Thursday, Day 20 - Jan 25 - 8am to 8pm, Papeete Tahiti, Society Islands, French Polynesia

The islands of Polynesia are a gorgeous collection of volcanic islands and atolls strewn lazily across the South Pacific Ocean. The island of Tahiti proper is the largest of the 118 islands and atolls that comprise French Polynesia. Papeete is the modern capital of Tahiti and the French Polynesian islands we are currently visiting. It contains government offices, hospitals, banks and many other services dedicated to serving the islands. When we were here before, in 2010, we rented a car and drove around the island exploring.

Today we are exploring on the water using a free ship’s tour. Our tickets are for the first departure of Tahiti Sail by Catamaran meeting in the lounge at 8:30AM. There is a second departure at 8:45AM. Why the delay I don’t know because as soon as we get out in the harbor we stop and wait for the other catamaran. The tour is three hours and is the longest three hours we have spent on this trip.

After doing a ship’s tour in every port but one so far, we have been very pleased with the tours. It may be a little harsh to say, but today’s tour was miserable! We embark on a 43-foot catamaran for our sail through the crystal-clear waters off Papeete. It isn’t a sail, but a motor boat ride! The catamaran is very crowded and uncomfortable as it has a cramped hard surface open front deck and an even more cramped shaded back lounge. The lounge is a bowl that is stepped down into using the ledge (seat) that rings the bowl. With everyone being really cozy, which is miserable in the heat and humidity, maybe 13 people...max 14 people can fit under the canopy in the cockpit. Then most passenger seats are trapped by a large table that fills 2/3s of the floor space. To compound the space problem the Captain has to step over the people sitting on the ledge that is either side of the wheel to get out. If a passenger wants to go up front several people have to move. The Captain is constantly moving around. There is a stifling inside cabin with no open windows in the middle, but no one wants to sit down there.

What makes the tour so bad is Regent is told the max number is 18 people and because there were few excursions available due to another ship in port they sell 18 tickets and everyone shows. Loading is a cluster f**k. We climb on at the back corner and the first six people take the prime shade spots leaving 12 more to climb over them. Fortunately two people go up front, but the last two are left standing. They are told they can go up front (some one will have to stand back up or they can go down inside! They go inside and we slowly move out into the harbor and crawl along until the second (8:45AM) boat catches up with us. It is a much bigger, better laid out catamaran with only 15 people on board! There are actually empty seats in the shaded part! Carolyn is not the only one counting and commenting. About this time one of the mates finds two little plastic stools and puts them in the only remaining floor space in the shade and tells the two people in the cabin they can sit there if they want. THEY WANT! And this is just the first  30 minutes.

We have to pass by the airport runways to get anywhere, but we have to have clearance so....we sit dead in the water for a while waiting for some landings and take offs. Up and moving again we see some surfers and other water sports activities. Then we are at the other runway and have to wait again. Gee, just think, we are going to have to repeat this in the reverse order to get back to the ship.

This is the first hour and we haven’t even gotten out of sight of the ship on this “three hour tour!” Dick is long past the irritated stage and has crawled up front. Carolyn has decided that the island is not really attractive to see from the water! It is just a test of endurance! There were a few nice views.

There is about a hour left in this tour and we are almost back to the area around the airport (beautiful scenery...not). The captain announces we are stopping for our snorkel time. The first people who go in say the current is rather strong and a couple come right back out. That discourages others from going in. Dick does go swimming, but Carolyn doesn’t. The ladder is not the kind she can use to get out of the water. Dick stays in almost to the end, but says the current was too strong to do any snorkeling and there was nothing to see anyway! They serve us juice, fruit and chips on the way back to the ship.

We are back on the ship, cleaned up and heading to lunch by 12:30PM. But first Carolyn stops by destinations to tell them about how over crowded the boat was.

After lunch we go ashore for some “much needed retail therapy!” Carolyn wants to go to the market and back to a pearl shop we visited last time we were here. It is stifling in the market, so after a fast look around we head to look at the pearls. After playing with hands full of the most beautiful black pearls, Carolyn finds what she is looking for.

On the way back to the ship we window shop along main drag. Carolyn keeps seeing samples of a long strand of gold chain with mixed gemstones and pearls worked in at intervals. They are very pretty and she finally stops in a store to look at the design more closely.....very pretty and equally pricey!

We stop at one more shop and look.There are some of our fellow passengers here too. Dick and the husbands joke around while the wives shop. A sales lady shows Carolyn more of the design that she likes, but the prices are only going up.

Then as we are leaving the saleslady stops us. She wants to show Carolyn a piece that was just finished yesterday and is going to the to Bora Bora shop. Well,  it stops both of us in our tracks. It doesn’t have the diamonds and other gems that were making the other chains so costly, but it does have the black pearls in all the beautiful color variations and in the unusual shapes the baroque pearls have. Carolyn is in love and it now has a home in her treasure chest.

By now it is after five o’clock and we are exhausted from the heat and humidity. Back on the ship, we completely forget about the local dance show at 6PM and go up the pool deck to see what the deal is with the World Market Dinner. It is dinner on the deck so our only options are eating in the heat or the Compass Rose. Downstairs we go. Many others made the same choice.

Tomorrow is Bora Bora, probably the prettiest of the Islands and another Catamaran ride.....maybe.