The Pacific Princess docked in Uturoa, Raiatea with our port side against the pier, facilitating our departure early tomorrow morning (5am...groan) and transit through Pai Pai Pass between Raiatea and Taha'a en route to a 9am arrival in Bora Bora. Some of our best photos so far have been taken during our early morning cruising through Pai Pai Pass, and we will be up, probably on the terrace behind the Panorama Buffet, to watch it tomorrow. The Pacific Princess docked this way means that our starboard cabin overlooks the lagoon, not the legs of people walking by on the pier. It's a good thing.
We were at breakfast in the Club Restaurant at 7:30am, not too hungry but looking for something to kickstart our day. Maitre d' Oscar came over to us saying, "My God, I thought you went home!!!" because we have not been at dinner in the Club Restaurant for three nights. (You have to know Oscar to know how expressive he is. He is, after all, from Italy but I'm not certain it's an entirely geographic quality.) We told him that we hadnt wanted to infect his restaurant with our sneezing and coughing but that we had recovered and would see him tonight for dinner. And that it was nice to have been missed.
We had no plans for our day in Raiatea. Renting a car last cruise on Taha'a really finished up the list of things we wanted to do here. Had we felt top notch, we might have climbed Mt. Tapioi (let me put it here, in writing, that I am much aggrieved we couldn't do that today ;-)), but we didn't and, besides, it was very hot and muggy today. Still, when we moved from breakfast only as far as two loungers on the pretty (lagoon) side of the Promenade Deck (we know just which ones are in front of an exhaust fan pumping out the ship's AC, because it was already hot), G announced that we needed to get some exercise today. Frankly, I've kind of had it with these kinds of proclamations. I think I'm going to sit at home some morning and announce "We need to clean out the garage today" and see how much he likes it. :-)
But, as much as I hate to admit it, he was right. I knew I'd spend part of the afternoon in the ship's pool, but it wouldn't hurt us to take a walk. And the fact that a crew drill was scheduled that would mean loud announcements and horn blowing and the Promenade Deck being closed off motivated us to take our walk earlier rather than later.
We walked off the ship and stopped first at La Cubana to use their (usually moderately reasonably fast) WiFi. That's how we found ourselves drinking overpriced Hinano beers at 9:30am while using frustratingly slow internet. It was useless, and for the honor of using it for 30 minutes, we paid $7 for beer we really didn't want. Moving on...
We stopped into the Champion Supermarché to see if they had nasal spray (I think our colds have left us brain-addled), but, of course; they didn't. They have nothing like that, and we didn't feel like walking to Uturoa's only pharmacie to see if they did. Cruise Director Sammi put it so well last night...Uturoa offers the best shopping in French Polynesia outside of Papeete and it still only has 10% of the things we find at home at a 70% markup over what we'd pay there. We set out walking along the waterfront as far as the airport on the very northern end of Raiatea. The day was sunny and HOT and we decided that that distance constituted our morning exercise.
The AC felt wonderful as we stepped back on the ship, and we changed into swimsuits and went up to the pool deck where we spent over an hour using the hot tub and pool. They were the most comfortable place to be outdoors. Eventually we got cleaned up and had a late lunch on the terrace behind the Panorama Buffet, carefully positioned at a table that caught the benefit of the ship's AC every time the sliding door there opened. The view was just incredible, as the back of the ship faced that long length of blue lagoon and the motus on either side of Teavanui Pass. Oh, I will miss that!!
We spent the rest of the afternoon on the Promenade Deck, but dressed for dinner in time to go to the Children of Raiatea folkloric show in the Cabaret Lounge. The kids are ages 5-17 or so, and are just adorable, especially the littlest ones. They can really shake their narrow hips!
We were welcomed to the Club Restaurant for dinner as if we were prodigal sons returning home. We'd only missed three dinners there (two plus the steakhouse last night) but that is the charm of this little ship. Still, we ate fairly lightly (I've fallen back the chicken breast on salad combination that I swore I'd never want again after our last month at home), and made it to the 7pm of vocalist Claude Eric. The man was born to entertain and has the voice to do it.
We're early to bed tonight. The alarm is set for (wait for it) 4am to allow us to watch as the Pacific Princess leaves Uturoa and sails through Pai Pai Pass for perhaps the last time. The scenery alone is wonderful; combined with a pretty sunrise, it's unforgettable.
