Andrea Johnson Photography

 

Palau, Micronesia

Palau: Our Pacific Paradise

Palau, a group of islands in Micronesia, is not a typical stop for independent travelers. Just getting there requires some effort; for us it took four layovers and six days due to our circuitous route and missed flight. Because of its isolation from nearest neighbors (about 800 miles east of the Philippines and 800 miles S.W. of Guam) and population of only about 20,000 residents, once we arrived we were rewarded with an idyllic small-community, tropical island atmosphere. We were amazed to discover that the roads didn’t even have names or street signs! After our brief foray into the hustle of S.E. Asia and our imminent return shortly hereafter, we vowed to make the most of Palau’s remote natural beauty and tranquility.

Our main challenge to enjoying this Pacific paradise was money. Until recently Palau was an American territory so its currency is in US dollars – we no longer had the advantage of a favorable exchange rate. In addition, since most visitors to Palau are tourists from the US or Japan on short package holidays, prices are reflected accordingly.  For our first few nights we stayed at the cheapest place we could find in the capital city Koror, at the D.W. motel for $50 a night. Although it was clean and the Palaun owners nice, it was bland – not the way we wanted to spend a good hunk of our daily budget. Then serendipitous encounters led us to friendly American expats who found creative solutions to our budget challenge.

Ron Leidich, founder of Planet Blue Sea Kayak Tours, helped us jump start our Palauan explorations. Being a frequent independent traveler himself, Ron understood our situation and worked out an adventurous yet economical plan. Typically he guides day, multi-day, and even several week tours through Palau’s famous Rock Islands. Since we couldn’t afford the standard package for a multi-day trip, Ron provided the next best option – a do-it-yourself itinerary. He reviewed maps with us of a proposed three-day route, which sounded great, so we happily left the D.W. motel the next morning. After we loaded our two-person sit on top kayak with our camping and cooking gear we headed off following Ron’s directions.

Over 340 islands comprise the archipelago of Palau, which doesn’t even include the countless number of small rock islands. To our uninitiated eyes they all looked the same, making navigation a challenge. Mid-morning we flagged down a fishing boat to verify where we were on the map, and later that afternoon we caught up to and tagged along with part of Ron’s guided tour. When we ventured close to the shorelines of the rock islands we noticed that features, which were hidden from a distance view became easily visible when viewed close up.

Before Ron returned home with his group he pointed us in the right direction towards our next destination, the cathedral cave. Silently gliding through the calm waters of a low entrance, high ceiling cave covered with stalactites was dramatic even without the knowledge of how these formations were created. Unfortunately we only had time for a quick stop before the tide began to lower, exposing patches of reef:  If we had waited any longer approaching our campsite would have become too treacherous.

Kayaking through Palau's rock islands

Camping on a secluded uninhabited island was the ideal way to experience its peaceful natural environment. Once our initial concerns about getting lost disappeared we found it surprisingly simple to fend for ourselves. Our first two nights camping were on Lee Marvin Beach, a beautiful setting complete with a small covered shelter, outhouse, and water basin full of rainwater.

Each day we followed Ron’s advice about the best spots to visit and excursions to rarely visited marine lakes and caves; his itinerary minimized our paddling efforts since we traveled the same direction as the prevailing tides. Our kayak was stable and comfortable and best of all its design left our bodies exposed so that we could splash ourselves while still paddling to cool off – very important since Palau is only seven degrees north of the equator thus is consistently hot and humid.

Visiting the German Lighthouse, the highest point in the rock islands, wasn’t as easy of an endeavor. WWII cannons, barracks, pill boxes, and other relics were scattered about the route; although an old war road leads the way to the top it is still a hot, tiring trek through the jungle – especially while carrying camping gear, food and water! We pitched our tent on a tiny clearing at the rocky base of the lighthouse. As luck would have it, all night it rained forcing us to put on the fly and turning our tent into a steam sauna. However, the sunset and sunrise view overlooking a large group of the rock islands, and the kudos of respect from the locals upon returning made the jaunt well worth the trouble. Some Palauans thought we were crazy for camping someplace they believed is haunted with the ghosts of Japanese solders who were killed at that location.

