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Our third day at sea as we catch up to report on our day in Papeete, Tahiti. Bad weather is forecast, Oriana is beginning to pitch a bit and the sick bags are out on the bannisters. You can only be sick on even numbered decks though! Have had to abandon sitting out. Upper decks are closed and the wind is howling at Force 7 with horizontal rain lashing the decks. The pools are like tidal waves 3m high overflowing onto the decks; still open though - swim in them if you dare! Anyway, Papeete. This average sized town is the capital of French Polynesia. This time we berthed right along side the town. The main street runs parallel to the berth and down each of the side streets a small section of Oriana was visible, which gives some idea of the scale of the town - little more than 500m from one side to the other.
A lively Tahitian welcome was afforded us on the quay with a band and dancers in traditional dress - lots of grass skirts and flowers. It is the practice to wear a flower in one's hair and Ian cut a dash with a gardenia poking out of his left ear!
Armed with a local map which had a local walk marked on it we made our first stop at the local market, a lively place, colourful, vibrant selling pretty much everything - pineapples, several types of bananas, the biggest tuna and swordfish steaks we have ever seen, typical French pastries and baguettes and of course, flowers. Ladies in brightly coloured dress sat on the edge of the market making gardenia garlands, head-dresses and baskets from local coconut palms. Upstairs black pearls, wooden trinkets, pareos(saris), shells and assorted souvenirs were on sale.
The contrast between here and Bora Bora was the huge amount of traffic clogging the narrow main street; the noise and the traffic fumes made it quite uncomfortable in the heat and high humidity. There was a colonial feel to the town, it was noticeably more cosmopolitan than Bora Bora with more people of European background on the streets. Not just more shops but a greater variety and choice with even chic boutiques in evidence. Much more like Grimsby! We browsed a few shops and even purchased a few items for presents, good job we have got extra bags for when we get home.
Papeete is the administrative capital of French Polynesia and as such there is a distinct government quarter but it is still very laid back and low key, you can walk through the main assembly building to the Queen's Garden with its giant lilies in the pond. Gauguin's banyan tree presides serenely over the gardens. The artist spent some time here. Interestingly though French influence is still very prominent. The Governor's residence lies next door to the assembly building and French flags are raised over many of the administrative buildings. You get the real feeling that France has not completely released it's grip on this colonial outpost. We wander on; this is not a country or climate where you do things in a hurry, and plunge back in to the traffic.
Next stop is the Black Pearl Museum, part instructional but also large part retail. Anything you want to know about the life history of the pearl oyster or the intricacies of black pearl production, we're your man. Sadly for French Polynesia's foreign currency earnings we resist the delightful lady's sales patter and leave empty handed, quite apart from the fact we had seen very similar products on offer in the market at a fraction of the price.
Stopping for a quick drink at a local patisserie, the disappointment of finding that they do not sell alcohol (are the French losing it, a cafe with no booze?) is quickly dispelled when we partake of the plat du jour. Are you getting how casually we drop into the local lingo, none of this talking slowly, very loud and with the odd "o" on the end of a few words; this is the real deal here. Unfortunately we are not able to record the number of occasions that a "si" or "danke" snuck in to the vocabulary; confusion sets in to the old grey matter sometimes. Back to the plat du jour, a succulent steak of emprado, we think she said, we reckon it was swordfish, in a creamy vanilla based sauce, unusual but gorgeous (just like your correspondents eh?), with green beans cooked in garlic, and rice. How many travel blogs have you come across with recipes provided as well?
Quick scribble of the postcards for the good people back home and we have nearly completed the tour of Papeete. Just time for a visit to the chateau like town hall with the central bus station along side, in reality an extended lay-by and it's back to the ship.
Everybody, well, with a couple of exceptions, is excited that we are going to have a "sailaway" on the aft decks as we leave Papeete. Now you have to understand the significance of the aft deck, we have had sailaways before, but they have always been midships looking in on a semi enclosed deck. Aft you have 5 decks overlooking a pool deck in a large amphitheatre open to the sea, and a bemused local population! The assembled passenger body lines the decks to be whipped into a veritable frenzy of excitement by the ship's entertainment (we could debate the accuracy of that word here) team. We are issued with little blue P&O flags and basically take part (or not, we have to admit) in half an hour of community singing to such masterpieces as Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport, Delilah, Land of Hope and Glory, Donald Where's Your Troosers, and many other classics too numerous to mention. All accompanied by a cranked up PA system which anywhere else would have led to most of the people around the decks complaining to the local Environmental Health Department about public nuisance. But we're British, we're on holiday, we're behaving like we wouldn't dream of doing back home and stuff the locals anyway, this is how we built the Empire, and possibly lost it as well. If you can't quite picture the scene the photography team recorded the event for posterity with a panoramic shot now mounted on canvas at the special sailaway price of £120, go nicely above the mantelpiece that would! We're not as grumpy as we sound; we're just not that good at communal activities!
The saving grace for some of us was the spectacular view of Tahiti as we sailed away - another Geography lesson on volcanoes.
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Clairey Which one of you is unusual and which one is gorgeous? Discuss!
Derek & Kathy Note to self: Order Gardinia for next Smiffy get-together.