It's Ova Joey, It's Ova

Day 20 – Moorea Day 7

Since I left home on September 25^th to start this amazing trip, I’ve not had one episode of insomnia. Not even a mild one. Each night I crawled into bed rather early, was asleep in minutes and stayed that way for a good 7-8 hours. It was a thing of beauty. I used to sleep like that every night. 

Last night, I was awake until 2am, tossing and turning and when I finally did go to sleep, I woke up at least once every hour. UGH Of course, when the alarm went off this morning, I didn’t want to get out of bed. But out I got and into the shower.

I headed over to the restaurant at the hotel for a continental breakfast. They did have a decent spread of “cold” food. Lots of fresh fruit, lunch meat, cheeses, cereal, yogurt, assorted decadent pastries and breads, several kinds of fresh juice, water, coffee and tea. I tried to savor every slice of fresh pineapple, papaya and those cute tiny bananas. I think I could have lived life on those and a fresh baguette!

After I checked out, I went down to the reception desk and asked if they would print me an up to date summary of charges. I guess I should have expected it when the place charges 1875 for a pina colada and 500 for a can of soda. The cost of that breakfast: 3210. But Ehh, we live once!

I was given access to a transit room where I could shower and change before I needed to leave. It’s basically just a room with a shower, sink, chair and table that they clean and restock with new towels, shampoo etc. Nice touch as they couldn’t give me a late check out this morning.

So, I spent about 3 hours sitting under an umbrella by the pool trying to memorize everything. It was overcast but not raining and I think maybe that made it a bit easier to leave. The colors were not nearly as vivid. I got into that water a few times and finally it was time for me to shower and get ready to go.

My shuttle arrived on time and took another couple and me to the ferry landing. We boarded the ferry for the trip back to Papeete. The water was pretty choppy going across but it felt like a rocking chair to me.

Once back in Papeete, all the available taxis at the ferry landing had disappeared, so I got a nice workout in by lugging all my baggage about ½ a mile to another taxi stand I knew of. But before I hired that cab, I stopped at The Retro bar and café for a final Hinano. Sigh

$20 for a ride to the airport and the poor old man driving the cab could not lift my bag into the back of his minivan. So, I hoicked it up there and off we went. I arrived at the Open Air Tahiti International Airport where it felt like it was at least 100 in the shade. I was dripping sweat. Ugh. The time was about 7PM. We waited until 830PM until the signs were put up showing you where to queue to sign in for your flight.

Then I had to march to another office “down there a bit” to get my VAT tax refund processed for the pearl I bought. Finally, you got to queue for the pre-queue for security. Then, after being scrutinized by some sort of guard and asked a few questions, you could continue queueing and finally make it passport control, where you are again questioned about your trip. Finally you are off through the actual security line.

I got stopped in security because they spotted manicure scissors in my carry-on. They searched my bag and took out the offending scissors because they had a ‘point’. I think this was wrong but didn’t want to get put on the TSA naughty list so I just said.. Ooops, sorry. The guy filled out a form and make me sign it. It was all in French. I said what does this say? He said, Just that the scissors were yours. Oooooooook!

After waiting another half a lifetime, it was finally boarding time—11:40PM flight. You walked out of the terminal and across the tarmac, in the rain, to a covered set of very steep stairs. You schlep aboard with all your carry-on. As I walking to the jet, I saw this man, carrying this disgustingly dirty plastic handled bag with stains on it that looked like blood. He was very dirty looking and when I got closer to him, he smelled awful. My seat companion for the next 8 hours? BINGO He was wearing shorts as was I and his wiry leg hair kept touching my leg freaking me out once we got seated.  

I asked the stewardess if she could move me… NO CAN DO. What could I do? I reached down into my carry-on and pulled out my trusty bottle of Ativan, took a couple, inflated my travel pillow, covered up with a blanket and faced the window. And thank the Good Lord, I slept like the dead until we got about 1 ½ hours from LA.

Breakfast was being served so I ate my crepe and fruit, left the yogurt, tried one of the bisquity crackers and left the other two on the tray. Unfortunately, my seatmate is still there, stinking and in addition, has taken off this shoes so I could view his lovely thickened and discolored toenails. He is also playing chess on the seat back monitor and every few minutes he utters in a thick German accent, I VIN AGAIN.

As I handed my tray back to the flight attendant, my man snatched the open bisquits from the tray and picked the (unopened) yogurt out of her trashcan. Oh yes, pure class. Swear to God! I couldn’t make this stuff up.

