After the feast day, all three of us GSIs had the day off. So, Thursday escape to Tahiti!
We took the white truck and got on the ferry over to Tahiti Nui bright and early in the morning.
It is so nice to get away from the students. When you live just a house down from them, even on your day off you are pestered with questions. I feel like more of a mom than a GSI most of the time. I keep having to remind them to drink water, lock up their stuff, clean their dishes properly, pick up after themselves, don’t get spined by urchins, swim with a buddy, etc etc etc
Our escape was certainly long overdue. It is hard to believe we have already been here nearly a month! We have all been working really hard for this course, more than for any course we’d be GSIing for in Berkeley. I am sure the three of us all had grand plans of things we would get done in Mo’orea, and we have not accomplished most of those goals. Hopefully now that the student’s projects are set and we are getting more into our duty rotation I will find more time off.
Anyways, our adventure!
There is currently a drought here on Mo’orea and in many of the Pacific islands, with considerably less rain than in past years. That being said, it has been a bit rainy in the past couple of days, which is very good for the island. Fortunately, the rain clouds, and the sunlight and everything lined up perfectly and we got a great big RAINBOW to send us on our way. Mo’orea looks like some fairytale tropical paradise even moreso with a rainbow hanging over it. It reminds me a lot of pictures from Peter Pan of Neverneverland.
The island of Tahiti is a much newer island, and has a great geologically educational cone shape to it. From far away I find it more pretty, but up close you really see how inhabited the island is! I like Mo’orea better for its smaller, more quaint feel, but I’m excited to get to Tahiti Iti and the south side of the big island to experience a bit less of a metropolitan Tahiti.
After our rainbow treat, we also saw a whale breaching off the reef. I doubt I will ever get to post any whale pictures; they are quite tricky to get. We might go whale watching someday next week, so maybe I will eat those words.
I DID however get a picture of ….. DOLPHINS! There was a great pod of about 50 of them swimming in our wake as we came into the port. This is probably the most exciting thing that has happened to me since coming here. I have never seen dolphins before! They are so graceful and playful in the water. This is my best dolphin picture. DOLPHINS!!!!!
We parked the car and walked down to the big yellow church, a classic tourist orienting spot, and certainly a very pretty church indeed.
The stained glass had some very interesting classic Christian symbols mixed with local Tahitian symbols, such as flying fish, breadfruit, and coconuts. Mom and Dad, you will definitely enjoy going to mass here on Sundays; all the churches are so pretty!
To market to market to buy a paréo! The Marche Municipal was very lively for a Thursday morning, and I enjoyed seeing all the different foods and things for sale. I’d like to come on a weekend when the locals are more numerous than the tourists. It was interesting to be greated by ‘Bonjour’ before ‘Ia’rana’, but perhaps that is a Tahiti-Mo’orea difference more than anything.
Lots of tourist junk for sale, like Hawaiian stamped purses, and shell necklaces and SHARK JAWS. Jenny and I got some strings of shells for making our own necklaces, and Bier got a new print shirt to blend in with the locals. We enjoyed some delicious fresh squeezed pineapple juice, and I had a great conversation with a guy selling healing balms that solve all your problems, from migraines to tummy aches, to insomnia and fatness. ‘This one is for fat people- you put it on the skin, and it makes you skinny from the inside out’.
After the market we drove down the coast to the west, trying to find a dirt road leading up to a nice hike we’d been recommended. Alas, we couldn’t find the damn turnoff, so instead we stopped in at the Tahitian museum. It was really interesting to see all kinds of old artifacts and tools, especially the intricate fishing hooks.
I found it interesting to learn many of the ornaments were made from human hair, especially old men’s white beards.
Of course the canoes were impressive, given how far and wide they travelled in their wooden vessels. Such impressive navigation skills, and what adventurous spirits to just shoot off in any old direction and hope to come upon land. Jenny played a bit of Pocahontas with one of the outriggers.
I was impressed at the size of the whale skull on display. Bigger than me!
We gave up on finding our obscure road after a while, and decided instead to go east a bit and see a different part of the island. We ended up at Venus point, the most northern tip of Tahiti. There was a beautiful black sand beach there, from which we could see our own home, Mo’orea. We hadn’t brought lunch, so we grabbed a random hamburger and frites with rotui ananas juice and enjoyed it on the beach. Hmmm, delicious!
We only had time for a quick swim in the water, but I am so glad we did because it was lovely to swim with barefeet for once. The sand was so soft between our toes, and the beach was so peaceful and quiet. I look like a postcard in front of Mo’orea on this nice beach, don’t I?
We zipped back and made it on the ferry to get back in time for our Tahitian dance lessons with Sam (to continue every Friday until the end of the course, so hopefully I learn to swivel those hips!). Home sweet home!
Bier was pooped after our day of vacationing, and it was definitely a well-deserved break. Such a nice day away!
Of course, we were also glad to be home; how can you not be happy when you live somewhere so beautiful, with such clear and blue water and skies!?
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