The Tarzan Tour can only be done three days a month when the tides are at just the right levels and time of day. Created as an ‘extreme adventure’ including cliff jumps, rope swings, and cave dives”, we couldn’t pass up on this opportunity. With Ron’s marine biology background  we were able to better understand  the complex ecosystems and explore secret spots he discovered. There were only two other people on our kayak tour (a quiet Russian couple) so for us it was an ideal small group exploration.

Our first stop was Lost Lake, which we entered by kayaking through a small marine tunnel that is only exposed at low tide. This hidden lake had colorful soft coral fans along the entrance and excellent snorkeling that included blue-lipped clams and feathery lionfish. Tarzan Lake was our second stop, and this time the tunnel to enter the lake was so tiny that we had to leave our kayaks tied up at the shoreline of the rock island and snorkel in. Everyone enjoyed swinging from a long overhanging vine and calling out Tarzan yells before dropping into the lake.  For our final big thrill we free dove into the crystal filled air chambers of the Blue Room. The entrance to the first portion of the cave was about 10 feet underwater and the tunnel continued 15 feet or so before opening up so we could swim up to the surface. The second portion of the cave was a quicker swim underwater into a smaller, stalactite filled cavern filled with streaks of light and beautiful blue hue. The third chamber of this cave was a longer swim through a tunnel about 20 feet deep and another 15 feet long – only the guys opted to venture here.

While paddling through these destinations Ron taught us about the nature and geology of the Rock Islands. He used an analogy to explain how the undercut mushroom-shaped limestone formations came into existence: The rock islands have eroded in a similar process as icebergs, which melt unevenly and are eroded by waves causing large chunks of ice to break away.  Initially a large limestone mass pushed up to the surface of the ocean.   Then over thousands of years the triple forces of waves, acids created by rainwater mixing with leaves, and chitins chewing away at the shoreline working their magic. These formations are truly unique, and kayaking through this wonderland for five days only wetted our desire to experience them more in depth.

sharks are common encounters scuba diving at Palau

Palau is most famous as a world-class diving destination known for  big fish, strong currents, and huge wall drop offs.   In a typical day of scuba diving with Sam’s Diving Tours we saw a plethora o spectacular sights including: a 40 foot vertical column of spiraling pyramid butterfly fish, several hundred barracuda swimming together in a school, oversized Napoleon Wrasses & Parrot Fish as large as a human, huge turtles, and countless gray, black tip, and white tip reef sharks.

One of our most memorable diving days was at the famous Blue Corner dive site. This dive is truly a sensory overload; on our four previous dives at Blue Corner we drifted with the current and casually hooked in to the edge of the reef wall so that we remained stationary to watch all the action drift by. This dive was a lot different – the current was ripping! When we reached the reef plateau we hooked in and the sensation was incredible – our skin flapped like a sky diving free fall and the water pressure threatened to rip off our masks and regulators. The strong current finally found a weak point – almost simultaneously our reef hooks straightened out under it’s force and we both had to grab for a handhold to keep from being ‘blown’ off the reef. While fighting to hold on, Andrea managed to take a photo – I look like I’m in a wind tunnel.  Twenty-nine minutes later (one of our shorter dives) we floated on the surface so pumped with adrenalin we couldn’t contain ourselves. That dive was UNBELIEVABLE – words could never describe it! We both I agreed that out of our cumulative 250 dives that one was definitely the most memorable.

