(Prepared Thursday evening, November 27th, but I couldn't get on wifi to send.)
Happy Thanksgiving from Moorea! I'm not sure I've ever felt quite so removed from the holiday...despite the decorative displays around the ship, the fact that this cruise does not depart out of the US and has a truly international passenger mix definitely changes the feel of the day a bit. Of course, that we spent the day on a beach and not going over the river and through the woods also makes a difference. And, finally, Black Friday means nothing down here (and that part I definitely don't miss).
Bigger news than today's holiday was the fact that two decorators boarded the Pacific Princess today to begin to put up the Christmas decorations that had been brought on board on our last turnaround day in Papeete. They are onboard, we were told, for two days. Two decorators- two days...decorating the Pacific Princess does not require quite the same effort as decorating the larger ships. ;-)
We were up early today, had eaten breakfast and were on a tender by 8:30am. Our plan for the day was to visit the Intercontinental Moorea, the closest resort to Opunohu Bay where the Pacific Princess anchors. Spending the day at the Intercontinental does not require having a friend involved in Tahiti tourism; in fact, any cruise passengers are welcome to use the beach and the loungers on the beach. $90 per person for a day pass adds use of the resort's two infinity pools and a three course lunch and a soft drink. And anyone is welcome to snorkel the lagoon around the resort.
We are always greeted by samples of Moorea's many fruits and local musicians on the tender pier.
There are plenty of jewelry tables and excursions available on the tender pier, too.
A taxi to the Intercontinental costs US$10 or 900 CFP and takes about 10 minutes. It's possible to walk there, but there are no sidewalks and the locals drive like bats out of hell on the island's circle road along the coast, so I can't recommend it. Once at the resort, we were handed towels and let loose to enjoy the facilities and use the water toys (which aren't generally available unless you're staying on the property).
The mountains rise up right behind the resort
Look at the size of these blooms!
Our view for Thanksgiving Day
We had beers (and tried a new one for us called Tabu) and played in the water both at the beach and in the pools, but skipped lunch, as we had big dinner plans. It was a partly sunny, mostly cloudy but very windy day, and the water was choppy, but that didn't stop me from snorkeling for a couple of hours. I at first despaired of seeing anything worthwhile- the choppiness had stirred up the sand and visibility wasn't great- but finally found some decent coral and a lot of fish that seemed to appreciate it, too. Still, like most of the snorkeling I've done on Moorea, it wasn't 'in your face' good. It required some effort to see the good stuff.
G kayaked around the lagoon but didn't venture out near the reef. It was just too windy to be safe out that far. However, the wind was perfect for the many kite surfers that entertained us all afternoon, and I remembered that Moorea was where I first saw kite surfing for the first time, ten years ago this month.
Before the afternoon was over, we were 'entertained' by a fellow sunbather playing music through speakers. It wasn't exactly to my taste, but apparently it was to several others. Three honeymoon couples near us struck up a conversation with each other and started demonstrating their 'reception dances' on the beach, accompanied by various rap-type songs. Yes, apparently it is no longer enough to eat, drink and dance at one's wedding reception; newlywed couples must now perform a well rehearsed dance, preferably involving the entire wedding party, to kick off the party. "I was, like, SO nervous and, like, the top of my strapless dress fell down and, like, one of the groomsmen was so drunk that he, like, couldn't even stand up let alone dance and we had, like, rehearsed it for weeks and I was, like, really, pissed at him".
I suddenly felt, like, really, really old.
About 3:30pm, we gathered up our gear and caught a taxi back to the tender pier. Today was the day I finally bought a Tahitian pearl bracelet I've been looking at from one of the vendors on the pier. The one I chose was a bit different than most and designed by the seller, which made it unique. G helped me pick the pearl (it's a blue-green-grey color) and I love it (and the $45 price tag).
Back on the ship, I made a quick Thanksgiving call to Mom (for free, using Vonage! Get the app!) and we showered and went first to the Elite Lounge and then to specialty Italian restaurant Sabatinis for dinner. For most of our meal, we were the only ones dining in the restaurant, and had the perfect view as the Pacific Princess sailed the short distance across the Sea of the Moon to Tahiti. The lights of Papeete appeared outside our window and we stayed at Sabatinis until the Pacific Princess was secured at her berth. No crepes from the roulottes for us tonight...we're stuffed from our Italian Thanksgiving dinner that included lobster and champagne for me.
We stood on Deck 10 for a long while watching the lights of Papeete. We sail at 4am on Saturday, and have all day tomorrow in Papeete with the Pacific Princess as our hotel. We have several things to get done while we're here and, unfortunately, once again, none of them involve much sightseeing. Papeete is first and foremost a business day for us.
And, finally, the decision was made today to join friends Carol, Grant, Phil and Jan from Edmonton on the 9-night Grand Princess cruise to Mexico departing Los Angeles on January 24th, the day after we arrive on the Pacific Princess. We cruised with them just one time several years ago, and had such fun together. We simply couldn't be so close to them and pass up the opportunity to do it again (Steve and Carolyn, can we talk you into joining us?). G and I will go home on February 2nd and leave again, this time for the Caribbean, four days later.
Life is, like, crazy. And good. Crazy good. :-)