CREW PICKUP

September 26, 2014

We had a nice casual morning and relaxed a bit.  We had not heard from our crew although they were scheduled to arrive some time today.  We were on standby waiting for some word from them on "What's App", a texting and calling app that is free worldwide as long as you have an internet connection.  We finally got a message that two or three of the crew would be in this afternoon.

As it turned out, two of our crew arrived this afternoon.  Since we had a car, we decided that we would go to the airport and give them a ride to their lodging.

We picked up Paula and Shirley and started the trip to their lodging.  Our bungalow was about 4 miles from the airport and marina.  As it turned out, their lodging was on the other side of the island.  With that in mind, they got a tour of the island.  

Their lodging was right on the beach.  Nice cool place and it looked comfortable.  We hung out for a while and had a drink and a snack and then we left to start our way back to the bungalow.  

We got back to the bungalow and settled in.  We found out that two more of the crew were coming in later that early evening, but we did not know when.  Their flights had been upset due to the Air France pilot strike.  We take possession of the boat tomorrow so we had time for the others to arrive.  We ate, lounged a little bit and then went to sleep under our mosquito netted bed.  There was a nice breeze blowing through.

THE NEXT DAY

09-25-2014

As we had discussed the night before, we knew we needed a car. We had people coming and we might need to transport them from the airport to their lodging.  Most of the crew had arranged lodging at places on the island.  Also figured we might have some errands to run and it would be easier with a car.

I spoke to Edouard after we ate breakfast about getting a car.  He said he would call someone and arrange that for us.  He came out to the bungalow shortly and said he had a car for us and that he would transport us to the location.

We went down the road a few miles and pulled into a lot with vehicles.  They had a few vehicles and they showed us a Renault. Edouard protested because he had spoken with the manager about a different car.  they decided that he was right and we got a deluxe model rather than a basic model.  We got the paperwork completed and I gave the lady my credit card.  She tried to run it and it did not work.  I knew I had notified the card companies that I was traveling to French Polynesia.  We went from the lot to a mechanic shop next door and the card worked perfectly.  We had a car!

We took off and went back to the bungalow and parked the car. We decided that we would drive around the island and sight-see.  There is basically one road that runs around the perimeter of the island. There are no roads that go over the mountainous terrain, so we took a spin around the perimeter highway.  Interesting!!

WE'RE HERE

09-24-2014

Our flight was due to arrive at approximately 5:00 AM.  We were just about right on time to Papaete, Tahiti.  We collected our luggage and processed through customs and immigration.  We had another three hour wait for our flight to Raiatea where we would take possession  of our yacht.  I had made arrangements with AirBnB for accommodations until we took possession of the boat.

We waited patiently for our next flight on Air Tahiti, the inter island carrier.  Finally, they began boarding our 45 minute flight to Raiatea.  The flight was marvelous.  It was a two engine turboprop aircraft, so it did not fly very high and the views were beautiful.  The flight was uneventful and before we knew it we were landing.  We had cleared customs and immigration in Papaete so all we had to do was collect our luggage and get our ride to our bungalow.  The host, Edouard Ruiz had promised that he would be there.

We got our luggage and came out to the curb.  Edouard recognized us and came up to greet us.  As an aside, he did not speak very much English if any, but he spoke Spanish and we were able to communicate.  Whew, that was a close one.

Edouard promptly took us into town to the grocery store.  Since we were going to be in a self catering bungalow, we needed to get some food.  As it turned out, we were out of the central part of the island, so we were not near any restaurants.  The store was pretty well stocked and we were able to get what we needed.  Since we were in French Polynesia, there were plenty of baguettes and some croissants.  The store also had a hot foods section and we got some fried chicken to eat for lunch.

Edouard took us to the bungalow which was about a ten minute ride by car.  The bungalow was behind the main house and it was quite lovely.  It was well equipped with a stove, large refrigerator and all of the pots, pans and eating utensils needed.  It had a queen size bed with a mosquito net and a nice sitting area.  Additionally, we had a separate shower area and toilet.  We also had a washer and dryer.

We got settled in and relaxed for a while.  It was early and so we got up and took a walk down the road to a little store that was about a quarter mile away.  They had a few items and we got a couple of things and left.  

While we were out, we walked across the road to a pearl museum.  I was not aware that French Polynesia was known for its cultured pearls.  The lady at the museum gave us a quick tutorial on how the pearls are cultured and harvested.  Of course, there were pearls for sale, but we passed.  We left and went back to the bungalow and just chilled.  There was a TV, but it was in French and so we turned that off.  We just relaxed, and contemplated what we would do the next day.  We put together a nice dinner and later just hung out.  One thing, we had decided was that we needed to get a car.  I would address that with Edouard in the morning.

LEAVING FOR PARADISE

 September 24, 2014

Judi and Brook dropped us at the international terminal at LAX. We got in line to start the check-in process.  There were not a lot of passengers and we checked in and cleared Security rather quickly. We had not eaten anything in a while, and our flight did not board until about 10:00 PM, so we decided to get something before we got on the plane.  Actually, we got too much to eat based on the size of the portions.  Finally, we started the boarding process and we got our seats on our Air Tahiti Nui flight.

The flight was smooth and eventually, I decided to go to sleep for a while.  I was awakened for our meal, which I really wasn't ready for, but I ate.  We had requested Kosher meals and they always appear to have more food than the regular choices.  After our meal, I went back to sleep.  We had had a long day with a few bumps along the way.  Sleep was good!