Papeete 10-7-08

Papeete Tahiti 10/7/2008

Papeete the capitol of French Polynesia. Papeete is pronounced Pa-pee-et-A. It means in Tahitian[Papee] Water and [ete] Bowl/Basket. It refers to the vast number of natural pools of water throughout the island. It is a large city with architecture of about the 50’s. We arrived being pushed by a tug boat. We docked in the center of town. It was surprising to see traffic on the main streets after the natural landscape and small population of Bora Bora. I used my high school French as French/ Tahitian/and English are spoken.

We walked through the city and spent time in the Public Market place. It dates back to the 19th century. There was an abundance of fresh fish, meat and stands of fresh produce. It also has stands of handmade creations and Tahiti’s pareo cloth- a colorful fabric used as a wrap around dress.

Much of the Tahitia’s diet is centered around fresh fruit grown on the island. The Breadfruit is a staple in the Tahitian diet. They have available about 30 varieties. It is boiled and then prepared in many ways. It tastes very similar to our potato just a little sweeter. We saw trees of mango, avocado, and other varieties of trees used for clothing that produces cloth of different colors.

We visited the Notre-Dame Cathedral built in 1875. The stained glass windows were scenes of Tahitians in traditional activities. We took a long hike and visited the Robert Wan Pearl Museum. We saw an incredible showcase of pearls and their history.

We took a four wheel drive tour from the West coast to the East coast of Tahiti Nui. Our new Land Rover was outfitted with benches in the back and a roof canopy. We rode 8 in the back. Very exciting as we rounded turns and drove through heavy traffic. The coast is used for surfing and in the winter months large waves come and heavy rains. We stopped at a black sand beach and walked in the waves. We turned into the entrance to the Papenoo Valley, a combination of natural preserve space and sacred Tahitian land. There is a cement plant in the valley that digs rocks out of the river valley and the hauling creates a lost of dust with the large rock haulers to scare the tourists and other drivers. The road is curvy and alternates between paved and gravel. There are also two small Hydro Electric Plants and small reservoirs to generate a portion of the islands electricity.

Our guide was a Tahitian with a great love of the land and his cultural tradition. He speaks 4 languages [Tahitian, French, English & Spanish]. He spent a year in the French Marines. He wanted to spend his time in Alaska but instead was assigned to the French nuclear testing at a nearby island.

As we drove through the Valley de la Papenoo he pointed out the various trees filled with fruit. The Tahitian lived off the land and fresh fish. We saw the mountains of Aorai 2066 meters and Orohena 2242 meters in height. These mountains are considered sacred. The Tahitian would go to sea for a long time and then return to the sacred garden in the valley and live off the land to refresh his mind and body. We stopped alongside the road at a pool in the river and swam. Our guide climbed the riverbank and then dove into the pool. On the return we did not use a single lane bridge high over the river and instead took the road through the river. This is impassable during the winter rainy seasons. It was fun just to drive through the water. We passed a group of soldiers training in the wilderness. We stopped at a sacred spot. The Tahitians laid stones with an altar. They still provide food for God at the altar. The area was planted with a sampling of the trees that are used for all needs including medical. Our guide impressed us with his love of Tahitian culture and his knowledge of vegetation, and birds. It was a pleasure to meet him.