Tuesday, June 07, 2005

Journal Entry – June 7, 2005 Goodbye to Sally and Don

Author: Scott

Tuesday started with a Zone Bar on Tournesol and then we were off to the bank to pay our bond, so that we could stay in French Polynesia. Americans are required to post a bond equivalent to $1,250 US dollars. The bond is held to insure the French government can return you to your home country if you become ill or need to be deported for any other reason. Now I can understand the rationale for posting a bond in a foreign country, but upon closer inspection it became clear the bond process was also a mechanism for gouging travel dollars from foreign tourists. Here is how it works; first, you post the bond at the local bank in cash or with a credit card. You are then given a receipt to show the Gendarmerie that proves you paid the bond, and then you keep that same paper receipt (and you better not loose it) to get your refund. You pay the bank a fee for their effort equal to about $60. Finally, when you are ready to leave French Polynesia you go to the local bank for a refund, but (and this is where they really get you) your refund can not be paid in US currency or as a refund to your credit card. They pay you in French Polynesian Francs and of course you are then required to leave the country, so you must then convert your unwanted francs into another currency and the bank gets yet another commission. It just irritates me to know I am paying a fee for no other reason than to generate fees, and all the time it is in the disguise of a legitimate process. Grrrrrrrrrr!

At the bank we met up with Don and Sally who had offered to explore the island with us and be our eyes for the day. They showed us where all of the stores and restaurants were located. We even found three different lunch trucks that serve food to passers by. We learned the quality of the food on the trucks is very high, and many locals use the trucks as a way of eating reasonably priced food, though even the food on the trucks is expensive. Near the Catholic Church we found a truck that also sold frozen meat milkshakes, both a luxury for cruisers. The owner was a French cruiser who now lives permanently on her boat in Nuku Hiva and knows what cruisers are looking for. You can even order your meat cooked if you come one day in advance.

Our next stop was the Catholic Church. The church was beautifully, designed in lush tropical woods with many carvings. Outside was an interesting stature depicting a Pope, but carved in a traditional Marquesan motif. There was a hive of bees living in the foot of the stature, so you could not approach too closely. After the church visit we walked along the waterfront to the original tribal Marae site. This sacred spot was where the village would gather and the chief would preside. There was a large platform built out of lava boulders with a central ceremonial bowl. Surrounding the platform are a number of very old statues cared in lava rock. We found the entire Marae site to be both fascinating and stunning, you could almost visualize the village gathering together to celebrate or conduct common business.

By now our stomachs were growling and we set off to Moana Nui for lunch. The restaurant is on the ground floor of the less grand of the two local hotels. Most of the seating is on the open air front porch, and the unique feature of this restaurant is their wood burning pizza oven. Don and Sally had already tried the restaurant and they recommended the salad with bacon, which I ordered, and Pam had the mussels and curry sauce. I topped off my lunch with a big bowl of coconut ice-cream and a cappuccino (my first coffee in weeks). Everything was fresh and very tasty.

After lunch Don and Sally invited us to use their shower again, and after a seconds hesitation we agreed. Normally it would seem odd to use a friend’s hotel room shower, but cruisers share a common appreciation for the simple yet sometimes complex luxuries, and their invitation was both genuine and deeply appreciated. Ahh, a lovely shower! After our shower we all headed out to the poolside for a glass of wine. Though we had plans to go back to the boat, conversation evolved into dinner again. We knew Don and Sally had dinner plans with Rose (the owner of the hotel) but they graciously invited for us to join them. Dinner was wonderful, and we had a chance to learn about the history of the hotel from Rose. We were also able to establish an affordable rate at the hotel and we made plans for a vacation away from the boat that would start the next day. After dinner we said our goodbyes to Don and Sally with plans of meeting up in New Zealand (where they are from). Rose offered us a ride back to the quay and our dinghy. We ended the day with thoughts of our upcoming visit to the hotel with a big squishy bed and all the showers you could stand!

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