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.