Next on the itinerary was Jellyfish Lake, at the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Blue Corner. Calmly we floated among thousands of non-stinging jellyfish trapped in a marine rock island lake – it was incredible feeling their soft delicate bodies brush against us, a surreal sensory experience. How do you finish a day like this? Have a relaxing tasty lunch on a white sandy beach then dive on a WWII sunken cargo shipwreck. Looming up from 100 foot plus depths the Iro‘s huge bulk is easily visible & still intact: It’s body, masts, and big guns have been transformed into a colorful coral garden paradise, completely encrusted with razor clams & home to many fish species.

non-stinging jellyfish, Jellyfish Lake

That day of scuba diving may never be topped. Palau is world class and our efforts to get there were rewarded beyond our wildest imaginations. Every single dive had so many things to see we could go back time and time again and never experience it all – but we’ll certainly try again anyway!

When we weren’t scuba diving or kayaking we found other adventures on Babeldaob, the largest island in Palau. One day we joined Greg, an expat lawyer who formerly worked in Portland, for a self guided four-wheel drive tour around the island.  Bouncing around the rough clay roads three hours up to the far tip of the island, we saw ancient stone monoliths, a Bai- an interestingly decorated men’s house, and swam under a waterfall. It was a great way to meet the locals since a lack of road signs necessitated many stops.

PHOTOs:  waterfall, bai

We were surprised by the number of Pacific Northwest expats living in Palau.  Sam, the owner of Sam’s Diving Tours, is a Pacific Northwest expat who grew up in Olympia, WA and moved to Palau over 20 years ago. Starting his own diving operation and building on his success, he has established a very successful business while still managing to create a casual and comfortable atmosphere. Sam’s generosity provided us with an interesting place to call home – his personal sailboat anchored a short kayak paddle away.

Sam’s Bottom Time Bar & Grill is like the “Cheers” bar of Koror. Hanging out at Bottom Time we made new friends, exchanged travel stories, drank Red Rooster beer, and ate the freshest and cheapest sashimi we’ve ever discovered. Dermot, Sam’s general manager originally from Ireland, came to Palau to escape to the Rock Islands. He has traveled and sailed to many great places but Palau has hooked and kept him. Dermot’s Pacific N.W. connection was a three-month stay in Portland while refurbishing a sailboat (his favorite place was… Kell’s Irish Pub of course!)   Dermot’s Palauan wife, Kaud, fell in love with my turtle necklace – I considered trading it in exchange for diving but just couldn’t let it go. She treated us to a huge mangrove crab, a local delicacy, which we enjoyed to its last little morsel. Ron, founder of Planet Blue Kayak Tours, is a graduate from Oregon State University. His enthusiastic spirit and can-do attitude was the catalyst that created our Palauan good fortune. He loves Palau and its nature, so we volunteered to help him protect it by spending half a day collecting destructive reef killing “crown of thorns” starfish – an experience we thoroughly enjoyed.

It’s not always the place, often it’s the people we meet that brings us the best memories. Palau and Sam’s Dive Tours crew offered us an abundance of both.  Palau is definitely another place we’ll come back to visit!

Fiji

Bula Fiji!

After Sixty hours of strenuous travel that began when we left Huahine in French Polynesia, we finally arrived in Fiji and it’s capital city of Nadi.   Now we had to think clearly and make arrangements for our three-week stay, though the lack of sleep sure made this challenging! We decided to visit two areas of Fiji. The first: Kadavu Island, well known for scuba diving and authentic village life. The second: Yasawa Islands, famous for its sunshine and beautiful beaches.

It’s a shame that people have been frightened away from Fiji because of its recent political coups. The Fijians are some of the most laid back, friendly, and hospitable people we’ve encountered in our travels, and the ‘unrest’ has had no effect for visitors other than to decrease tourism by 60% during the last year. It’s a budget travelers dream, visit now – get off the beaten track and you’ll find deals everywhere and space plentiful in your own private slice of paradise.

We were able to arrange an inexpensive flight to Kadavu just a few hours after we arrived in Fiji.  A scenic one-hour small plane flight that brought us to a small dirt landing strip; luckily, we had called ahead to arrange our transfer to Ono Island since it was a one-hour outboard boat ride to Jona’s Paradise – our home for the next eight days.

