After a long but uneventful flight aboard AOM we arrived in Papeete, Tahiti. Please note there are twenty-four hours in a day. And our first day started at midnight. Debarking we were intoxicated by the warm night air, enchanted by the guitars and ukuleles of a little group of Tahitian minstrels, and draped with necklaces made of the fragrant flower Tiare. Then we were stacked up in long queues waiting to get through immigration and customs. Once we got our bags through customs we were met by representatives of Tahiti Nui Travel who transported us by bus to our various hotels.

I was surprised that we didn't sleep until noon, still it was late in the morning when we did wake up. We were interested to see that activity around the pool and grounds was confined to the staff. Where was everybody? Probably eating. That's when I discovered that I was very hungry.

Pat informed me that being casual did not include going to the dining room in my pajamas. So we unpacked and made ourselves presentable. Finally we were ready and went looking for the breakfast buffet. Having arrived in the dark the night before our bearings were a little off, but after a few false starts we found the right place. The dining area was open air on one side looking out over a pool and garden, beyond which we could see the salt water bathing pool and beyond that the ocean. Breakfast was good with an excellent fruit bar. Omelets were whipped up on the spot if you could find the cook.

This was the day we discovered Polynesian pineapple. We ate this fruit all during the trip and are totally spoiled. It is the sweetest, most tender pineapple you can imagine. Even the core is delicious.

It looked as if we were going to have a lovely day. We walked around the hotel and grounds and said hello to several couples we knew from the flight. Then we went back to the room and got into our swimming togs. Lots of suntan lotion and we were ready. Off we went to relax in the hot Tahitian sunshine. We got our beach towels and staked out a couple of chairs overlooking the ocean. But behind us the clouds gathered and in less than an hour it started to sprinkle. Just a passing shower we both agreed. The sprinkle turned into a steady rain and from the looks of the clouds over the eastern mountains we determined that there would be no more sunbathing that day.

This was the way it was going to be for much of the rest of our trip. We knew that the rainy season started in late December and were not too disappointed. However we expected it to be like a Hawaiian rainy season. Showers blowing in for an hour or so and than giving way to beautiful sunshine for the rest of the day. We were wrong! Down in the southern latitudes the sunshine comes out for an hour or so and then gives way to rain for the rest of the day. At least it did during our trip.

So we changed back into formal island wear (shorts and tee shirts) and went looking for the travel desk. We looked over a half dozen possibilities and chose an around the island tour by bus. Not very exciting but we would get a good idea of what Tahiti was all about. The tour was to leave at 10 am Friday morning.

We did not enjoy our dinner that night. Enough said.

After breakfast the next morning we prepared for the tour (which involved figuring out how to carry more cameras than a paparazzo) and went to wait in the lobby. People were milling about all over the place and we were trying to figure out who was going to be on the tour with us when the lady who'd booked our tour came over and said the bus was ready. She introduced us to Claude and informed us that we were the only two people on the tour. Our own private tour. Magnifique! Claude turned out to be a real gem. He spoke very good English, with a healthy French accent of course, and proved to be very tolerant of all our questions. He did make a stop at the Beachcomber Hotel to see if there had been any last minute changes, but alas no, we were his sole companions for the day.

I could write many pages on what we did and saw that day. But to synopsize it let me say that the island of Tahiti is a gem. Many tourists apparently never get out of Papeete, or not far enough out to really see the island. It is lush with all the flowers and vegetation that we would see on the other islands during our tour. The roads and villages are clean and brightly painted. The east side of the island is wetter and we had several downpours while traveling down that side of the island. But Claude stopped at several interesting spots, including a waterfall where we spotted a red tailed tropicbird.

A little later Claude asked if we really wanted to visit the Paul Gauguin Museum. He had gotten the impression that we were more interested in the flora and fauna of Tahiti than museums. Of course he was right, so as an alternative he took us to Tahiti Iti.

Two separate volcanoes formed Tahiti Nui (big Tahiti) and Tahiti Iti (little Tahiti). But the two are joined by a small isthmus making one island. Little Tahiti appeared to be very different from big Tahiti. Roads run on the north and south side of the island and another road runs up the middle to a lookout. That is the road we took. As we climbed the air became much cooler, and our ears began to pop. The plateau is over 1000 feet above sea level. Once at the lookout we had a grand view of Tahiti Nui to the north. It was definitely worth the trip.

Back at sea level we started up the west coast of Tahiti Nui. Claude stopped for lunch at the Paul Gauguin Museum restaurant. This was part of the tour package. We had a delicious lunch buffet featuring many local dishes. Afterward we walked out to the fish pens behind the restaurant. They had a large assortment of fish, some large ones that looked like Bonita, some rays, and a variety of small fish. Then we were off again.

The rest of the tour consisted of stops at botanical parks and gardens. We had no more rain and the afternoon became quite hot. The last stop was the Museum of Tahiti and her Islands. Claude gave us a little talk and then we walked around the museum by ourselves. Finally it was back to the hotel. It was a great way to see Tahiti and we considered ourselves very fortunate to have a guide like Claude all to ourselves.

That night the hotel was having a special dinner with a Polynesian show for entertainment. We opted not to go because of the large lunch we'd eaten and because of the packing we had to do for the next days departure. We ordered room service and spent the evening in our room. We had been to a luau on Maui and had been to the Polynesian cultural center on Oahu. So we didn't think we'd be missing much. The next day some acquaintances said they'd just gone to the upstairs bar, ordered a drink and sat and watched the show from above. They had also been to the Luau on Maui and said the show we missed had been every bit as good. Ah, but we'd had so much more fun packing suitcases.

The next morning our luggage was collected and we went to a farewell buffet. Then we sat around the hotel, visited the gift shop, and finally boarded a bus to head for the ship. At last we were starting our cruise. BON VOYAGE!