Tahiti is the source of the best Vanilla

Posted on December 16, 2013 by David Cross

Today we pulled into Raiatea and we were not tendered which was nice.  Getting on and off the yacht in 5 minutes or less is a treat.

It was definitely very warm here, so we awoke early, had some breakfast and then went out for a run nice run along the marina and through the residential area near the port.

We were definitely in need of the 20 oz Powerade sports drinks that we bought in Papeete for our excursion runs, but it was definitely a great start to the day.

After lunch, we went on an expedition to the nearby island of Tahaa.  This is where there is huge pearl farms and vanilla plantations.  I never knew this is where most vanilla of the world comes from…

We spent some time in a local plantation at the home of a local family learning on how Vanilla is really cultivated and used.  Very educational.

Nor did I know that there was so many different colored pearls that all came from the French Polynesian islands.  Many of the French move here because of the weather, gorgeous scenery and there is no income or sales taxes!

Running around the world is always fun.  Some of my other favorite spots:

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A little about diving in the South Pacific

Posted on December 14, 2013 by David Cross

There are islands everywhere…even little ones with only one tree.

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You have to be very cautious of the currents and the large waves that can appear due to changing tides around the various coral atolls.

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The most important advice: actually take the extra safety equipment. Whistles and blow up diving balloons called “safety sausages”.  Sometimes that is what the dive boat needs to find you when you are drifting along in heavy currents!

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Headed to Bora Bora in 2 days! :-0

 

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Diving in Rangiroa

Posted on December 14, 2013 by David Cross

We pulled into the large coral atoll of Rangiroa.

 

The waves were really rough outside the atoll, but when you come in, it is quite peaceful.

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We took the opportunity to do some diving here given the large coral reefs.  Unfortunately, we had to go outside the atoll with the goal of drifting back in.The waves were pretty rough going out and we quickly dropped out of the Zodiac to get under the water.

The fish were plentiful, very diverse and colorful.  We even ran into a large school of barracuda and even saw a 6 foot shark circling around us from time to time.

Unfortunately, the tide changed and we could not drift back into the atoll.  We had to board the zodiac by taking our gear off and climbing into the boat despite 10 foot waves.  It was brutal … one if the most difficult dives we have ever taken.  But everyone got back safe and survived the rough churn.

And there was a surprise at the end when another 5 foot shark kept circling our zodiac in the shallow water when we returned to the dock 🙂 If you look close, you can see him…

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Recovered quickly from the painful tossing and churning…time for some lunch and a nap!

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Get Your Vanilla in Huahine!

Posted on December 12, 2013 by David Cross

Yesterday, before boarding our yacht before final departure, we bought some local flowers to decorate the room for 2 weeks.

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Amazing flowers here in French Polynesia.  Only $15 in local currency for this collection.

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Today, we stopped by the island of Huahine.  Definitely a VERY warm and sunny island.  Only 7,000 people and it has some gorgeous views.  We caught a local taxi to drive us around and see only what we wanted to see.  You can rent a car, but it is $200 for 4 hours…

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It almost felt like this is a place where famous photographers take pictures and sell them in galleries.

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This island is the dominant and primary source of vanilla.  It was quite interesting to learn and see firsthand how it is grown and takes in things like local coffee 🙂

and of course everyone on the island has their “baguette” boxes as fresh French bread is delivered twice daily!

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Also amazing was the giant blue eyed eels that live in the rivers.  I jumped down to take some close up pictures and then my hands got stained by the Bauxite in ground.

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Working on getting a connection so I can post this entry with the 56K modem that is built in the original SurfaceRT!

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Cruising around Tahiti and Papeete

Posted on December 10, 2013 by David Cross

Yesterday, we got on board out yet and prepared to travel around the French Polynesian islands in style. Of course we started in Papeete (Tahiti).

The Ocean Princess is a nice small ship with an excellent crew.  Great way to tour around the area to some of the best spots.

This morning, we did a nice 8K run along the boardwalk and downtown park.  It is very popular spot for the running community…the only question is whether it is better to run early in the morning or when the sun goes down. Hint:  it is warm down here!

Did a little shopping.  Found the local wine shop…will keep you informed on what we found to enjoy on board the yacht in a future post 🙂

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In case you missed it, here is the posting of where we explored the island before boarding the ship.  And of course, running around the world is always fun.  Some of my other favorite spots:

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The Internet in the South Pacific is Brutal

Posted on December 8, 2013 by David Cross

I must admit we get spoiled in North America.  It feels like 15 years ago here in the Polynesian Islands… the time when we used to dial up for the Internet and the modem kept dropping off every 5 minutes and you have to re-connect again. Very cumbersome using Skype to make an overseas call when the satellite based Internet is very flaky and inconsistent…

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Did a nice run along the mountainside here in Papeete.  I was not the only one…despite the heat and humidity, running seems to be very popular here on the island, both for locals and tourists.  Needs lots of H2O to go more than 10K…

Food and drink is definitely VERY expensive here in Tahiti…and not because we are hanging out in a tourist area.

