08/10/2016 French Polynesia # A Dream Comes True

Leaving New York behind was initially more difficult than expected. But that was only because the TSA security at Terminal 8 decided to slow down the line before the gates. Just before we could pass the check, suddenly everything stopped. A small uniformed dictator drove the remaining allowed passengers towards the counters with incessant "Step down" calls until the meandering area was completely empty. Now it was time to wait.

Eventually we understood the purpose of the measure, they probably wanted to use explosive-sniffing dogs at the entrances. After what felt like two hours, always keeping the closer boarding time in mind, the ladies and gentlemen of the dog squad finally arrived (we always have to wait for them) and we could continue. In the meantime, the aggression potential of the waiting people had multiplied, leading to loud verbal conflicts between various family heads, when someone dared to ignore the sacred order of the queue. Only the large number of predominantly grim-looking officers probably prevented worse.

The flight to Los Angeles with American Airlines was then much calmer. The only thing that caused some annoyance was the fact that we had to sit apart for the first time. Well, it was only six hours...

In LA we had a few hours layover, which we spent mostly in front of the departure terminal. Unbelievably, so many Chinese people were brought there by buses or taxis in such a short time. Probably there aren't as many in the whole of China :-)

The security check was the complete opposite of the one in New York. You could tell that the Californians hadn't yet had the bad experiences of their colleagues in the East with misguided airplanes. Despite all the professionalism, all the officers were exceptionally cheerful, giving compliments or making jokes. Maybe it's because of the different way of life on the sunny Pacific coast.

The flight with Air Tahiti Nui to Papeete was originally supposed to last a little more than eight hours. Since we had been on the move for quite a while and the onboard entertainment wasn't much, we took the time for a little nap. Meanwhile, the predominantly male pursers on board must have brought a bunch of clothes. It felt like they changed every two hours.

Then the time had finally come and we landed around 05:30 local time at Tahiti Faa Airport in Papeete. Despite the early morning hour, we were greeted in front of the terminal building by a folklore band. I have never experienced that in Dresden :-)

Entry to Tahiti is very easy for EU Europeans thanks to French colonial achievements, especially since we were lucky that the queue at the EU passport control was only about a tenth as long as the one for other nations. The separation is also taken quite seriously, as a wearer of a kippa painfully experienced when he was harshly sent to the end of the long queue. It seems that Israel is still not in the EU...

In front of the airport building, we initially looked for our pickup in vain. A friendly travel agent then informed us that "the guy from Fare Suisse is always late", so we weren't worried about it and first went to calmly withdraw cash from the ATM. One euro is about 119 French Overseas Francs (XPF). That sounds good, but it's put into perspective when you know that, for example, you have to pay 850 XPF in a restaurant for half a liter of beer. The cost of living here is really very high.

Finally, we were picked up and after a ten-minute drive we checked into the Fare Suisse Guesthouse in Papeete. It is run by Beni and Therese, two Swiss people (what else), and makes a great impression. Clean rooms, friendly staff, and within walking distance of the city center. Due to the recent time difference of 6 hours since New York (we are now 12 hours behind German time), our internal clocks are naturally messed up. We should have been dead tired after the long journey, but the opposite was the case. So we had a big breakfast and then set out to explore the Tahitian capital. That was done quickly, because there isn't that much of it. It's rather a picturesque little town with a manageable town center, where you can stroll or shop for souvenirs. It's more or less designed for tourists, because there is hardly anything going on at night. Therese said that the city is empty at night because the locals all live outside.

After a light lunch, we decided to take a nap. Actually, we wanted to get up again around 5:00 p.m., but apparently the jetlag messed up our plans. Anyway, it was already dark outside when we startled awake between 7:30 and 7:45. So we started the engine and headed towards the harbor, where according to Therese, there should be a kind of diner market where you can have a good dinner. Fortunately, the area the size of a large amusement park was still well populated and we found a place at one of the food stalls, as well as something delicious to eat.

At some point, the tension of the last few days fell off of us and we slowly realized where we are. Tahiti has always sounded unreachable and now we're suddenly right in the middle of it, instead of just being involved, amazing. Beside us, the Pacific and above us, the Southern Cross, we had arrived. The first evening in paradise ended with a delicious Hinano beer and tomorrow we will continue to Rangiroa, finally time to jump into the sea...