Locals commuting back home, Kandavu, Fiji

PHOTO:  jonas paradise crew

At Jona’s we quickly adjusted to the relaxed Fijian style and started getting to know the locals. Maggie, the resort manager, was quite the character. His flamboyant gay demeanor was very disarming; he would constantly have us laughing at his comments of affection towards other male members of the Fijian staff. The interesting thing was that no one took offence and often played up the teasing from Maggie. It was hard to not smile when seeing a Fijian dressed in a colorful flowered sulu & matching shirt wearing lipstick!

Philippe, our scuba dive master, who dove over 3500 times in Fiji and knew the surrounding reefs better than anyone. Our dives included spectacular sunlit canyons, abundant fish, sharks, large sea snakes, and beautiful soft corals. Jona, owner of our resort, is known as the best fisherman in Kadavu & provided fresh fish for our lunches and dinners (we discovered the other resorts in Fiji were not eating fish due to the difficulty of catching them during the rainy season). Fresh fish combined with garden fresh vegetables, fruit, home-baked bread and Fiji Bitter Beer helped us stay fed and happy.

Local fisherman often provided our dinners

After a couple of nights of rain, Lindua (Jona’s wife) insisted that we move into one of the bures (thatched hut). The price wasn’t in our budget but refusal of her offer would have been an insult, so a comfy bed with mosquito netting was a nice change from our steamy tent. Best of all, Lindua didn’t charge us a higher rate.

Most evenings we sat on grass mats with villagers and drank kava – a Fijian institution. Beginning as early as 3pm we heard the familiar thump of kava roots being pounded into powder. Kava looks and tastes like muddy water – even the Fijians sometimes make sour faces while drinking a bowl. So why drink kava? It’s a cheap and plentiful mild sedative that numbs your mouth and insures a good night sleep. More importantly, kava brings you together with the Fijians for formal ceremonies and casual social scenes (like going the neighborhood pub).

PHOTO: Fijians drinking kava

During our eight days in Kadavu, we became familiar figures in many different villages and we were always greeted with a heart-felt “Bula”! Numerous other Fijians made us feel welcome and our temporary adopted family included us in their daily life of church, school concerts, village visits, and the local ‘store’.

We had the fortunate opportunity to join our Fijian hosts at the village school Christmas concert. 88 kids sang, danced, and performed skits, which the locals found very entertaining. It was interesting to spend a day in a Fijian village and we learned just how friendly Fijian kids were by taking their photo. As soon as our camera came out of the case, the kids came out of the woodwork – it only took 30 seconds for a mob scene of about 50 kids to develop.

As we motored away from the island to the airport, the heavy rain and choppy seas couldn’t wash away the smiles from our faces while the entire staff waved goodbye. Many of the prominent island locals thanked us for coming to Fiji and for our genuine interest in their culture. Small things like that is what we remember and miss most of all. Jona’s Paradise was exactly what the name says.

Fijian school children

We chose to spend our last two weeks in Fiji in the beautiful Yasawas, the island group where we spent our honeymoon. We flew on the Turtle Airways seaplane and hoped for a chance to stop off at Turtle Island (we thought it would be great to show our faces and worry the staff that the over-active Americans had returned for a second honeymoon). Unfortunately, we found that it would have been easier to get inside Buckingham Palace than to set foot on this exclusive resort. The ultimate torture for us was that from where we stayed on a neighboring island, we could see and almost swim to Turtle Island.

Our first stop, David’s Place, was a big let down compared to Jona’s Paradise. The resort was in need of a face-lift and beach clean up. However our bure was nice and located on the beach with cool breezes, so we decided to stay for a few days and dive with the local scuba dive operation. We quickly discovered that the dive shop, Westside Divers (Westside@is.com.fi), was top notch; new equipment, beautiful fast boats, great service, and small dive groups (averaging 4 people).