I reached down for my trusty carry-on and got out my little package of handi-wipes, that I personally think smell like some sort of petroleum product, and proceeded to wipe down all the surfaces in and around my seat and seat tray area to overpower some of the stench. Now, all I smelled was ‘gas station’. A huge improvement.

I fumbled my way through Customs at LAX although it was fairly painless and actually organized. My next flight was on Southwest so my bags and I made the trip from TBIT to Terminal 1 and checked in for the flight to Phoenix.

Quick flight and I was in Phoenix phoning Miss Lindsey to pick me up. Off we went to my hotel. I was staying at a very nice Holiday Inns and Suites near the airport. After I showered and disinfected myself, we set off again. We drove to her apartment and she showed me all her new shelving and some new decorating in the bedroom. Their place is looking nice.

Once Ryan got home from work, we all chatted a bit about my trip and then we were off to Pappadeaux’s for dinner. OMG that place is amazing. We had the best dinner. Started off with a dozen raw Blue Point oysters and a seafood trio appetizer to share (Salmon, Alligator Tail & Crab Dip. A crusty baguette appeared and then our dinners. Ryan got the Shrimp and Oysters on some sort of Spinach Risotto. Lindsey got the special—Halibut topped with Scallops and Shrimp served atop Dirty Rice. I got the Costa Rican Mahi topped with crab served over Dirty Rice and Asparagus.

Then we had desserts---3 of them.  Pumpkin Cheesecake, Hazelnut Cheesecake and Hazelnut caramel Bread Pudding. Can you say STUFFED????????  I love this place.

I’m very tired and have the rest of this long journey home tomorrow. It was so good seeing my kids, even if we only spent a few hours together. They caught me up on what’s going on in their lives and I got to hug and kiss them in person! I am most certainly most blessed. Life is very, very good.

Mauru-uru and Nana!

Things I will miss:

·         The millions of shades of blue.

·         Healthy coral reefs

·         New friends

·         The weather

·         Hearing La’orana every place I go

·         Sleeping like the dead

·         Hearing the roosters crowing all the time

·         Seeing the stars with little light pollution

·         Being in the water every day

·         Waking up to ‘that’ view

·         The soft feeling of the air at night

·         Fresh Pineapple

·         Fresh flowers perfuming the air

·         Baguettes for less than 100

·         Crepes

·         Fresh coconut

·         The fact that you will never starve here because you can find fresh fruit trees everywhere and the fish is plentiful.

·         There is no place Flip-flops are not acceptable

·

Things I will not miss:

·         3210 for a Continental breakfast at the hotel

·         84000 dogs running lose all over the islands

·         Blisters on my feet

·         Mosquitoes

·         Having to pay for water

·         Men with serious man-scaping needs

We Interrupt this Practically Perfect Vacation with a TSUNAMI Siren

Moorea Day 6

I start this blog post in the shade of the umbrella next to the pool. It’s almost 4PM and soon time for happy hour. Feeling quite sad but at the same time so grateful to have had this chance to visit this gorgeous country. The sights, people, colors, reefs and all the ocean wildlife I’ve encountered are forever etched upon my mind.

God willing, I will be back here in a few years to experience it all again.

My day began at 5:22AM and to a very loud noise I couldn’t identify. I searched all around the room and finally deduced the sound was coming from outside my door. I pulled some clothes on and peered out my door and the only thing I saw was an empty corridor and the noise—even louder. I went back inside my room and called the front desk to inquire about the noise. This is what I was told. The noise is the tsunami siren. Please come to the front desk immediately. WTF?

I paused long enough to open the safe and grab my passport. It was raining as I hurried to the front desk. There were people gathered and a woman speaking in French to the group. I asked in English what was happening and was told this: The police were conducting a test of the tsunami alarm system. The hotels were not warned but only informed after the fact that it was a drill. They did not control the alarm—the local police did and this alarm had sounded all over the island.

I made my way back to my room and tried to go back to sleep. No luck. So, I started trying to organize my stuff for the long trip home. I gave up after a short time and decided to read and get a shower. After this I went upstairs to the restaurant and had my first breakfast at the hotel. I can only imagine the cost.

I stopped at the concierge desk and picked up my copy of the whale watch. OMG It’s stunning. Of course, I look dreadful but what can you do with hair ‘out to here’ in the wind? But it’s a beautiful summary of the whole excursion. It's far too big a file to upload, but maybe I can figure a way how to add it once I get home. 

It has stopped raining at this point so I decided to go out to the pool. Even at 11:30 the pool was empty as were the lounge chairs! I had my pick. So, I set up camp for the afternoon. It was hot today too. I tried to savor the feeling as I will be missing that very, very soon. Sigh.

