Marty and Esther's Adventures

Hello from Tahiti!

We got here in one piece. We have several large pieces of luggage, one of them is a golf club bag. We came here equipped to do a 6 to 10 day kayak trip, so along with all of our kayak gear, we also have all of our camping gear. Moving all of this stuff can be interesting.

We are packed to the maximum weight and bag count allowed, so we have to wait in check-in lines to make sure it all goes. The airlines have been great and no problems so far. I bet you don't hear that every day!

It is very warm here. We are 17 degrees south of the equator, and the weather is tropical. It has been high 80's during the day and high seventies at night. Oh, and high humidity all the time. Although it is getting near the end of the rainy season here, it is not done yet. We have had a couple of hours of rain every day, but we have been able to get out and about.

We are staying in the city of Papeete, which is near the airport and ferries. This is a major transfer point for tourists headed to the outer island resorts and cruise ships. It is very much like Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. French is the official language here, but many people speak Tahitian. We are lucky that many people in town here also speak a little English. My brain does strange things here, like speaking Spanish when I don't hear English. Sigh. All good though, as the locals are laid back and have a good sense of humor.

A traditional sailing canoe in a downtown park near the Papeete marina. It was here for a school cultural event. Check out the rudder and tiller.

Two photos of Parc Tahua Motu Ovini, near the airport.

A half cargo and half cruise ship being docked at the cruise ship terminal.

A twilight view looking inland of Papeete.

We have a couple of activities planned in the next two days. One is a bus tour of the island of Tahiti, and the other is an ebike tour of a neighboring island, Moorea. We will let you know how it goes.