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L.J. Bear Goes To Tahiti
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by L.J. Slaski
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copyright (c) 2000, photos and story
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Hi - I'm here again with a new adventure.
In May 2000, I had an opportunity to visit Tahiti and other islands in French Polynesia while sailing aboard the Renaissance 4. |
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Polynesia consists of five archipelagos.
All of the islands that I visited were in the Society Islands. The Society Islands are further divided into the Iles du Vent or Windwards, which include Tahiti and Moorea, and the Iles Sous-le-Vent or Leewards, which include Huahine, Raiatea, and Bora Bora. |
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Tahiti is located in the Pacific Ocean,
about 2,500 miles from Honululu and more than 3,700 miles from Los Angeles. |
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The money used in Tahiti is the French
Pacific franc. The money is very colorful with pictures of island scenes and coral reefs. At the time I visited, the exchange rate was almost 130 French Pacific francs to one U.S. dollar. |
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I found that the easiest way to obtain
French Pacific francs was from ATM machines that I had no problem locating. The ATM's provided cash at the official exchange rate without having to pay commissions. |
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The largest city in Polynesia is Papeete with a population of more
than 100,000. Above is a view of downtown Papeete as seen from the harbor. On weekdays, there is quite a bit of traffic in the city. However, crossing streets was less of a problem than I expected because traffic stops for pedestrians in crosswalks. |
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One of the fun sights to visit in Papeete
is the market, which is in a two-story building not far from the docks. On the main floor, merchants sell fruits, vegetables, fish, meat, and flowers. On the second floor, all kinds of handicrafts and souvenirs are sold. |
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To the right is a flower
arrangement for my cabin that I purchased in the market for 1,500 French Pacific francs (about $12). |
