Gym's Ramblings: Papeete, Tahiti

The Adventurers didn't pay any attention to the disembarkation instructions when they left the ship. They basically just got up, ate breakfast and walked off the ship. Again, Gym counted his blessings for marrying a packing guru, as the bulk of their belongings had been neatly tucked away in the bigger luggage that previous night and left in the hall for the porters. On that last morning of the cruise, your hero simply took his share of the carry-on and followed his leader off the Insignia. They shook hands with Hansen, the Assistant Cruise Director as they strode off the gangway, ferreted their big suitcases out from the pier-side tent and hailed a cab. It was a short ride from the pier to the Intercontinental Hotel.

Gym and Mrs. Gym had stayed at the Intercontinental the last time they were in Tahiti but things were different then. That was back in 2013. Gym distinctly remembers writing up a less than exemplary critique on Tripadvisor, after that first stay.The hotel had needed some tender loving care. The interiors were dated and the seaside landscaping, although nice, needed some restoration. Lo and behold, when they checked in this year, they were pleasantly surprised. The rooms were freshly renovated with hardwood floors, beautiful new bathroom fittings and new beds. The landscaping and the area around the idyllic lagoon had been refreshed and renewed. Tripadvisor works! An updated recommendation would be required.

Although work was piling up in Calgary, Gym had booked two nights at the Intercontinental to shake out the sea-legs and rest for the long flight home. The days were sunny and warm and the resort offered a perfect setting to relax a bit. In that pleasant tropical climate, Gym and Mrs. Gym sat on the beach and stared across at Moorea in the distance. Gym recommends this resort for a short stay before or after visiting Bora Bora or one of the other nearby islands of French Polynesia.

A great extent of the south seas was traversed on this trip. The intrepid couple had seen some new places and some old places, but together with the trip in 2013, they had now connected the dots on two cruises that stretched across the Pacific Ocean and between the two great continents of Australia and South America. Siri will tell you that as the crow flies, that distance is 12,816 kilometres but the ships do a lot of jigging and jagging, so it isn't really known how far they sailed. One thing is certain though, the goal of cruising around the world in manageable chunks, was slowly being realized. That circumnavigation is one of the major subplots of this blog and the intrepid couple plan to continue to connect the dots with a long cruise in March of 2019.

Cheers for now!