In Paradise
Unfortunately, as I arrive in French Polynesia, the Tahitians didn't trade their beautiful women against digicams, mp3 players and other cool stuff of the modern world, like they did as Captain Cook debarked, back in the time though versus nails and other hardware, since mines were very rare on the atolls.
My luggage of course made its way over the ocean a week to late, but who would bother since the only needs you have here are a pair of bathing trunks and a surf board and of course a fully loaded credit card. As all goods have to travel far ways over the sea, prices are way above swiss standards.
With his siebensachen the steppenwolf walks his now lonely path, light hearted when in touch with the local people, when loving his dearest, when successful on the wave and in precious moments being stunned by the world and nature and feeling free as a bird.
The Tahitians seem to live a very peaceful and quiet life, paddling and fishing in their canoes, harvesting their fruit trees and guarding their properties along the coast. The pace sure is three gears slower than in the crazy west world. One sure wonders how they can afford the living and drive brandnew toyota trucks. But since they own all the property it suffices if only one person per family clan works seriously and it is beeing told that each clan carries a "herb" planter which brings good money.
However peaceful life may seem here, tahitians as other humans have a great desire for sex and in their bad habits of drinking too much alcohol, they cheat on their wives, very common and not even unmoralic before the missionaries came. It comes that lots of 18 year old and younger are child bearing. The kids however are in good hands by the loving women in the clans.
Robinson Crusoe exploring the island...
Early morning in the port of Papeete, the main reloading point in french polynesia
Lighthouse on Venus Point, where Captain Cook once observed the transit of the venus, which occurrs every 120 years, in the hope to calculate distances between sun and earth. The legend tells that measurements were a bit neglected due to rendez-vous with aphrodizing tahitian women...
Canoes or Pirogues of this kind have been used by the natives for ever. Today piroguing is the number one sport on tahiti, every kid dreams of his own boat and the boats have accordingly been modernized. Here loading them on the cars after big competition.
20 minutes paddle to the surfspot - oh, my board colour taste sure has improved...
Following rumours about big swells hitting the island little boy hitchhikes to teahupoo, maybe the most famous wave in the world, smuggles himself on a boat loaded with pros and fotographers and learns that a good shot that day could be worth 20 000 dollars. Too bad he only has a borrowed ancient 1 megapixel cam after having been robbed money, credit card and cam - the other two fotographers drop their cams in the water unable to shoot anymore... however the quality just suffices for the blog, impressive having been so close.
Ikaika Kalama from Hawaii preparing his board for action
Woman with kids
Another sunset