We were up very early this morning and, after breakfast, ran over to Le Marché for some final Tahitian souvenir shopping. It's obvious that we are going to have to buy a fourth suitcase at Sams Club in Honolulu...we are going home even more heavily laden than we came (we're both at fault; I've lost count of how many t-shirts G has bought). We then packed for a beach day and caught the Terevau ferry back to Moorea. Just 35 minutes after we left Papeete we were in the pool at the Sofitel Moorea. Aaaaahhhhh...instant attitude adjustment.
Our view for lunch
We had lunch poolside and then relocated to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. The last Terevau ferry back to Papeete was at 4:40pm, and we caught a ride to the ferry dock just as the skies opened up and it deluged. No standing outside on the open deck on the way back to Papeete; we were inside wringing out clothes with everyone else. Our plan had been to take a taxi right to the Intercontinental Tahiti for another sunset but that wasn't going to happen. Instead we raced back to the Hotel Tiare Tahiti before the black clouds hanging over the Tahiti mountains also opened up. We did see a spectacular rainbow but that was the end of the visual entertainment for tonight.
We're early to bed tonight, hoping to be up to watch as our home sails into Papeete harbor early tomorrow morning (we're not exactly sure what time). We've enjoyed our ten days here, probably more than an eighth cruise on the Pacific Princess (especially given that it was going out to Nuku Hiva again). Our weather, until late today, was shockingly sunny, but I was taken aback by the heat the entire time we were here. I don't know if it was due to the fact that so many of our turnaround days here had been rainy or that we always had the air conditioned Pacific Princess to return to, but, really, the only time we've been comfortable from a temperature perspective was in the evenings or in our hotel room or in the water.
I received an email asking if Papeete was much like Paris and I have to say that, besides the facts that they both speak French and that there are baguettes everywhere, and wonderful croissants...no. Not a bit. Papeete is not pretty, and Paris, even when it's hot, is not hot like Papeete. I actually found staying in Paris for several days to be easier than staying in Papeete.
This is what we've learned today:
Our decision to cancel our cruises from Singapore to Sydney and around Australia was the right one for us. We are not city tourists as much as we are water sports and beach lovers. I'm worried a bit now that we'll never get to Southeast Asia. I don't think it's ever not hot there. We've had several people suggest to us over the past few years that we should spend our winters in Thailand. I can say with certainty that's not going to happen. Nor do I see us spending extended periods of time in Hawaii as we once thought we might.
We have been so spoiled by wintering on a cruise ship where we live on the ocean and wake up in a different port every day. The only alternative to that for us is to stay home, and that's not going to happen in the near future. So when we started our extended cruising thinking we'd do this for five years and re-assess...well, this is the fifth year and I don't see us doing anything too differently going forward. Do we enjoy this? Oh yes, very, very much.
Life is good. :-)