9.26.09

9.26.09

Our last morning in Moorea was sunny and beautiful. We caught the Aremiti 5 ferry to Papeete. It was a much faster boat than the first one we took. The wind was very powerful and almost whipped off my sunglasses while I was looking for signs of whales or dolphins in the ocean. I stood up to get a better look, but had to sit back down immediately because the boat was rocking violently back and forth on the choppy water. It made me slightly nauseous and I was very glad when we docked in Papeete.

From Papeete we took a cab to the airport. We arrived 4 hours before our flight was scheduled to depart to Huahine. At the tiny airport, we regretted not staying in Papeete longer to look around at the sights and shops. The airport has a few souvenir shops, a snack bar, and a McDonald’s. We took a picture of the McDonald’s menu since it offered some very different items than the ones back home. A “Croque McDo” (hot ham and cheese sandwich) and “Rouleau Gourmand” (chicken and ranch sauce sandwich) were just a few of the curious offerings.

The plane we took to Huahine was tiny and jet propelled. I had imagined it to be old and rickety, but it wasn’t at all. It was a smooth riding modern affair. During our 45 minute ride to Huahine I saw Marlon Brando’s private island.

The Huahine airport was even smaller than the Papeete airport. It was basically a house. The bamboo interior was decorated with fresh hibiscus flowers and woven palm tree fronds (at least I think they’re palm trees?) Even the bathroom sinks and toilets were decorated! Since I’ve been in Huahine I’ve noticed this fresh flower decorating is everywhere. People not only wear flowers in their hair, they also put them on furniture, beds, drinks, food, signs, and cars. You name it, they adorn it with flowers.

A Tahitian woman picked us up at the airport to take us to our bungalow at Relais Mahana. Huahine doesn’t have any public transit and there is basically one taxi for the whole island.

Our bungalow at Relais Mahana is wonderful. It has a thatch roof, bamboo walls, tiki decorations, and an open air shower. It’s situated right on the beach, so we just have to walk a few feet to snorkel in some of the best coral gardens on the island. At night the sound of the waves crashing on the shore lull us to sleep.