Tahiti: Part Deux

Though the visual beauty of Moorea was stunning, it was the beauty of the Tahitian spirit that really made Jeff and me fall in love with this area of the world. 

Couch Surfing

During the many hours spent researching the trip prior to our departure, Jeff and I both came across something called CouchSurfing on numerous occasions. CouchSurfing is an online network that allows people to offer their couch (or spare bed) to backpackers . . . for free. Since lodging is our biggest expense, the sound of free lodging was music to our ears. However, we both agreed that while the idea sounded great we were not sure we would like the reality. I mean, spending the night in a strangers home? There are just so many unpleasant scenarios I can think of here. I will leave it at that. We quickly decided that although free lodging sounded nice, Couch Surfing was not something we really wanted to try. 

Despite writing off the idea, we encountered a few people (very normal people) during our time in South America who had tried CouchSurfing and said it was a fantastic experience. Aside from the obvious perk of getting a free bed, they said it offered them the chance to really get to know the people and culture better. One girl we met had been traveling the world for four years and had used CouchSurfing frequently. Aside from getting locked in one CouchSurfer's cousin's home in Iran because the cousin wanted to marry her, she said all her experiences had been great. 

After the earthquake in Chile forced us to extend our time in Tahiti, probably one of the most expensive places anywhere, CouchSurfing started to look like a more and more attractive option. So we decided we would give it a whirl and try to set up a stay during our extra time there. If things went well, CouchSurfing would be an excellent way to help us keep to our traveling budget while immersing ourselves more into the local culture.

Luckily, Jeff was able to set up a stay for three nights with Areti, a mother of two beautiful daughters. Armed with a bottle of Jack Daniels (her one request of us), we arrived at Areti's place the morning after we returned from Moorea. I cannot lie, we both felt incredibly awkward when we arrived. Having never done anything like this before, we were totally clueless as to how we should act or what we should do. Areti's house, which she kindly opened to us, consisted of a front porch, where we spent most of our time since the heat was so suffocating inside; a common room with a kitchen; and two bedrooms. Areti and her husband slept in the main room with their 10-month-old baby (whom Jeff thought I was way too fond of). We slept in one of the back bedrooms that had two single mattresses pushed together. Jeff and I agreed that we were probably the only people in the world that went from spending three nights in a Premium Overwater Bungalow to sleeping on mattresses on the floor of someone's home.

Though I did not sleep that well during the three nights we were there (very hot and lots and lots and lots of ants . . . in my bed), our stay with Areti was an amazing experience. Areti's generosity was incredible. Every night she invited us to share dinner with her and her family (we chipped in for groceries). Her husband also taught us how to make poisson cru, a traditional Tahitian dish that puts ceviche to shame. Jeff loved it! Areti and her father even drove us the almost hour drive to see some local waterfalls that Areti visited often as a child. 

The Kindness of Strangers

Areti and her family were not the only Tahitians that showed us an enormous amount of generosity. When we arrived back from Moorea on the ferry, we were not entirely certain where to go to find the bus to get to our hotel. I guess we looked clearly lost, because a family that had just arrived back from spending the weekend in Moorea as well pulled over and asked us if we were lost. When we explained that we were trying to find the bus, they said on Sunday it is very hard to find a bus and they would be more than happy to drive us the 20 minutes to our hotel (they said it was on their way). So, we crammed into the back with their two sons and they drove us to our hotel. After South America, we were so shocked by the genuine act of generosity we hardly knew what to say. They wished us happy travels and we said "thank you" over and over and they were gone.

We also met an amazing couple the day Areti took us to see the waterfalls. After walking us to the closest falls, Areti had to leave to take her father home while we hiked around a bit more. Our plan was to catch one of the passing buses to get to the end of the island and explore a bit before returning home. Apparently the buses on that side of the island do not run very often, because we had been sitting by the side of the road waiting for quite a while when a minivan pulled up. An older couple, accompanied by the wife's uncle, were on their way back to their home and offered to drive us to the end of the island. Jeff chatted away with the couple in French as we drove along the beautiful coast. During the twenty minute journey, the wife asked if we planned on going to the lookout point that was on the way to the end of the island. She offered that her husband would be more than happy to drive us, but that we would have to drop her off at home and switch cars to make the drive up the mountain.

A blowhole we went to see right after the waterfalls

 

Waiting for the bus . . . 

As we waited for the husband at their home, Jeff spoke further with the kind wife. I was very impressed by Jeff's French, which he keeps complaining is so rusty. As were leaving, she made sure that we had her address and phone number and told us that when we return she would love to have us stay with her. Her husband then drove us to the top of the look out (another lengthy drive), where he walked us up to the lookout point. We then climbed back into the car and he drove us the rest of the way to the end of the island. In all, these people probably took about two hours out of their day to help out complete strangers and asked nothing in return. They simply wanted to share the beauty of their home with others.

From our walk to the lookout

Though both Areti and the wife explained that Tahitians have become harder over the years due their unfair treatment by the French, both Jeff and I experienced nothing but amazing kindness and generosity during our time there. The beauty of the Tahitian spirit is something we will both carry with us forever.

 

After we were dropped off at the end of the island, Jeff and I found this spot to have lunch by the water. The view was fantastic.