Beyond the Back Door: Papeete Tahiti March 23rd

March 23rd......Papeete Tahiti, a big bustling city..... We did not have to tender at this port, but docked along side a huge pier with other ships coming into the harbor and going out on all sides of us. There are a lot of cargo ships, as with all of these South Sea Islands, most everything is imported in.

Some of the ships parked around us

Standing on the pier looking back up at our ship

Street dancers on the pier right next to the main street

We walked around the market square and went in to many interesting little shops. The tahiti pearl market is a big industry here and we seen so many beautiful jewels... most of them too expensive to even dream of purchasing. The ship recommended two shops as being trustworthy, and one can purchase the loose pearls there then have them mounted and you don’t have to pay taxes or custom duty on them.. Along with the beauty, there were also a lot of local type shops selling everything from fake pearls, (which are easy to spot) to every day products. The market is huge and covers a good two square blocks.... Anything you would want is laying out on tables for your selection, from bananas to shell beads and baskets made in china.... There were some beautiful flower arrangements that was hard to pass up but I didn’t want to have to carry it around until we boarded ship again..... We passed one homeless man laying on the sidewalk who appeared to be in quite bad condition... We heard one car wreck and watched the police rush to the scene about 20 minutes later, we sit and listened to a bunch of street musicians for a while, and had a bite to eat at a small outdoor corner snack shop. They offered sandwiches, pastries, and various beverages. We got one slice of chocolate cake and a coke for $10. Vanilla is also a big industry here but very expensive....as was everything we looked at. There were a few specialty shops that sold just vanilla products but most every store had some type of it or the beans for sale.

Papeete Street Musicians

Block after block of little shops, store after store

Outdoor markets one after one

Fun with a street vendor trying on a para

Fresh flowers for sale by the bucket full

We decided it would be a crime not to purchase some black pearls while in Tahiti since it is the area where they are famous for. We attended a small class onboard the ship about buying them and they recommended two shops in Papeete. We found one of the shops and this was our experience. First you tell the sales person what you're interested in, either a full set or a single necklace, bracelet, or earrings. After that you tell them the setting you're interested in.... In my case I wanted a 3 pearl dangle. She then shows you various sizes and you pick out the size you want.

Making size & quality selection

When you have chosen your pearls you're then taken to the back room with the jeweler who will set them for you. This is done in steps of marking, drilling, gluing, and attaching the pearl thru the metal setting.

The ones I chose

Drilling each pearl Attaching to the setting

My 3 dangle black pearl earrings

We must have walked a million miles today and returned to the ship about 4:00.

While in this large port, today is also a work day on the ship. They have been filling with fuel since early morning, expecting it take about 8 hours. They are also doing a self inspection on everything... Two officers knocked on the door a short time ago asking if they could pass through our room to check our veranda..... they went over all the metal nuts and bolts and joints and rails, making sure everything was secure as it should be I guess. Then they went onto the next veranda through the door that adjoins each one. There have been a lot of guys washing & polishing everything and climbing all over the outside of the ship.

It’s interesting at some of the ports we have had to show our passports before re-boarding, so before we start up the gang plank to get back on we always stop to dig our little copy out, but at this port we were not asked for it.

It was dark before we left so I was able to get some pictures of the city at night, it was beautiful.....