South Pacific

Another trip I took before I met Steve was a vacation in French Polynesia in 1981. I had never been to a tropical island, and I was amazed by the lush greenery.

The area had not yet been developed to the extreme, and old-timers said it was much like Hawaii had been 40 years previously. Now, nearly 40 years later, there have been a lot of changes, as I've learned by searching for information online. Even so, French Polynesia may still be decades behind the Hawaiian Islands in terms of paving Paradise. I'd love to go there again.

The first Europeans to see these islands were Portuguese and Spanish explorers in the late 1500s and early 1600s. In 1767, British Captain Samuel Wallis brought his ship into Matavai Bay on the north shore of Tahiti. The local people tried to expel the British by slinging stones at them. The British fired back with guns, prompting the Tahitians to make peace offerings. As time went on, more and more Europeans visited the islands, interfering in local politics, and introducing alcohol, firearms, prostitution, and infectious diseases. Violence and illness reduced the population by half. The first missionaries arrived in 1797, and had a powerful effect on the culture, eventually converting everyone to Protestantism. Conquest and colonization followed; today French Polynesia is a semi-autonomous territory of France.

A missionary's grave on the island of Huahine.

Coconut oil is made from dried coconut meat, called copra. Here is a rack for drying copra.

Local girls.

A small cemetery. Because of the climate and weather, graves are protected with roofs, and plastic flowers are used.

Cemeteries weren't used as much as burials in the front yard.

A local boy enjoys windsurfing.

Instead of a daily newspaper, residents had French bread delivered.

Laundry day.

People in the tourist industry like to say that the island of Moorea was the inspiration for Bali Hai in the movie "South Pacific". That's probably not true, but it's certainly beautiful.

Me, driving across Moorea.

Traditional dances, performed for the tourists.

Although European artists like Paul Gaugin have found great inspiration in the tropics, there are few painters living here. Supposedly, the local folks don't perceive their surroundings as being particularly beautiful, and don't feel compelled to commemorate what they see. They do produce colorful textiles. I bought this pareo (a tradititional cloth worn as a wraparound skirt or dress) and hung it on the wall.

At that time, it was still possible to live a traditional life, building a grass hut, fishing, gathering bananas and coconuts. I don't know how many people chose to live that way; like everyone else in the world, the local folks were attracted by nice houses and consumer goods.

Fishing nets hung up to dry. Note the metal sleeves on the tree trunks, intended to prevent rats from climbing up to the coconuts.

Fresh fish for sale in the central market of Pape'ete, Tahiti.

"Le Truck", public transportation in Pape'ete.

Ah, the South Pacific

 

St. Barth 2000 - Gustavia, The Town

This old anchor (from a very big ship!) stands in the park as a symbol of Gustavia's harbor.

These are just a few of the boats in the harbor. Cruise ships anchor offshore and bring tourists into town for dining and shopping. There are many smaller boats for sightseeing, diving, and fishing.

This ruin is not typical. Buildings are generally well maintained. There is also a lot of new construction going on, to the chagrin of the old-timers. (In a place like this, you can be an old timer after two or three years.) Already, it has become necessary to build more water pipes to meet the demand of the growing population.

St. Barth is picturesque but modern. Unlike some Caribbean islands, the electrical supply is reliable, and computers are common. This downtown Internet company offers a full range of business services.

Steve shops in downtown Gustavia. (Note the sign advertising Cuban cigars.) The island is a major shopping center in the Caribbean. In addition to the usual tourist stuff, shops carry high-quality jewelry, perfume, fashions and furnishings from France and around the world. The prices are no higher than in any major city in the U.S. St. Barth does not have a tradition of its own artists, and very few products are manufactured here. We did find a line of cosmetics (overpriced) that are made locally. One very attractive shop was selling locally made crafts based on the designs of the ancient and now-extinct people who lived here before the Europeans.