About 2:20 I was a little hungry again and chose the only reasonably priced item on the bar menu—guacamole for 550 and a large bottle of water for about the same. I had seen this go by a number of times in the past days here and it looked good. The chips they served with it were an orangey color and I wondered what exotic fruit or vegetable they were made with. Turns out Doritos are very exotic here. LOL Despite that, the guacamole was freshly made and delicious. And the Doritos went well with it.

I am going to go out for my last night here. I want to go someplace that serves crepes. Then the unwelcome task of repacking begins. I want to pack everything in the suitcase except what I will need overnight for the flight, in Phoenix and jeans for the way home. God, I hope I don’t need a coat when I get there.

Kim Kardashian’s ass is here in French Polynesia. A Kardashian looking chick with a butt to rival Kim’s has just pranced in front of me here at the pool. Wow. That’s one thing about being here--Women of other nations are certainly not afraid to let it all hang out. And I do mean hang out. But hey, more power to them. I would not have the guts to wear some of the things I have seen even with a perfect body. If this chick bends over in front of my face again, I’m going to be sick. It’s not like I’m trying to stare at her butt……. Jesus Jenny.

OK, I wasn't going to post it, but she did have it all hanging out there today............And her man was wearing a skin tight suit and it was easy to see how much he loved the way his woman looked. LOL

OK. Here is a photo to cleanse your mind:

I guess I should get up and get moving. Hoping the hotel gives me a late check-out tomorrow as I don’t have to catch the ferry back to Tahiti until 4:45. That will give me most of another day here.  

Back from dinner and most of the packing is finished. (I did get my crepe) I do have to check-out at 11:00am but the hotel is giving me a transit room to use. It’s private and has a place to shower and includes all the toiletries. Nice touch.

Almost time for a glass or two of wine before bed. A long day tomorrow. And hopefully, no molesters on the plane this time. 

I Can't Drive 55!

Days 18 Moorea

Monday: I rented a car today. I am pretty sure it was supposed to be an automatic but when I climbed into the tiny Ford Fiesta, it was a 5 speed. I last time I drove a manual was when I had my Tracer, which was approximately 1997 or so. I decided to give it a try. Surprisingly, it came back to me pretty quickly, although I will admit to forgetting to hold the clutch in when I parked the car a couple of times. There was one iffy moment when I stopped at a little store to buy a bottle of water. I had to back out, in reverse, on a bit of an incline AND I couldn’t see the road on either side as 2 large trucks were parked there. I did drift a tiny bit forward but then backed up without revving the engine or jerking the car. I was pretty proud of myself.

The speed limit around the island is 60. The signs say: Rappel 60.

There is only one road around the island with several turn offs to the mountainous interior. Off I went in a counter clockwise direction. I encountered what is known as the ‘bad road’. It is the same road only a part of it was damaged during heavy rains. They are in the midst of repairing it but have quite a bit to complete. As with everything here, the repairs move on island time and no one is in a hurry. It’s nice though because it forces you to slow down. I had zero incidents of road rage!!!

I came up to the top of a hill and there was a scenic overlook. Stunned once again, I pulled over to take some pictures. I cannot imagine waking up every day to scenes like this. It was honestly like this all around the island.

I stopped at a variety of places looking for the perfect gifts for myself, my mom and my sister. My Mom’s being a late birthday present and my sister’s being a future Christmas present. I am positive I am not going to find anything for my sister because when I returned the car, I had nothing.

I went into a pearl shop called Eva Perles and found a gift for myself. It is the single most extravagant jewelry purchase I’ve ever made. I am not a big jewelry person but this pendant spoke to me. I worked with the owner, a lovely French woman, who has lived here for many years. She owns the shop. As I was the only customer at the time, she was very informative but not ‘in my face’. 

I ended up purchasing a grade A with a very good luster, baroque shaped pearl. She hand wrote the certificate of authenticity and noted the color as follows: Peacock bleu heart, rose body color and emerald green overtone. Now, at first I was drawn to a more purple colored pearl. However, when we went outside to view the pearls the purple one looked dull against my skin but the one I bought looked beautiful. Maybe because of the orange-y base tones of my skin and the green-ish color being complimentary?  Well, enough of that, I am thrilled with the purchase.

And here is a sort of blurry picture, that doesn't do it justice...

