Pacific Odyssey - Leg 2

The last group of crew/trainees that left in the rental cars has just returned and we are now all ´home,´ though many are still eating crepes with nutella, bananas and ice cream at the ´trucks.´ It´s fun to hear about their day.  Karen and Jose are on their 2 days off and enjoyed a very relaxing day with Jeremy, Chase and Jamie on the beach, by the pool, and snorkelling amongst many beautiful fish on the coral reef.  They tied up their day with an incredible gourmet dinner at one of the higher-end hotels; Karen said the food was expensive but delicious and beautifully presented, worth every franc.  Josh, James and Adam left early to do some boogy boarding at a beach 30 minutes from Papeete. Josh said it was great, he really enjoyed it.  Early mornings are beautiful, they are cooler and one can enjoy the waking up of the day.  By 0900 hrs it is already hot here, sometimes earlier. We´re finding that the evenings in Papeete are very comfortable. The sun is down by 1800 hrs, but by 1700 the air already feels cooler, especially if one has taken a deck shower with the hose.  At night our fans aren´t running full throttle and we actually find ourselves pulling a sheet or sarong over us.  It´s a treat to have this change in temperature, to enjoy the coolness.  Today is the final day before workdays and most of us spent it getting some personal jobs done, i.e. laundry, buying stamps, writing postcards, buying pearls (I find them so beautiful and I am not particularly interested in most jewelry), finding last minute gifts, writing in journals etc.  A group of trainees left on the early boat to Moorea for the day.  Claire, Jen, Jenna and Lexy had a great day visiting a tatoo artist that Jenna has already been in contact with.  They met some good people who gave them rides and advice on where to go and what to see.  Rob was sent to the market this morning before breakfast to buy 30 baguettes and cheese for all of us for lunches. Katie had bought cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce from the market, and, along with egg salad, tuna salad and cheese, we made ourselves some amazing foot-long baguette sandwiches. Lettuce is something we don´t often get, especially on bread.  The lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers taste like those my mom might pick from her garden, delicious.  There were 27 of us together for supper; the high prices of everything in Papeete is being felt, we´re fortunate to have Katie and Gillian making meals for us. We now have all our meals on deck,  sitting in groups chatting and sharing stories.  It´s a great part of each day, it´s something we want to bring home with us, the importance of sitting with friends and sharing a meal together.  After supper Katie went out with Noah, Jacob and Simon for ice cream at the  ´trucks.´  Simon had his trademark brown ´orbit´ of ice cream 1cm all around his mouth (tongue range), ice cream down the shirt and onto the flip flops.  Katie said the four of them laughed and made hilarious faces the entire time, Katie recording it all on her digital camera.  We continue to enjoy our fresh water hose, it costs us $2 per day; it´s the most enjoyment all of us get, for the least amount of money.  Something we´ve noticed here is how good the motorists are at stopping for pedestrians at the ´zebra´ crosswalks, the only way to get across.  The main road runs along the water, Rue Pomare, and is 4 lanes wide, but we never have to wait long, they just stop and let us across, even when the traffic is intense.  Some pairing is happening aboard ship; it´s always fun to watch, and as there really is no way to hide anything (we know each other too well)  we all tend to be privy to what´s happening and anyone can be consulted for advice or an opinion. Jordan has not been feeling too well; his elbow is swollen but Sara and Karen have consulted a doctor and he´s on medication and rest. This is it, time to go to bed, good night, Bonice.