm. We had close to 4 hours to spare, and the checkin would not start until 3 hours before departure. There was not air conditioned place while we waited for the checkin. Finally it was 8:50 and we checked our luggage in. Because we're flying business, we were able to use the lounge. The lounge must be new and it was nice. It was nicely air conditioned! I had a bowl of instant noodles and was very happy :-). Waiting in a comfortable place made time go faster. We boarded our plane on time and were on our way home!

Home, Sweet Home; Thursday, April 24, 2014

The 8-hour flight from Papeete to LA went by quite fast and I slept off and on for most of it. Air Tahiti Nui is a nice airline, but it was a little disappointing that the seats in business class donot really lie completely flat, tilted towards the feet :-(

We landed in LA around 10:30am local time. The next leg was with Southwest airline. The flight was at 12:50. We went through customs, wheeled our luggage to terminal 1 (from the International terminal). When we boarded the flight in Papeete, I was wearing my flipflops, shorts, and a very light T-shirt - could not even bear the thought of wearing anything more. I was fine with this outfit in LA - many people at the airport wore sandals, shorts, short-sleeves, etc. Bob and I changed into long pants and shoes at the airport. Our flight had one stop at Milwaukee, with no change of plane. We got to Milwaukee around 7:30pm local time. Looking out of the window, it was gray and rainy. New people who boarded the plane to Boston were wearing much heavier clothes. We felt cold on the plane. Southwest did not have any blankets on the plane, unfortunately.

The plane stopped at Milwaukee for about half an hour and then took off. We touched down at Logan/Boston around 10:15. By the time we got our rental car and drove home, it was mid-night.

Doggies were very happy to see us, and we them!! They were healthy and the house was clean! I was very thankful for my dog sitters!! 

It feels SO GOOD to be home!