POST

Monday July 23, 2007

John takes off early with passports to add new crew to Bella Donna’s immigration roster and check us out of Tahiti-Moorea waters. John is always so prepared for interfacing with local authorities. In a couple of days we will leave the windward French Polynesian Islands and go to the French Polynesian Leeward Islands. France is like the US; they have foreign flagged vessels check out and in between local controlled areas.

 

The rest of us are going shopping in Papeete and will meet up with John later at the market. There are so many of us we almost fill an awaiting Le Truck. We lower all the sliding windows the let the morning air in as well as see better because the windows are dirty. A couple of locals join, squeeze in and we are rolling. At the market we immediately run into John. He was so prepared the official was relaxed and friendly giving Bella Donna a papers that allows her to move around more easily for the rest of the time we are in French Polynesia. John is so stoked he buys a second pair of surfer jams. With those and his tank top Hinano tee-shirt he is getting way into the Polynesian lifestyle.

 

Remember I scouted the market the first day I was in Papeete. I was thinking of Donna the whole time knowing how much she loves to shop. I even bought a book on how to buy pearls even though I know she is not wild about them. Much to my surprise she is not that interested in shopping for anything, that’s a first. Her mind is on jumping off the back of Bella Donna in Moorea into the warm clear clean multi blue colored lagoon ocean water.

 

The funny thing is I am the one looking for pearls. I want the manly looking simple 3 pearl necklace I saw the famous tri athlete wearing the other day. Donna does crank up her shopping skills and she quickly finds the best in the market. The market sells lots of stuff, food, clothing, souvenirs, flowers, but pearls are everywhere. They come in many different levels of quality based on color, size, shape, clarity and probably many other things. They come plain, polished or carved in necklaces, bracelets, rings, ear rings, ankle bracelets, pins, household accessories and many other things. The most often associated purchased item by a Tahiti visitor is a pearl something.

 

We have another close call when we pass a fine jewelry store that deals exclusively in pearl jewelry known as the Pearl Market. You are greeted by a doorman then workers in white ankle length robes, like a doctors, and escorted into the first floor. There are 3 floors in all; the higher the floor the higher the price. I wait outside and talk to the doorman who is a native Tahitian named Mat. He says the weather, like today, is great in winter which is May through October, but in summer it rains off and on most days; it is hot and humid sometimes reaching 100°F. Mat says he goes to the USA in southern summer and has visited Nevada (Los Vegas), Utah and Texas. After almost an hour I am sure Donna is purchasing something. When Donna, Nancy and Don finally come out nothing is purchased; they just looked. On the third floor they speak of a pearl necklace that costs $10,000.

 

We must get back to Bella Donna and depart for Moorea. First we stop at out favorite sidewalk café and have a Cappuccino.

 

The trip to Moorea goes quickly, 3 hours, and Donna is immediately in the water for her swim exercise which turns into tossing the water polo ball around. About 20 minutes before sunset we get out of the water for our sundowner and sit on deck to watch the sunset, hoping for a green flash. We are not disappointed; just as the sun’s fire dips beneath the horizon the slightly hazy sky above it turns a pale green. Instead of the flash lasting just a split second the green glow allows even those who have looked away to look back and see it.

 

God Bless Bella Donna.