Not that anyone will notice ...

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by Proco, May 27, 2008.

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  1. Proco

    Proco Senior Member

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    But I'll be conspicuously absent from our lovely little PC community for a while. The wife & I are leaving tomorrow afternoon for 11 nights in French Polynesia. We'll be spending 5 nights on Moorea, 3 on Raiatea and 3 on Bora Bora.

    I should be through most of my PC withdrawal by the time we arrive, but you never know.

    I'm sorry I'll miss the next 2 weeks of "Barak should be President! ... He can't win. Hillary should! ... You're all idiots. McCain's the man!" Then again, maybe I'll be better off without it.

    [​IMG]
     
    #1 Proco, May 27, 2008
  2. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Absent? There aren't any computers where you're going? No internet cafes? :D

    Have a great time. We'll be thinking of you, lying in your hammock...
     
    #2 hyo silver, May 27, 2008
  3. Proco

    Proco Senior Member

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    I know someone there has a computer ... I booked my rental car on Moorea via email.

    I think I'll be better served by trying to shake my PC addiction before I jump in the water to feed reef sharks, though.

    Once I develop all the film (no digital for me) I'm taking & scan it in, I'll post some pics.
     
    #3 Proco, May 27, 2008
  4. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    Where did you say you live? Do you have a security system? :D

    Tom
     
    #4 qbee42, May 27, 2008
  5. MegansPrius

    MegansPrius GoogleMeister, AKA bongokitty

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    Have a good trip Proco, and rest assured that the broken record of "Barack should be President! ... He can't win. Hillary should! ... You're all idiots. McCain's the man!" will be waiting for you when you come back.;)
     
    #5 MegansPrius, May 27, 2008
  6. Tchou

    Tchou Member

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    Never went to Moorea, so i can't tell, but if I were you I would exchange Bora Bora for Maupiti or Huahine...
    And don't forget to go on Tahaa from Raiatea...
    If you are a diver, do a dive to the wreck in Raiatea (the Norby)... one of the only places were you can talk under water...
     
    #6 Tchou, May 27, 2008
  7. Proco

    Proco Senior Member

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    It's a little late to make that exchange, but we'll keep it in mind for the next time. We're definitely doing a day on Tahaa. Unfortunately, I don't dive. I thought about getting certified while we're there, but we're actually doing this trip somewhat on the cheap. Maybe I'll get certified somewhere near home.

    Thanks!
     
    #7 Proco, May 27, 2008
  8. samiam

    samiam Antipodean Prius Poster

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    Have a great trip.
    Glad you'll get to see these islands before they slip beneath the waves...;)
     
    #8 samiam, May 27, 2008
  9. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    Cool. Business or pleasure? I want a full report since I've never been there.

    Talking while scuba diving: A diving instructor who I met in Belize said it's possible, though not easy, and scares the shit out of people: You need to take a deep breath, remove your regulator, carefully slide the mask down over your mouth, so your mouth is in the air space of the mask. You can then talk (while your breath lasts) into the mask, and the sound will carry.
     
    #9 daniel, May 27, 2008
  10. F8L

    F8L Protecting Habitat & AG Lands

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    I wish you a safe and informative, yet relaxing journey. :)
     
    #10 F8L, May 28, 2008
  11. Wildkow

    Wildkow New Member

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    Have a great and safe trip proco! [​IMG]

    Wildkow
     
    #11 Wildkow, May 28, 2008
  12. Proco

    Proco Senior Member

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    Pleasure. It's my wife's dream trip and we figured better now than later. We're not having children, so we don't have to wait until they're out of school. Why not now? :D
     
    #12 Proco, May 28, 2008
  13. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    Why not, indeed!
     
    #13 daniel, May 28, 2008
  14. Spectra

    Spectra Amphi-Prius

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    You know what a provocative statement that is -- a Prius, we hope ? ;)
     
    #14 Spectra, May 28, 2008
  15. eclectcmoi

    eclectcmoi Muffinologist

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    Should I pack you a care package of special Prius muffins to get you through the trip?

    Hope you both have a fabulous time and the trip is all your wife has dreamed of!
     
    #15 eclectcmoi, May 28, 2008
  16. daniel

    daniel Cat Lovers Against the Bomb

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    I'm particularly interested to know about language issues. I get spooked about traveling to a country where I don't speak the language. I'm sure the hotel clerks and tour guides will speak English, and that you can get by. But what about communicating with small shopkeepers, talking to locals, etc?

    At the grocery store in Bonaire, many packaged goods were labeled in Dutch. I had to ask other shoppers to translate the Dutch into Spanish for me, as the natives all speak Dutch, Spanish, and their local native language. The desk clerks at the hotel all spoke English, and the shopkeepers could tell you prices in English, but without Spanish I'd have been unable to converse with them.

    Do you speak French? Or does your wife? If not, I'd especially like to hear how it went with you as regards communication, not just with hotel clerks, but with folks in general. (When you get back, of course.)

    (PM me, please, with a link the the post where you answer these questions, because I may be gone when you get back.)
     
    #16 daniel, May 28, 2008
  17. Proco

    Proco Senior Member

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    Unfortunately, no Prii were available for rentals there. On Moorea & Bora Bora we had Fiat Pandas and on Raiatea we had a Citroën of some kind. Nice tiny cars, but it took me a little while to stop poking the dashboard when we stopped. I'm glad I still remember how to drive a manual after a 12-year layoff.

    Muffins would have been good. Especially for the extensive plane ride(s) home. Trip was AWESOME and well worth it. Just trying to get myself back on Eastern Time before going back to work tomorrow.

    Most of the time we didn't have any problem. French & Tahitian are the official languages, but a lot of people speak English ... especially in the hotels & restaurants. As with any place, when you get further from population centers it gets harder.

    The toughest time we had language-wise was when we took a tour of Tahaa. The primary tour guide didn't speak much English. Fortunately, his son does and the English speakers on the tour went with him.

    On Moorea & Bora Bora we never had a problem. Raiatea & Tahaa don't get as many tourists (Raiatea was described to us as "Moorea 20 years ago"), so it was a little tougher there.

    My wife has a decent understanding of French from HS. Plus she has a gift for language retention that I don't (I can't remember squat from my 2 years of HS German), so we were OK if we got stuck. There were a couple times where she asked a waitress something in French to avoid any miscommunication.

    At grocery stores I just said "Hello" to the clerks to get everything straight right up front that I speak English. If they gave me a price in French I just said "English?" and they either gave me the price in English or showed me the price.

    Everyone on all the islands was very nice & laid back. So there wasn't any worry about whether anyone would be "upset" that we weren't speaking French.
     
    #17 Proco, Jun 11, 2008
  18. moxiequz

    moxiequz Weirdo Social Outcast

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    Proco - welcome back! :)
     
    #18 moxiequz, Jun 11, 2008
  19. burritos

    burritos Senior Member

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    Friggin Lucky Bastard! Where are you staying? We've been to the Meridian on Bora Bora and at the Sheraton on Moorea. Over the water bungalows are cool. Enjoy.
     
    #19 burritos, Jun 11, 2008
  20. tleonhar

    tleonhar Senior Member

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    Welcome back Proco. I missed your original post before you went, we were in the Philippines when you posted ;) Sure is great to get away once in a while isn't it!
    PS. No Prius in the Philippines either.
     
    #20 tleonhar, Jun 11, 2008
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