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Pre-Trip Happenings

Tahiti!!!

More Tahitian Adventures

During our brief stay in Papeete Tahiti, we did have a number of interesting happenings. Fist being the "Trois Fromage Incident"

Lee and I decided we would like to taste some of the local fare and headed to a pizza joint just down the road from our hotel, once inside the place we encounter the first of what would be two major problems, one was a language barrier with the wait staff and second was the smell of death. We decided to tough it out and ordered a couple of Hinano (local beers) and Trois Fromage, believing with our limited french that meant three cheese pizza. It indeed did mean three cheese pizza but the cheeses were blue cheese, parmasan, and and unidentified third cheese. Trying our best to go with the flow, we quickly ate the fowl smelling pizza set in front of us, this would come back to haunt us later one that evening the what we would call the revenge of the Trois Fromage. So just because you think you know what something is does not always mean you do. This leads to the next story about tartar le beouf.

Lee and I on our last day in paridise and with a substantial amount of the local currency decided we deserved a nice dinner out and headed to a local place that looked like it would more then make do. Once inside we ordered a couple more Hinano's and what in our very limited french were a couple of steaks, or tartar de beouf. To our surpise Tartar de beouf turns out to be raw hamburger. Our first reaction was to just pass on the meat and chalk it up to a language barrier. Then the $2.75 reared its ugly head and a bet was on. So the raw meat was topped with a raw egg and some onions, and off we went to sure doom. It was has to be the longest and most painful meal of my life both lee and I managed to finish our dinners, but not before a number of very strong gag reflexes.

The story of the Tartar de beouf does not end here, as the meat sent lee's digestive system into a tailspin, and after 4+ trips to the local lue and the cold sweats his ordeal ended. After enduring such pain for such a stupied bet I decied he had earned back the $2.75, but as we sit and type this in a cyber cafe in Auckland, Lee's stomach is still kicking up a bit of a fuss, and he also swears that he is now a vegitarian.

The Bus stop incident

Our local tour guide told us that we should go to the other island across from Tahiti Nui, Moorea. So the next moring we boarded a jet boat and were off to the club med on the other island and what we hoped would a great day in the sun on a white sand beach. This was not meant to be however, as we missed the bus to our tropical destination. After waiting for an hr for the next bus to come along we decided that it couldn't be that far of a walk and off we went in the noon pacific sun. We could not have been more wrong. After about an hr we reach the local airpoint and decided to turn back, only after learning a cab ride to the club med would cost $45.

As we started back and realizing we were burnt to a red crisp, a nice island women took pitty on a couple of Canadian's and drove us all the way back to the ferry dock. Once back at the ferry dock we decided we needed to cool ourselves down with a couple of beers, and Heineken was the beer of choice, so here were are in a foreign paradise drinking beer at the local bus stop with the locals. On Lee's third trip back to the beer store, one of the local's offered him some Papakaye (Island weed), he off course declined decided we were in enough trouble just drinking beer.

We were then off to Mcdonalds for some familar food, and took the opportunity to have our picture taken with Ronald and a local native girl mopping the floors (Again the $2.75 was involved).

Our tour of the island

We did learn alot about Tahiti when we went on our day tour of the island. We saw the entire island included parts of Tahiti iti (the little tahitian island). We learned that the great french painter Paul Gauion (may not be the correct spelling ) died of Sypillus and not a heart attack as was reported. That Tahitian will keep their daughters out of school if they are too skinny, only allowing them to return once they have put on the prescribed amount of weight. Schooling and Medicare is free. We also learned that Weed is so abundent they give it away.

We did have a free lunch buffet where I tried a little Maui Maui, and some other local fare I can't remember the name off. Watched a local fisherman feed some Jackfish and a shark. Also the french gained control of French Polynesian only after getting the Tahitian King super bombed on wine to the point he had no idea what he was doing.

Other interesting Information

Lee managed to sunburn his hands.
Due to our problem with the local currency and the high cost of everything. We refer to the Pacific franc as the Stupied @#$W$%@ Money
Beer is amount $16 for a six pack (Heineken's)
Breakfast was our favorite meal of the day, it consisted of great french bread, crossients, and fresh local fruit and of course coffee, all for the bargain basement price of $30 (for two).
Old french men like younge french girls two guys at our hotel had mates with them at least 30 years their junior. Tahiti Treat

We have arrived in Tahiti, after 21 hrs of travel. We are now sitting in a cyber cafe in 80+ degree heat. These internet cafes are everywhere. Although I am having trouble typing on this french keyboard. So the spelling will be alot whorse then usuall.

We left Person to LAX where we were to have an hr layover, which was just long enough to have some burger king, US style. Then we boaded air new zealand (which had by far better flight attendants, then air canada). The flight was long, especially with the couple reclined in front of us for 9 hrs. Because sleep was in short supply, we went straight to bed last night.

We awoke to a sunny paradise, and had breakfast by our black sand beach underlooking the mountains of Papeete. We have now walked around the island, we did take a bit of a wrong turn and ended up in a less then favorable part of the city. We just now finished our first beer at 11 am local time, but the rest of the day seems to be open.

Last couple of things, we saw a stealth bomber while flying over the rockies. Seeing the grand canyon and the rockies were also very very cool. Thats it for now....surfs up!!!!!