Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia - October 12, 2014

Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia

October 12, 2014

As we sailed into this tropical port, it was quite fascinating to observe how the captain maneuvered this massive ship into the narrow space, not to mention, BACKED the Solstice into the berth.  We arrived at 0700, and the crowds could disembark at 0800.  We  decided to wait until after lunch to disembark, because it is Sunday, and many of the merchants probably won't open until the afternoon.
So, we enjoyed breakfast with another charming couple, Peter and Lynn from Auckland, New Zealand, who have seen far more of the US than the average American!  They just finished visiting the last of the fifty states and have sailed the Intracoastal Waterway twice.  Additionally, it turns out, their son just married a gal from Smryna!
Modern day Christopher  Columbus and his Tahitian bride, AKA us, disembarked to discover Papeete, which didn't take too terribly long since indeed, most of the merchants were closed.  What we did discover is that everything was extremely pricey!  Now, we're always willing to boost the local economy, but their prices suggested that the locals expected our cruise ship passengers to pay off their national debt! 



Once back on the ship, we were treated to a local Tahitian music/dance.  It was the perfect way to end the day!

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