Sunday, July 17, 2011

Maeva - Bienvenu - Welcome!

The languages of Tahiti - Tahitian, French, English, plus Dutch, German, and lots more. There are visitors from everywhere here. We really need to learn a few of the languages (at least)!

Land Ho - Tahiti
Our first site of Tahiti - beautiful, huh? We have been anchored at Marina Taina (near Papeete) twice now for a total of 3 weeks and we haven't got tired of the view. One of our favorite past times is sitting in the cockpit in the evenings - with the island of Tahiti behind us, listening to the waves crash onto the reef, and watching the sun set over Moorea - hard to describe.

Our view - sunset over Moorea
Oh, and we love checking out all of the other boats - and there are a lot of them - the anchorage is full! All shapes, sizes, makes, and models and the bay is in constant motion. We always have something entertaining to watch - better than TV!

The Big Boats
The Big Boats, and they are big. 100 - 150 footers with full-time crews just to maintain them. It would be fun to sail on one of them - just to see how fast they go and pretend to be rich - just for a day.

Tiki Hut Party Barges
Well, that's what they look like to us - Tiki Hut Party Barges. On weekends, they are loaded with guests and they anchor along the reef for a day or partying and water activities. Watch out for the jet skis too!

Relaxing...
It doesn't take us long to settle in and check out all of the amenities - restaurants, laundry, internet, and shopping. What else do you need?

Cruising kids and pizza!
There are lots of Puddle Jumpers here so it has been very social and going out for pizza is always a treat, plus a chance to tell our tales and discuss our plans. We are always hoping our paths will cross again one of these days.

Now, that is a beer!
Hinano - the beer of Tahiti. Definitely not cheap like Mexican beers, but it is better and you can find it on tap and it is usually ice cold. And Chinese food is everywhere - chow mein, fried wontons, and spring rolls have become favorites. Go figure!

Busing it
Tahiti has a good bus system during the day (and cheap) and we are getting the hang of it. At night, only 1 bus an hour runs but the driver will take you almost anywhere you want to go. Can't beat that.

Sunday morning at the Marche
The Marche (market) is open daily, but on Sunday morning at 7am it really is something to see. Fruits, vegetables, fish, chopped meats, flowers, etc., stuffed inside and surrounding the building. We actully think the best selection was outside the market. Crowded, but worth it. Go early though - it starts wrapping up around 9am.

Doug scoring points!
And, the best chocolate croissants ever. But, buy them quick because they won't be around long. We went back for seconds and were too late!

Tahitian War Dance
We splurged and went to the Inter-Continental Hotel to watch a traditional Tahitian dance. It was wonderful! The drinks were very expensive, but if you sit in the bar the show is free. It was definitely worth it.

Papeete Cathedral
So, we have been busy! Lots of walking and exploring. We have really enjoyed our stay in Tahiti, but are anxious to get back to the relaxing island life that we love. We are pooped. Our projects are almost completed, so hopefully next week we will sail to Huahine and then Bora Bora - yeah!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Ahoy Mates boy what a life who would ever believe that there were places like that other than the movies we are green with envy Love Mom