Saturday, May 4, 2013

May Day in Tahiti


It was May 1. May Day...an observed national and religious holiday here in the French Society Islands. We decided to take a drive and get our bearings. Papeete is not a big city but it is not a village either. Approximately 180,000 people live here. Buildings a generally not more than 2 stories. Most of the commerce is done right along the Pacific. We learned from the concierge at the hotel that the 2 big things to do in Tahiti in addition to water sports are a twisty drive up a mountain to see the view and to have dinner. He said that the drive and view are great, but that the food in the restaurant would not be memorable.  He said don't do this trip if the mountain is clouded over as it was on this day.   The other highlight is eating dinner at the food trucks that are setup at sunset at a small paved park in Papeete.

We stopped at a nearby grocery store for a few things, mostly soda and water. We wanted to get some wine for the room, but no liquor was sold on this holiday. We drove into town and walked. We stopped at Les 3 Brasseurs..a patio bar across from the ferry terminal for  a pitcher of their home brewed dark beer.  It was very good. This was relaxing.

We returned to the hotel after our drive. We bought snorkel gear at an outdoor store before we left Florida. I decided to try my new mask an snorkel out in the lagoon in front of the Intercontinental. The ladies wanted to catch some rays. I was thrilled with the diving gear. I was also impressed with the assortment of tropical fish that were abundant here..trigger fish, parrot fish, mullet and many other beautiful species. After our time on the beach we returned to our rooms to get ready for the evening.

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