I also went to the Lagoonarium near the ferry dock. It’s 3200 and you park your car near the dock and a boat comes and takes you to the motu. It’s about a 5 minute ride. They have a website if you google and the pictures on the website are true to what the place looks like. It is open from 8-4 and you can stay all day if you like. I stayed for about 2 hours. I wanted to snorkel and was not interested in the fish feeding.

They had a series of buoys in the water with rope between each buoy and stated if you wanted to snorkel you MUST hold onto the rope. You could tell why almost the minute you entered the water. The current was very strong and I’m not sure even a great swimmer could have made their way without crashing into coral heads or being carried away. The coral was in decent shape and there were many, many fish. Some of them were very large and you could feel it when they bumped into you. There were also the resident stingrays and sharks milling about.

It was a good snorkeling place but a difficult one. Once through the snorkeling area was enough for me—it was tiring.

I missed lunch and most of the places were closed until dinner time so I headed back to the hotel and made do finishing up the stuff I bought. I have a can of tonic and a yogurt left! I estimate I saved myself about $200 buying food and water at the store.

I spent the remainder of the day by the pool just reading and then at the bar having my 2 complimentary mai-tais and watching the sunset over the mountains. Tough work but someone has to do it!!

I retired to my room and from there watched another Polynesian show complete with fire dancers. 

Oh and in case you were wondering, this is the view from my bed: 

A day of Rest

I was going to rent a car this morning, before I remembered that Sunday is really a day of rest here. So, I decided to go native and rest! I laid around in bed until an obscene time, got up, got dressed and took a walk around the resort.

The place is actually quite large and is home to a dolphin center and a turtle sanctuary. There were only 3 injured turtles there and one looked dead—although there was a sign saying she wasn’t. LOL

After a stop at the front desk and the concierge, I ended up back at the pool bar where I sat reading my book until happy hour. Tonight I decided to try the Jack Daniel’s Mojito. Two drinks later, they showed me who was boss and it wasn’t me. WooHoo! I was forced to order some food as my room seemed a bit far away. I got a large fruit plate an order of fries and a large bottle of water.

Obviously, I am back in the room now, with a to-go box containing fruit for tomorrow morning!

Absolutely nothing blog-worthy happened today.

But, here are some pictures of the resort.

There are so many kinds of flowers just blooming like crazy all over the place. It smells heavenly here. 

Up early tomorrow to pick up my car rental!  Lot’s to see and do!

The 80s are alive and well in Moorea

I woke very late this morning due to closing the curtains in the room last night—black out curtains. The room was as dark as a tomb at 10AM. Oh well, what is vacation for?

I got dressed and went to the front desk and reserved another whale watch on a catamaran tomorrow morning at 8am. (note to self: set alarm and leave curtains partially open). I then hired a taxi—10 xpf round trip to the shopping area called Tiki Village. There were at least 6 pearl shops and several gift stores, a few restaurants and a small grocery store. It’s about 10 minutes from the hotel by car.

One thing to note: It’s HOT here. Despite the breeze and the fact that it is ‘winter’, the sun is brutal. I wouldn’t have even tried this walk knowing I would be coming back laden with water and some food for my room.

I had lunch in a one of the restaurants. I purchased a 4 cheese pizza and 2 Hinano beers. (the beer is cheaper than the water) The pizza was enormous and very, very good. Not the usual cheeses—this one had mozzarella, blue cheese, ricotta and some other kind I couldn’t identify). It was huge. I ate three of those slices and got a to-go box. This should be very good to eat cold. The bill was 2000. Much better than the hotel.

I went to the grocery store and spent about 4200 on groceries and wine. I got yogurt, salami, cheese, crackers, mixed nuts, pretzels, a few cans of tonic and soda, v8 and a very large bottle of water. I will pick up a baguette tomorrow morning at the little store across the road from the hotel. Breakfast and lunch for several days! The bottle of wine I got is a pink moscato. It was about 1300 xpf.. not sure what that will taste like but it is chilling in the mini fridge and I will find out later today! (And yes, I did pack a corkscrew!)

All the music I’ve heard in stores in restaurants is very 80s. I thought of my ex-husband when I heard that song called Hey Now, Hey Now, by Tears for Fears I think. (Inside joke for members of my family). I heard his voice singing that refrain with a PA Dutch accent. I also heard Boy George and Culture Club very frequently.

It’s about 2Pm here and I’m off to the pool and beach.  

Early evening now. Spent the afternoon lounging by one of the infinity pools. Happy Hour starts at 430 and really is just an hour. All ‘fancy’ mixed drinks are just 1000! They are regularly anywhere from 1800-2100!!! Even the beer is ridiculous and that isn’t on special. But I had two drinks and they bring a glass full of green and black olives drenched in olive oil, three large chunks of fresh coconut and some toothpicks. This is surrounded by 3 or 4 tiny croissant looking hard crackers of some sort. But hey, they were free and they were olives so I ate them!

