Papeete

0800 Position 17-32S 149-34W. In a slip at Papeete Marina, Tahiti

Yesterday was full of running around Papeete getting things done. Rob got our duty free fuel certificate from customs, a valuable piece of paper that will save us $1/liter, about fifty percent, when we have to buy diesel fuel anywhere in French Polynesia. Mike and Bill hit the Air Tahiti Nui office to organize their flights home. Renee took a spill on one of our folding bicycles, but she is fine. I went in search of a replacement French Press for the glass one that I broke while cleaning it early in the trip. You'd think it would be easy to find a French Press in the largest city in French Polynesia. No luck so far, but we haven't been to Carrefour, the French equivalent to Costco, yet. I'm hoping to get lucky there today.

Bill departed for the airport at about 2PM to head for home. His flight wasn't until later in the evening, but he had to get his $1,000 bond back before he departed and he figured it would be a challenge. He was told that he had to have his boarding pass in hand before the bank would return his money to him. There is a bank branch at the airport to facilitate this, but they close at 4PM.

Dinner at the roulettes the night before disagreed with some of the crew's digestive systems, so we decided to try something else. We ended up back at the downtown brew pub for dinner, which was great.

The sun is just rising as I write this, and the rest of the crew are off to the Papeete Open Market to buy fruit and vegitables. The open market here is two stories and about two acres of organized chaos where all manner of products, primarily fresh fish and produce, change hands every day. It is particularly busy in the mornings and Van Diemen is in the thick of it.

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