Friday, September 7, 2007
Tahiti, Day 24 in the Society Islands
First Mate:
The Captain and crew are getting ready for departure. I think we are all ready. Last minute to find and purchase water maker filters, a vice, and a bottle of Abalone sauce (my latest new Asian food sauce discovery).
The warmth of the evening was very pleasant, the people very warm and the access to the island via the Le Truck’s easy however, the cost of living is bafflingly high and the sound of the traffic is grating on my nerves. We are totally baffled by how the locals can live here and pay the prices they do. I think, after a while you get over the sticker price of $5 to $20 for nearly everything from a small bag of fruits or vegetables to a pack of cookies, to just spend the bucks and savor the flavor and appreciate that we even have the option to buy fresh produce. Found a dozen eggs for $4.00 and I thought that was a bargain! Locals pay what we pay so there isn’t a matter of discrimination. Although today I discovered the Cash and Carry store where everything is just a few pennies less than the Carrefour; selection is not a gourmet, but some basic products are exactly the same and every penny saved helps us a lot. Baguettes remain .47 everywhere, and everywhere it is stale by day’s end, but they are delicious and we have been enjoying imported Brie and baguettes almost everyday.
Craving pizza tonight, we joined fellow cruisers at the Dinghy Bar and ordered up a meter long pizza (yup, a meter long). It costs us $85 usd. GULP! Luckily, it was delicious and worth every bite. Sami liked the end with the Boulinessa Sauce topping, Gaby liked the middle with the four cheeses (including gorgonzola), and Anya liked the other end with the artichoke hearts, black olives and wild mushrooms. It was definitely worth every penny after we got over the sticker shock.
Another gorgeous night in paradise, temperature is perfect, light cooling breeze, no bugs, and stars abundant. We are all well. The reality of this being our final year cruising and Anya’s last weeks of cruising with us, make it even more apparent to live in the present, enjoy every moment and celebrate everyday. There is nothing ordinary about living in extraordinary times.