One day after diving, we dropped off a diver at a nearby white sandy beach on a new resort (opened Sept 8, 2000). The guys at the dive shop guys told us that this resort was called Oarsman Bay Lodge and was associated with Turtle Island. With a quick radio call and some fast arrangements, we reserved a spot at Oarsmans Bay Lodge.  We arrived to a tradtional Fijian greeting on the beach (singing the same song we heard arriving at Turtle Island five years ago) & we smiled about our luck of stumbling across this wonderful place. Our bure was perfect – airy, tons of windows with fine mosquito mesh screens, and our own bathroom with hot water showers – oh what luxury!

Yasawas means ‘the sunny islands’, so we were expecting clear blue skies and starlit nights…instead we got “rain, rain, rain!”. No matter, we had a great time with the Fijians. When the sun did appear we made the most of it. I floated on the turquoise waters while Dale tried surfing on the free kayaks provided. The Fijians were very entertained by Dale’s attempts to surf – he received constant ‘encouragement’ from the shore along with laughter when he crashed. Small sailboats were also available, so we tried our hand at navigating the craft in moderate winds. After watching us take a few laps across the lagoon one of the Fijians decided to go for a ride with Dale.  After only a few minutes of sailing across the lagoon the Fijian suddenly jumped out of the boat and swam to shore (maybe Dale’s sailing skills weren’t quite perfected yet).

On full moon large, sharp-clawed crabs ran across the sandy lounge area of the resort to deposit their eggs in the ocean.  Even though they aggressively defend themselves Dale caught several which the Fijians cooked up for a tasty treat. Our last day we bushwhacked our way up the highest peak on our island, which overlooked Oarsman’s Bay Lodge & the surrounding Yasawa Islands.

PHOTO:  top of island

After enjoying three fun, relaxing weeks in Fiji, sadly it was time to leave. Mode, vinaka vaka Levu (goodbye and thank you very much) Fiji, we’ll be back!

French Polynesia

Aerial view of Bora Bora

Ten hours after leaving L.A., our flight arrived in Tahiti – 2am local time. We were greeted with a tiare (a fragrant white flower with a yellow center) to wear behind our ear, and our passports were quickly stamped. Now we had several hours to kill before the inexpensive public transport began, so we hung out in the airport cafe and met other budget travelers.  Jay, a fellow traveler and a surfer from England with long blonde dreadlocks, seemed to know what he was doing, so we asked him for directions to the local bus to Papeete.  He was headed in the opposite direction, but spontaneously decided to change his plans in order to join us.

At 6am, we hopped on ‘le truck’ with Jay & two Swedish girls, the only other people on the bus who spoke English.  After a 15-minute ride, we arrived in Papeete, the capital of French Polynesia and also the main transportation hub to the surrounding islands. Everyone congregated around the central marketplace, which was full of fresh fruit, snacks, and local art – we enjoyed a baguette egg and ham sandwich and planned our first day.

We hadn’t worried about traveling around the Society Islands since most guidebooks said it was “no problem” booking the fast catamaran boats. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the harbor we learned from the fishermen that all the fast boats were ‘kaput’. So we went with the flow and decided to take a ferry to Moorea, the nearest island, and figure everything else out later.

We found the best spot on Moorea to camp, Chez Nelson, and set up our tent on the beach right next to the ocean (we enjoyed using Club Med’s facilities just a 100 yards down the beach).

PHOTO:  tent on morea beach

With the communal kitchen, bathrooms, and friendly atmosphere, we quickly became acquainted with our fellow travelers. Jay, who has been traveling and working around the world for the last six years, has a relaxed demeanor and outlook on traveling that helped us begin our journey in the right frame of mind. He pitched his tent and hammock next to us, and together we enjoyed much of our time just relaxing. We often cooked our meals together and sat around afterwards comparing travel stories. A few times just the two of us ate alone at nearby restaurants: the creperie was a good breakfast stop, and on Halloween night we sat outside at the Hibiscus restaurant enjoying fresh fish and a spectacular lightning show. The storms were dramatic & the rain was surprisingly frequent and torrential; trying to dry out in this warm and humid weather was unfortunately a downside of camping.

