:Tahiti Iti:   :Huahine:   :Bora Bora:

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Our 3rd trip to French Polynesia...we were definitely getting spoiled here!  The World Cup Inline Speedskating Race had been postponed, but Bill and I, along with Karin and Vlad decided to keep our plans to visit Tahiti, skating or no.  Off we went, sans skates.  And so begins the exhaustive detailing of our trip!  Be sure to check out Karin and Vlad's website for more pictures, as well! http://home.attbi.com/~vsejnoha/Tahiti02/

March 1, 2002
Karin & Vlad, Bill and I arrive in LA. We check into an airport hotel and then lounge around. We shopped for last minute items like books. Bill convinced me to buy an outfit on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica…it was gorgeous, but the last thing I needed was more weight in my suitcase for Tahiti! We went off to the Beverly Hills Hotel, otherwise known as the Pink Palace.

We drove up to the portico in our rented car, a sophisticated and breathtaking Dodge Neon. The door attendants were duly impressed and more than happy to keep our wheels in front because of the panache it lent the place!


We enjoyed cocktails at the posh Polo Club bar:  Negronis and Martinis. We kept a subtle eye out for celebs, but, alas, saw none…even the lovely Pia Zadora, who we had seen our last visit to this fine watering hole, seemed to be keeping her distance.

We gorged ourselves at Spago that evening, Wolfgang Puck’s signature restaurant. We were seated at the plate glass window that looked into the polished kitchen, abuzz with activity, and we amused ourselves with watching Wolfie zip around, frenetically ordering people about.

Then, off to beddie-bye, saving up the zzz's to avoid jet lag upon our arrival in paradise.

March 2, 2002
Off to LAX, to catch our flight on Air Tahiti Nui! The crowd at the gate was rambunctious and overly-excited…most were bound for a cruise on the Paul Gaugin. They were very loud and a touch annoying, as the announcements of the Air Tahiti Nui staff were almost inaudible! But we just gazed at our plane through the window, and were content.

The flight was not too bad…of course, it was long and cramped. But the flight attendants were wonderful:  beautiful Tahitian vahines, in floral dresses, bedecked in Tahitian pearls. In the ordinary, cramped airplane restrooms, lovely scented Tiare flowers were set out for us, and we all tucked them behind our ears.  Coach class has never seemed more comfy...

Tiare flowers are a type of gardenia that may be considered Tahiti’s national flower, a true national emblem of Tahiti. It blossoms all year long, and you catch the delicious perfume whenever you walk around French Polynesia. Polynesians (men and women) wear them behind their ears all the time, everywhere they go. They also use them as a natural air freshener by simply placing the closed blossoms in a dish of water and then making leis out of them as the buds open up.

We started our descent to the island of Tahiti just as the sun was setting, and the clouds were gorgeous. They formed all sorts of magnificent 3-D shapes.

We landed at Faa’a, the international airport in the French Polynesian capital city of Papeete. Stepping out of the plane, we were hit by a blast of tropical, smoky Papeete air that immediately told us we were in paradise! It was dark, however, and we missed seeing the lush greens of the flora and turquoise waters of the lagoon. We were greeted by the plinkety plink of ukulele music of a traditional Tahitian band.

If you have a RealAudio plug in, click here to hear the sounds we were welcomed with: http://www.southpacificgateway.com/tahiti/audio/real/014.ram

We ate dinner that night at the Sofitel just outside of Papeete…I had a delicious Mahi-mahi burger, which became my staple fast-food for the entire trip. And of course, we washed our meals down with a Hinano, the classic Tahitian beer.

We walked down to the beach to hear the far-off sounds of the waves crashing on the barrier reef, and then simply watched the sky. You’ve never seen such a beautiful night sky as in French Polynesia! We saw the Southern Cross and other constellations that just aren’t visible for us Northerners!

     On to:  Tahiti Iti

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