Popping up in Papeete

Popping up in Papeete

The intrepid travelers have successfully endured the 8-hour flight from Los Angeles and as I write this installment we are sitting in our room at the Intercontinental Tahiti Resort, not far from the airport in Papeete. It was a seamless transition from the airport to the hotel last night but it was dark and we checked-in and passed out without being able to see the nice grounds of this hotel. The InterContinental is set up nicely on the beach facing the island of Moorea. Moorea sounds like an island that we should be visiting but it will have to wait for another trip.

Moorea from the InterContinental

Linda and I got up quite early this morning and went for a swim in the pool. It was very refreshing and there was nobody there except for a few of the local birds.

early riser

After showering and grabbing breakfast in the main restaurant which is poolside, we strolled around the property and toured the protected lagoon situated right next to the pool. The lagoon is really a giant aquarium that you can snorkel in beside some pretty big tropical fish that enjoy a natural setting swimming amongst various corals that have been transplanted here by the hotel. The lagoon is refreshed continuously by sea water and is located near the bungalows that have been built on stilts fringing the green space adjacent to the main complex.

example of the captive fish in the Intercontinental lagoon

looking out over the pool, lagoon and bungalows to Moorea

waterfall at the pool

island in the lagoon

waterfall at the front lobby

We took a picture of the biggest bungalow and wondered to ourselves what fat-cats had rented that choice accommodation and not minutes later found ourselves making small talk on one of the ornamental bridges with the Jackson’s from Jacksonville (no kidding). This couple ended up inviting us in to see the inside of the property’s premier room. It ends up that they are on the same cruise so we should be seeing a lot of them in the days ahead.

Jackson's from Jacksonville

I’ll end this bit with an observation about the culture here. Everyone speaks French and French comes before English on all of the signage and menus. This is not unusual in itself for a Canadian to experience but what is different is the type of French that is spoken. They speak a French that I understand better than the French I struggle with in Quebec. There are many vacationers from France here and apparently there is a large French armed forces base nearby. I believe that the locals speak French that is closer to what the European French speak and that is what we listened to in those Monsieur Thibaut tapes.

We will board the Marina this afternoon.