Once we figured out the logistics of traveling (lodging, transportation, and food), we had free time to enjoy activities. Since we spent most of our budget on necessities, which oftentimes were outrageously priced ($17 for a bottle of sunscreen), we had to find creative ways to get the most bang for our buck.  Our big splurge was for a humpback whale island tour with Dr. Poole, a renowned marine biologist.  We were fortunate to spend about 30 minutes watching a mother and baby humpback play at the surface.  Other activities on Moorea included morning yoga sessions on the beach.  Dale & I became ‘instructors’ and taught Jay and the two Swedish girls a few basic routines while the rest of the camp watched and laughed. Dale also became known as ‘gadget’ man – our water filter was a big hit since tap water wasn’t safe to drink and bottled water was extremely expensive.  After four relaxing days on Moorea it was time to move on – we decided against taking the slow ferry (18 hours) and flew (45 minutes) to one of the outermost of the Society Islands, Bora Bora.

Chez Rosine Masson Pension

We stayed for 7 nights in Bora Bora at Chez Rosine Masson pension – the best value for our money ($50 a night vs. $500 a night for the over the water bungalows of the luxury resorts just down the beach). Our small room in this house was clean and fairly quiet (except when the roosters crowed, which seems to be the 4:30 am alarm clock for all of French Polynesia).

Sharing accommodations in close quarters allowed us to spend time with several interesting travelers. Stacy and Charles, who we met in the airport in Tahiti, are a younger and more energetic version of us on a much tighter budget (they ate a lot of pasta and baguettes!). We were amused by stories of their daily excursions, such as their determination to bushwhack their own trail through the jungle to the mountaintops, and especially the ‘frisky’ stingray that swam up Charles’ shorts. They had a great method of deciding who gets to do which jobs – rock, paper, scissors – a tip we began using ourselves.

Another interesting couple was Nicolas and Lucy, newlyweds on their honeymoon, maintained a crazy lust for life and numerous contacts around the island.  Nicolas often sang to himself around the house and loved to swim in the ocean during huge rainstorms. He was the test pilot for the household bicycles, which are no longer available for rent because of his big crash (the chain fell off). Most importantly he knew the police and fire chiefs who he used as his own personal taxi service and which also provided us with free rides. His connections even extended to the local fishermen who brought a huge 30 lb yellow fin tuna to our house; for several nights the entire household ate fresh sashimi and tuna steaks. We enjoyed his wonderful crepes, which were creatively made with beer in the batter and survived his potent drinks made mostly with rum soaked in fresh cut fruit.

It’s easiest to appreciate Bora Bora’s unique beauty by viewing the island from a tour on a motorized outrigger canoe.   Reefs circle the entire island and create wide, shallow lagoons, which are as warm and turquoise as the water in a swimming pool. Most of the white sand beaches are on the surrounding small islands inside the lagoon, called ‘motos’.  Here our tour stopped for a scrumptious picnic lunch: It wasn’t your typical hot dogs and hamburger BBQ…our Polynesian guides prepared a beautiful buffet of fresh fish and fruit which we ate from hand-woven baskets made with palm fronds.   Another day, for a different vantage point, we decided to bicycle around Bora Bora.  This was definitely a more strenuous endeavor; it was the hot humid season & we felt like we were going to melt by the end of the 20-mile trip.

Kayakers next to luxury huts, Bora Bora

Kayaks next to luxury huts in Bora Bora

For nighttime entertainment we dressed up in our tropical shirts and pareus (a sarong skirt) and snuck into the big fancy resorts to watch traditional Polynesian shows.  Dale had a knack for getting involved . . . he was selected out of the crowd to learn to dance Polynesian style and a few nights later he was chosen to play a wooden drum, which he did with much better rhythm.

