Day 9 – We had room service breakfast
overlooking the town of Papeete, the capital of Tahiti, with a
population of approximately 200,000. Tahiti was formed from two
volcanoes and is the largest of the Polynesian Islands. Tahiti is in
the heart of the ring of fire. The ship was docked, so after
disembarking, we headed straight for another chemist for some
headache tablets for Peter. The temperature at 10.30am was 36 degrees.
We didn't venture too far, walked up a few blocks to the old Town
Hall, which now appears to be a hotel.
We found the Farmers Market
which was interesting with fresh fruit, some I didn't recognise, and
vegetables and of course a lot of souvenirs. This market is the focal
point of the town.
We headed back to the waterfront and followed the
signs to Cathedral Notre Dame, built in 1875.
It was interesting
looking at the different shops and cafes.
Back at dockside we walked
around the markets and went back on the ship.
We have been to Papeete
before, but only did a quick 'Le Truck' type ride around the town,
but really didn't need to see anything else here. Papeete is a
walking town. Taxis are expensive and beaches are too far away. I
found Papeete a strange town, with a great number of men loitering
around everywhere we went.
In Tahiti, there are three types of
gender – men, women and a third gender known as mahu, or rae rae.
This refers to to transvestites, who are considered gifted and held
in high regard. I must admit, in Bora Bora we saw many masculine
women and feminine men. I found the footpaths very uneven, which made
walking difficult. The number of people smoking also made it
difficult to breathe sometimes.
French Polynesia consists of 118
islands and atolls over more than 1200 miles in the South Pacific.
The citizens remain French citizens. Paul Gauguin lived in Tahiti from
1891-1893 and returned again in 1895. He moved to the island of Hiva
Oa in 1901 where he lived until he died in 1903.
Back on the ship we headed for the Cafe....
...and then drinks on Deck 14, before getting ready for dinner.
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