Today I want to tell you all about the most exotic trip I've taken yet.
This one's about when I spent 5 weeks on a tiny island in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean called Tahiti.
I departed from O'Hare International Airport on May 4, 2016 and landed at LAX around 11:00pm. I really don't mind airports; I actually enjoy people-watching and trying to figure out what their lives must be like or where they're traveling. As I take a glance around me I notice the mix of people also waiting at the gate. I see surfers who are probably flying out to meet the big swell due to hit the island. I see newlyweds who look eager for what might be their first international trip together- I also imagine the insane amount of money they probably spent to reserve one of those isolated bungalows that sit over the water. And I notice a group of middle-aged ladies who seem pretty excited for this trip based on their fanny packs and eager body language. But what makes me smile and realize that I'm really going to Tahiti, is when I see a young Tahitian family. The parents are about my age and they have three young children who are running around having fun with the moving walkway and their imagination. I notice some people seem to be annoyed at the kids' laughter and antics but the parents are incredibly laid back while they keep an eye on them. I know I'm not the only one who's witnessed a stressed out parent lash out at their children for acting "unruly" in public places. You can practically see the kids just deflate when they realize that they "aren't allowed" to divulge their energy and imagination. This is my first taste of that easy going island philosophy I've been hearing so much about, and I can't wait to be emersed in it.
Tahiti seems to be getting closer already and I've only just boarded the plane, Air Tahiti Nui is decorated in bright turquoise with accents of bright yellow and pink. The flight attendants have flowers tucked into their perfectly quaffed hairdos and they speak with a French accent.
I get a window seat and I assume that the man sitting next to me is Russian, or at least from somewhere in Eastern Europe. I would've enjoyed a chat but as soon as he took his seat he opened his half-gallon bottle of liquor he bought at the duty-free store, took a chug, stuffed it back into his bag and fell asleep. Ooh kay, I guess I'll be watching movies and sipping on my free red wine for the next 8 hours then!
I take a peak out of the window as the plane is nearing the landing strip at Papeete Airport. It's 5:00am and it's still dark. But I can see the illuminated markers for the pilots to use for judging the landing. The markers are in the ocean, holy crap, this plane is going to get pretty close to the water before it touches down on land. I grip my arm rests and prepare for the landing. Of course it goes smoothly and I realize I'm now in paradise.
I greet the border patrolman with a huge smile and he asks me where I'll be staying. Since I'm not staying in one of those fancy hotels in Papeete I tell him I'll be staying in the small town of Teahupo'o. He says he needs more information than that. I realize now that I never learned the exact address- or if there even is one- of where I'll be staying. You see, I have a friend who has visited Tahiti many times and he knows a great family that he always stayed with for a decent price, so he connected me with them. Unfortunately the best directions I have at this point for finding the house literally are:
"When the main road ends, walk over the bridge and it's the third house down."
So here I am looking at the border patrolman trying to decide what to tell him. When in doubt, tell the truth right? So I tell him I'll be staying in Teahupo'o at the third house from the bridge. I think he gets it now. He doesn't press me for more information. He slaps that stamp on my passport and I've officially entered Tahiti.
As some of you may know, when you visit different countries, sometimes there are things that you see or hear or maybe even smell, that make it real to you that you are now in a different place. For me, this happened when I exited the airport. Which had no real doors, the walls just ended and you were immediately breathing in the fresh island air. Anyway I walk out of the airport and I walk onto the parking lot where I hear a rooster "cock-a-doodle-doo" and then it runs across my path. A rooster is hanging out at the airport parking lot. First I stared at it and laughed. But that was it. That was the point when I realized: "OK, I'm here. Time to take it all in. "
Fortunately for me the day I arrived was a special holiday. The kind of holiday where the bus drivers get a day off.
It's 80 degrees, 5:30am and the sun is just starting to rise. I get a glimpse of the mountainous skyline framed by the clouds and I start walking to a spot where I will hitchhike for the first time in my life.