Travels

10/19/01 - We awoke early (with the roosters) and discovered the unbelievable sunrise that lurked just outside our deck door. That side of the bungalow faces almost due east, looking at the high, jagged peaks of Tahiti. Watching the sun rise behind them is indescribable. I think we ended up seeing the sun rise every morning that we were here -- because we just happened to be up early enough. Now anyone who knows me well will find it hard to believe that I was up early enough 11 days in a row to see the sun rise! But it's true. This is just one of the mysterious forces at work in Tahiti. And the roosters help.

But really -- both my wife and I would be in bed exhausted by anywhere from 9:30 to 10:00 at night. After dinner it was sleepy time. Sometimes we would watch a little satellite TV -- but CNN was the only station available in English -- and since this was mid-october 2001, there was nothing but really awful news on TV -- about hijackers, suicide bombers, airport security, and anthrax. So we were more likely to watch the french channels -- watching The Simpsons overdubbed in french can be a lot of fun! But anyway, the point is our sleep schedule shifted to fit the setting. We were asleep by 10, up by 5:30, when the roosters would begin their crowing. This is just one reason for staying in an overwater bungalow -- especially one so far out into the lagoon. We could barely hear those roosters. But I have heard from many people who stayed on shore that those roosters ruined their vacation!

So today we were (re-)scheduled for our shark and ray feeding excursion. We had a good breakfast at the buffet, went back to the room, got our bags packed with snorkellng gear, sunscreen, etc., and waited by the lobby for our free lift to Cook's Bay, where we would board a small boat. We were joined by 6 or eight other tourists, some American, some French, and some from numerous other parts of the world. The tourism industry in F.P. is a family affair, particularly this week, as the kids had a vacation from school. So along with the tour operator came what I assumed was his father, as well as two small boys, maybe 9 or 10 years old, all of whom pulled their weight on the trip (literally, and our weight too, because it was their job to pull the boat by ropes into a suitable mooring spot during stops).

As we zoomed out of Cook's Bay into the outer part of the lagoon, we passed by the cruise ship Paul Gauguin. This is one of the few cruise ships still making trips in French Polynesia after the Renaissance line went belly up. Further out into the lagoon our boat came across another tour boat, on a similar excursion. It was clear that the two boat drivers knew one another, as they stopped to chat. In the conversation that ensued, we discovered that the other boat had spotted a whale! In fact it was a pair -- mother and child. The other driver told our driver where they had been seen, and our two boats followed each other slowly around for a while, looking out for these miraculous mammals. Eventually they were spotted again, surfacing quietly and briefly, just long enough to get some air, and then diving back down again beneath the surface. 5 minutes later they would reappear again, 100 feet in another direction, wherupon both boats would race toward the spectacle for a closer look. This went on for about 20 minutes, until we left the creatures alone and continued on our way.

We finally arrived at Moorea's shark-feeding hotspot, dropped anchor, and climbed into the warm water. The other boat was still hanging around, and apparently for a reason. The old man tied a rope from our boat to theirs, and instructed us all to hang on to this, making sure to stay on one side, as we waded in the water. From a cooler, the boys pulled a mass of dead fish parts, and handed them to their father, who began tossing them, bit by bit, over the other side of the rope. Armed with snorkels and masks, we tourists dunked our heads under the surface and watched as six or seven black-tipped reef sharks appeared, ready to devour the bait. Folks bumped into one another as they struggled to take snapshots of the feeding frenzy with their disposable underwater cameras. A few of the guests remained in the boat, or quickly returned to the boat when they saw the first shark. The rest of us continued watching the action for about 20-30 minutes, until the bait was gone, and we were instructed to climb back aboard. All limbs were accounted for.

The driver fired the boat back up and sped around the lagoon some more, continuing in the direction we had already been heading. We were treated to views of some of the other beautiful resorts the island had to offer, until we came to the Beachcomber (now called Intercontinental), where we put down again in crystal clear, bath-warm water that was about waist-deep. Here we all climbed off the boat again, and the boys fetched some more chum. The tour guide grabbed some fish parts, and suddenly we were swarmed by stingrays.
This was almost more frightening than the sharks, if only because of the sheer number of rays -- and the fact that the word 'sting' was part of their name. Well, they were harmless it turns out, or at least I am given to understand that they are perfectly harmless -- unless provoked. I would say they were definitely provoked that day -- our tour guide would actually appear to grab hold of the creatures and lead them around, devoting most of his attention to the jumpier ladies in the crowd, and scaring the bejeezus out of them. Apparently he wasn't actually handling the rays -- it only appeared that way. In fact he was merely holding out bait, and keeping his grip on it as the rays would bite and swim around. In this way the guide would "lead" the rays wherever he wanted them to go.