Another view of the harbor

 

St. Barth 2000 - Our Little Cottage

Our one-bedroom suite was a stand-alone cottage with its own little back yard and pool. Very private and quiet.

We had a great view from the pool deck.

The living room was very comfortable.

And the private pool was very refreshing.

Here's a view from the living room, looking out to the pool.

The terrace was a wonderful place for breakfast.

A comfortable place for a nap!

 

St. Barth 2000 - Driving Around

One of many lovely scenes along the coast

Alas, some of the most beautiful scenery we saw could not be photographed. There simply was no place to stop the car. The roads on St. Bart are narrow (in some places requiring that one car back up to make room for one going in the opposite direction), mountainous, curvy, and rough. They lack lighting, curbs, guardrails, or shoulders. They are often bordered by open trenches and barbed wire, and in some cases, sheer drops. The going is slow -- we never got out of second gear! But the island is small, and it never took more than 30 minutes to get anywhere, even in the rain.

A nice little beach at Gouvernour

There are many public beaches, most of them small. We were fortunate to be on the island just before the start of the high season. We never ran into big crowds anywhere. Here I am, moments after having fallen into the surf. The warm breeze soon dried my clothes.

Prickly!

This is a great place for plants of all kinds. I was interested to see so much cactus on the island.

It's like being on the freeway!

This stretch of straight, flat road is extremely unusual. We encountered this on the "wild" side of the island, where there are no sandy beaches. Some of the biggest and most beautiful homes are hidden in the hills.

It's almost a straight drop from the road to the rocks below.

We saw quite a few domestic animals, including dogs, cats, goats, cattle and chickens. Except for the birds, who come and go as they please, there don't seem to be many wild animals on St. Barth. We saw some small lizards and a few spiders. There are also a lot of mosquitoes. The insect repellent (kindly provided by the hotel) kept them away from Steve, but apparently I am so delicious, they were willing to brave the chemical shield to bite me anyway.

From a high, windy, stone platform at the Marine Reserve, we had a terrific view. The big island in the distance is St. Martin.

This was part of our view from the terrace of the Isle de France Hotel, where we stopped for drinks.

It's for rent!

There are some very glamorous villas at Point Milou.

You don't need a big house to have a great view.

This is the entrance to the public beach at Saline.

Colorful flowers blossomed throughout the island.

 

St. Barth - 2000

We flew from Los Angeles to San Juan to St. Maarten/Martin (Dutch/French) to St. Barthelemy (aka St. Barth). The flight between St. Martin and St. Barth was short but very interesting. The pilots are specially trained and licensed for this journey. St. Bart is both tiny and mountainous. Shortly before reaching the island, the pilot must stop the engine, glide over the top of the mountain, then aim down for the runway. On the ground, he must stop before reaching the watery end of the very short runway.

It's not an optical illusion. This is the runway at the St. Barth airport. It stops at the beach.

Airfield security consists of a sign reminding people not to walk on the grass. In times past, cattle grazed here, but the constant buzzing proved too stressful for them.

The staff at Le Guanahani like to remind guests that this is one of the Leading Hotels of the World. It is certainly one of the leading hotels in our life!

Situated on hilly landscaping above a pleasant beach in the area known as Grand Cul de Sac, the resort has beautiful views all around.

The beach is sunny and breezy. Here I am, lounging in the morning. The beach restaurant (where we enjoyed many breakfasts and lunches) is in the background.

The small bay is shallow and calm, excellent for swimming in the warm water. It is also used by windsurfers who zip by on the strong breezes.

For those who prefer to a smaller place to swim, the hotel pool is conveniently located between the beach and the restaurant.

The beach wasn't at all crowded while we were there.

The reception area is one of the many picturesque buildings.

Of course, we met some cats! A family of black-and-white felines haunts Bartolomeo, tbe hotel's nighttime restaurant. They are very successful at begging for delicious treats. Only the best French cuisine for these chats!