After a bit of a scare, I made it back from my three week trip to French Polynesia safe and sound yesterday afternoon. What did I learn after visiting Tahiti Nui, Moorea, Huahine, Tahaa, Bora Bora, and Riaetea?
The people who live here are just about the nicest people I have ever met. Of course, this is a gross generalization however I was overwhelmed at how many friendly and generous people I encountered, French and Polynesian both. If you do go be sure to pick up some tahitian phrases, I got the impression the indigenous people really appreciated the effort when you try and speak their language. French is also spoken, but from talking to locals there still are some undercurrents of hostility towards the French amongst some.
I like sailing, however I’m not so sure open ocean sailing is my thing - I just like a bit more to look at and calmer seas. Turns out big waves, strong wind, and water crashing over the deck isn’t as scary as it sounds after a while and really makes one appreciate the fact that they don’t get sea sick.
Cruisers are a pretty tight knit community of people of all ages and backgrounds not just a bunch of rich old folks like you might suspect. Everywhere we went I swear Jason knew nearly all the other boaters we encountered and people were always lending each other a hand and giving others the 411 on the local scene. We had a great time hanging out with with Greg and Bonnie, Eric and Ivonna, Ben and Matt, Brett and Naomi, and many many more.
Due to the declining dollar and the fact that so many goods must be imported into this tiny economy, French Polynesia can be pretty expensive for Americans. I found that prices for some of the basic staples to be more expensive than even what things cost when I visited Tokyo.
Food here can be, well, interesting. You get a fusion of the three main ethnics groups (Polynesian, French, and Chinese) that I don’t think you see else where. For instance, they make these baguette sandwiches you can get for only 180-300 CFP ($2-4) stuffed with ingredients like deep fried fish and chips, meatloaf and french fries, or chow mein. At night there are these food trucks (much like taco trucks) that roll in where you can get dishes like steak frites (just what it sounds, usually several pieces of grilled meat on a giant plate of french fries) or poisson cru for around 1000 CFP, well in the range of cheap skates like us to eat out now and then.
Snorkeling in French Polynesia is just like what I would imagine it would be like to swim through largest aquarium you have ever visited. I saw literally hundreds of different kinds of fish, sometimes in school of thousands and thousands, and often in crazy shapes and colors we just don’t get here in the pacific northwest. The water temperature is in the 80s and the seas so clear that in some areas you can clearly make out the bottom while standing on the boat from depths as much as 30 feet.