Maupiti – the smallest and most isolated of the Society Islands – is just a two-hour ferry ride from Bora Bora, so we decided to venture away from the tourist traps to experience authentic Tahitian life.   The island’s circumference is only 6 miles, so we rented a 2-person kayak and lazily paddled around the island. Many say Maupiti is like Bora Bora was before the tourist glut – quiet and unspoiled, a true picture of traditional Polynesian culture. We found this rumor true – and best of all everyone we passed during our brief stay returned our gaze with a friendly smile.

For our last 10 days in French Polynesia, we chose to relax in the ‘sacred islands’ of Raiatea, Taha’a, Huahine. To explore the large, sparsely populated island of Raiatea we took a personal tour with an American anthropologist. He explained how he believed that these islands are where believed to be where Polynesian culture originated and where migration began to Hawaii, New Zealand, and other South Pacific islands.  We went to an ancient mare (ceremonial site) and learned the significance of tiki idols (human-like statues believed to have mystical powers) and human sacrifices (which dictate the strongest warrior must be killed to ensure a victorious war). Raiatea has no sandy beaches, so we camped in a resort inside a coconut plantation. It was a peaceful setting until we tried to sleep: When the nightly winds picked up the coconuts began dropping all around our tent – we never did get use to the sudden thud!

Our best ‘bang for the buck’ tour in French Polynesia was a day excursion to and around Taha’a.  We toured a vanilla plantation where we learned that vanilla is produced from an orchid in a very labor-intensive process, and also enjoyed 80 proof vanilla rum samples. Next we stopped at a pearl farm and had a detailed demonstration of how Tahitian black pearls are made. Then we saw a few endangered turtles at a rehabilitation center where they were waiting to regain their health and be released to the open sea. We appreciated another picnic feast at a motu and after eating more than our share of BBQ fresh fish, fruit, and bread we went drift snorkeling. The small ocean inlet had a strong current, which allowed us to float past the coral and fish. When it was time to return to Raiatea we were surprised to be visited by a pod of dolphins that rode the bow wake of our boat – a great finish to our day.

The last island we stayed on was Huahine, an idealic place that epitomizes what everyone imagines in a South Pacific paradise; white sand beaches, lush valleys and mountains, plentiful fruit and flowers, and a charming port town with colonial buildings. We stayed at the remote southern tip of the island called Huahine-iti at an ‘eco-campground’. It was a beautiful setting but very rustic: The Polynesian family owned a botanical garden and provided us with free mangos, papayas, and bananas but no toilets or toilet paper – a cruel joke! .   Our favorite fruit was one we had never tasted – soursop – it had the consistency of cotton candy with a sweet honey-like flavor.  We also found an authentic French Polynesian restaurant that was definitely worth the splurge.

PHOTO:  mare on huahine beach

Our last night we stayed in pension in the town of Fare, treating ourselves to a night away from the tent’. We visited more maraes and a pearl farm by riding bicycles in the sweltering heat – Dale was not happy. Luckily, I finally found the perfect pearl earrings to end my quest and even Dale found a mother of pearl turtle necklace.

In order to cheaply get back to Papette from Huahine, we rode on a cargo ship, local style – sleeping outside on the deck for the 9-hour overnight journey. Budget traveling isn’t for everyone – our journey from Tahiti to Fiji wasn’t easy. After 10 hours in very rough seas, we arrived back in Papeete, Tahiti at 4:30 am. When the ship docked we quickly packed up our sleep mats and ran with our packs to catch ‘le truck’ before it filled up – the only transportation at this time of the morning from the port to the airport.

Now we had 21 hours before our 1:30 am flight departed for Fiji, so we killed time by shopping in the city – hot, humid and filled with exhaust fumes.  Finally, we boarded our plane for Fiji and thought the six-hour flight would be a chance to catch up on sleep. But two hours into our flight we had a stopover in the Cook Islands, and for some reason we had to exit the plan and wait for 90 minutes before we could board again. Finally we flew across the International Date Line (skipping Thanksgiving) and landed in Nadi, Fiji at 7:30 am.