I have heard it said that these rays have had their stingers, or their venom, or something, surgically removed to prevent any harm from coming to the folks in the water, but I have no proof of this, and I seriously doubt it. Tahiti is by no means a third-world nation. They have all the same technology we do, they have perfectly modern medical facilities, etc, but my impression was that they wouldn't go to such great lengths to disturb nature, and that the natives have such strong ties with the beasts of the land (and sea) that they simply know what they are doing. Perhaps they have an unspoken agreement -- the Tahitians would continue to come out and feed the rays, as long as the rays didn't hurt anyone. Who knows.

After wrapping up the ray feeding adventure, we were off to our next stop -- an uninhabited motu, or small islet, for a Tahitian style picnic, and some snorkeling. Simple as it sounds, this was one of the highlights of our trip. The boat approached the motu slowly and carefully, as the waters are filled with treacherous coral reefs. When we got about 20 feet from shore, we all filed off the boat, and walked about 50 yards down the beach, to where there was a public grill set up. The boys carried (or rather floated) a giant cooler to shore, which turned out to be filled with down-home Tahitian goodness: Tuna steaks, coconuts, fruits, rum and fruit juice (for a punch), Hinano beer, a delicious local rice recipe with cocunut, eggs, and other myterious but tasty stuff. Baguettes, breads, etc. It was a regular feast, and we all enjoyed it immensely.

One of the men cooked up the tuna while the guide gave us a demonstration of how to open a coconut. This is much harder than you would think. After that, we all ate heartily, and then enjoyed a few hours of snorkeling and just relaxing on the beach. When it was finally time to go, we all walked back to where the boat was, and climbed back in. And we were amazed to see that the guide then proceeded to drop everyone off right at their hotel! Because most of the resorts are located on prime beach real estate, they are all more or less accessible by boat. We were the one exception. We got dropped off at the Bali Hai where we boarded, because the Sofitel, where we were staying, is too far by boat from where we were. Oh well. We had to wait A LONG LONG TIME in the hot sun for our ride back to the Sofitel. This is what they mean by Tahitian Time. But it was a free ride. You get what you pay for. We had fun anyway.

It was late afternoon or early evening by the time we got back to the hotel. We were surprised to find some gifts in the room each time we returned (or so it seemed). It's going back 7 months now but if I remember correctly we found a wraparound (pareo) for the Mrs. and a mother-of-pearl on a rope necklace. That was nice. We finished off the day with some more deck lounging and snorkeling, and showered up for dinner at "the famous" Alfredo's.

Dinner on the islands is half the excitement, for bettter or worse. The islands are all pretty small, meaning that you can drive around them in no time. However, the Sofitel is located a good distance from where the "action" is on Moorea. So the way it worked (on Moorea and Bora Bora) was like this: you call the hotel front desk, tell them you'd like to eat at such-and-such restaurant at such-and-such a time. 5 minutes later they call you back, and say "you're all set for whatever restaurant at this time. A car will pick you up at (15 minutes earlier)." So the procedure is to wait in the hotel lobby (always open-air), or just outside, and someone from the restaurant, or a local driver, will come by in a minivan and stuff it with hotel guests. Depending on the restaurant, the driver either drove to all locations, or he worked exclusively for the restaurant. In the case of Alfredo's, the driver worked directly for Alfredo, and only drove there. It was about a 10-minute ride from the Sofitel. Our driver was a student from France, working on Moorea during his school vacation. Meagan and I and another couple shared a ride over. I *think* they were from Boston.

So we got to the restaurant, and it was not much to look at. Kind of had a pizza-parlor look to it, with plastic furniture and vinyl checkered tablecloths, but we were wearing shorts and sandals, and weren't exactly looking for the Tavern on the Green. Meagan ordered a pasta dish (fettucine ALFREDO, maybe?) and I got some breaded chicken thing, and they were very good, with generous portions. We also enjoyed a few very stiff tropical drinks before, during and after, and I must say, Alfredo makes a great Margarita (although it might be from a mix). In Tahiti, you take what you can get. Alfredo (I think his name is Christian, actually, but forgive me as it's been a long time -- should've jotted this down while I was there) was very friendly and came around to all the guests, making pleasant conversation. He asked us where our travels were taking us, and when we mentioned Bora Bora, he told us to go to Bloody Mary's, and "tell zem Christian sent you." Anyway, he was very nice and very entertaining, and we went to bed well fed.