I came back to the room around six and took a shower in the giant tub. I rate the shower about 7 out of 10. Not enough water pressure for me—but still does the job! Thankfully, I am only a teeny bit burned on my back, near the top. The sun is so strong here. Without the breeze that is moving the air all the time, I don’t think I could stand to be out in it for very long.

I haven’t yet made it to the ocean for a swim. I did however take a walk near the water close to sunset.

Oh and I did finally hear some sort of current music at the bar today: Happy by that Pharrel guy. I think that was last summer in the US! But most of the afternoon was 80s stuff with a little Polynesian music mixed in. I thought the music would be in French but I've not heard that. 

I'm just giddy with the internet speed here. I'd forgotten that it really doesn't take 20 minutes to upload 3 pictures!! I'll try and go back and add some videos at some point. 

I am excited to be going out on a catamaran tomorrow morning. I’ve never been on one! Cross your fingers that we see some humpback whales!

I will leave you with this:

 

Leaving the ship....On to Moorea

Awoke early this morning to get ready to disembark the ship. Vacated the cabin by 8AM and left my cabin steward a nice surprise (a good tip). She was so friendly and my cabin was always made up perfectly. I had several nice conversations with her about her home in Romania. Lovely woman.

I went up to the Panorama Buffet for a last breakfast. It was, of course, very crowded, but I asked to sit with a couple from Australia and we chatted for about an hour until they kicked us out to get ready for the next group of people boarding.  (Jeannie and G will be in MY cabin---sigh)

Then I went to the Club Bar to wait until 10:30 when I had to disembark. That was very interesting. There were no constant PA announcements calling groups to disembark. We received a schedule several nights ago with tags and a list of times. This was based on the information we returned to passengers services. I don’t know if it’s like that on all Princess ships, but I LOVED it. They let you in peace to finish your book or chatting with new friends or whatever and just assumed you were intelligent enough to make your way off at your appointed time. Easy Peasy!

I made the short walk from the ship to the ferry terminal next door and I swear my bags are heavier than when I left and I only bought a jar of jam and some vanilla. Once at the terminal, I made my way to the ticket counter and bought a round trip tickets for 3000 XPF ($30)

I asked the girl at the ticket counter what to do with my luggage and she pointed to this gentleman standing near an open crate of luggage. He gestured to me and I went over saying 12:45 ferry? Yes, yes. Ok. So I give him my large bag, he gives me a receipt. I hope it will be there when I get there.

They have a large open-air lounge for people waiting for the ferry. There is a bit of a lunch counter and a bar. So, it’s 11:15 and I am waiting for the 12:45 ferry.  

The ferry ride went smoothly and my luggage arrived safely. The driver was there to transport me to the Intercontinental, Moorea. Check-in was painless. And because I’m platinum status, they had a little area to sit down and brought a cold cloth and flowers and a glass of pineapple juice while check-in was completed. A porter drove up in a golf cart outside and whisked me to my room. It’s on the 2^nd floor as requested and has the view I requested.

The room itself is nice but smaller than I imagined—certainly large enough for me though. The bathroom is showing some wear and has a bit of a moldy/musty smell. Nothing serious—but noticeable. The room appears to be reasonably clean. There was dust on the arms of the chair. (I know so picky) I have a balcony that is a nice size. The porter did not show me around the room and I had a devil of a time figuring out how to turn on the air conditioning and how to turn off all the lights.

Also, I have an ice bucket, but no ice. The book I found in the drawer of the desk says there are self-serve ice machines at various spots or you can get it from the bar. DISAPPOINTED that a resort of this caliber does not keep the ice bucket full.

There is also a hot water machine and packets of tea and coffee, but no instructions on how to use it. There is a large bottle of water on the counter, but no indication if this is free or what.

Knowing what this place charges for 1 night, I don’t think these things are acceptable. But, that’s just my opinion.

After settling into the room, I went outside and walked around. The grounds are nicely kept. I went to the outdoor bar/restaurant for a late lunch/early dinner and got chicken skewers with pineapple rice and a ginger ale. Sodas are $5 each. My bill was $30. I definitely won’t be eating here much. I am going to rent a car tomorrow and find a market and buy some food. There is a mini bar in the room. I will just empty it and put my own stuff in there.

The pools are gorgeous as is the beach and the water. More on that tomorrow!