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The way to survive and enjoy some time off is to shop and dine with the locals.

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Very friendly and easy to mingle…just work on your French or you will not enjoy going native!

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Tonight, we are splurging and having dinner at the upscale French restaurant at the hotel.

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Something we learned today: how many people know that their hotel door locks are powered by 6 AA batteries?  They eventually die out unexpectedly, and if you don’t check your door every time, it will just open when you push on the handle.  Yes, I am in SECURITY again!

…and 12 hours later at 6 AM when we want to go out for a run…the door lock is broken again 😦

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First Day in Tahiti Island

Posted on December 7, 2013 by David Cross

Tahiti felt like a combination of Easter Island and Hawaii.  It is different and definitely a tropical escape.  A French tropical escape…as many people don’t speak English and knowing French makes a huge difference in navigating your way around the local shops, markets, etc.  Like Hawaii…things definitely move at a different pace than your favorite high tech city!

We chose to stay at the Le Meridien which is a little further away from the main areas and a half hour away from the airport.  It was very mellow and not full of American tourists waiting night to catch a cruise ship the next day.

There are more fancy resorts around and near Bora Bora, but they are simply overpriced.  Explore carefully and you will be surprised on the good deals you can find.

Quiet, scenic and a great place to read a book along the side of the ocean.  Now, do not waste the money for these over the water rooms at the Le Meriden.  They are over public beach and lots of kids can run around below and dive off the docks that can be quite annoying if you paid $400 a night.

We ended the evening of listening to a local concert at our hotel from our room balcony.  It was by Tony Lindsay which I understand is a lead vocalist for Santana.  Nice evening…and of course it was spent enjoying a $11 bottle of 2009 Bordeaux that we bought from the local grocery 🙂 . The French wines are the most popular here …the overpriced CA Cabernet wines are not to be found here…

P.S. In general, alcohol is pretty pricey in Tahiti, but the local beer (Hinano) is actually not a bad biere (have to use French 🙂 ) that goes well with some of the local foods.

See more of our adventures around the island here and some exploring here.

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Traveling to Tahiti

Posted on December 6, 2013 by David Cross

Leaving the extremely cold Puget Sound was a very attractive option. We needed to route ourselves through LAX in order to head west to a French speaking island chain. Apparently, there was an alien spacecraft distracting everyone, so many flights were delayed. Accordingly, we flew Air France so we could imbibe and enjoy some champagne…and I must admit the courtesy in the Air France business lounge is one of the best we have received in years.

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Belfast and Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland

Posted on August 12, 2013 by David Cross

We spent a little more time in Northern Ireland and then went on to Belfast. I must admit that Northern Ireland is much more expensive (than the south) and the US dollar currency rate against the pound is horrible…

We left Derry and then headed east.  We made a quick stop to take a picture of the Dunluce castle on the coast that had its kitchen fall into the ocean.

We then went to see the Giant’s Causeway. This is a world heritage or ancient wonder of the world site.  The good and bad: it was pouring and blowing rain. The good is that the hexagonal shapes of the lava is amazing to see. 

There are columns of hexagons and also gazillions of hexagon stepping stones that you can walk into the ocean.  Apparently, this site shows up in lots of movies and TV shows. Unique to say the least.

We then headed to Belfast.  I guess the day before, there was a big riot in Belfast for some reason.  We continued on: no fear!  We did a quick drive around the city center and then went to the Titanic Belfast museum.  It was a nice historical editorial of how White Star built ships and the Titanic. A little touristy, but overall a nice place to visit and very educational.

 

    

Back to Dublin!

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Northern Ireland – Galway and Londonderry

Posted on August 11, 2013 by David Cross

Galway and Londonderry

We spent the night in Galway near the Galway bay in a more secluded hotel. A nice break from being in the busy city center.  I finally got a nice morning run along the bay to start the day.

 We then took our time and headed north to Northern Ireland (UK).  We first reached the city of Londonderry or Derry if you are not a loyalist. Many people may wonder what is special about Derry…it is the actual site of the protest in 1972 that is now known as the “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” event.

There are numerous memorials and strong presence of graffiti throughout the area.  Still a strong sentiment and emotion on the religious government/citizen conflict.  I will leave it at that.

 Coincidentally, we actually encountered a parade and armed police in our short visit to the city. 

The constables were quite friendly to us…We decided to not throw any paint bombs at the riot vehicles.

Sadly, not much Guinness here in Northern Ireland…but you can see more of the sites we checked out in the second blog posting I published. And of course, running around the world is always fun.  Some of my other favorite spots:

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