Nov 5 - What in incredible place!

This morning we made our way to Huahine via Air Tahiti.  So, most of us know that I get a bit shy around cute guys… well, there is a canoe race leaving from Huahine Wednesday morning – many people on our flight were the buff, dark, handsome men who will compete in this race.  I was minding my own business getting some water in my nalgene when I looked up and one of these men was watching me.  I looked and smiled and he said “ia orana” – the Tahitian greeting… like Aloha in Hawaii.  So me.. not really knowing how to say it very well, looked down and said it under my breath and kept walking!  RRGHH!  I walk back to Lisa and told her the story.  She ironed out the details and said “Why didn’t you just say “HELLO?” – you clearly speak English!”  Yes, yes, she was right, I do speak English, and I do not know why they make me so nervous.  So I said to Lisa – I am going back to talk to him… ask him questions about the upcoming race.

Wish I had a pic to show you, but I definitely did.  He was sitting with another guy and then another guy from the team came to sit down and chat.  They were very nice and helped me know what was going on with the biggest event in French Polynesia – the Hawaiikai Nui Va’a canoe race.  They asked me about myself and we had a great time talking.  Now I have a team to cheer for in the race – Tahitian Ohana.  NOTE:  When I came back to talk to Lisa, she said… I am so proud of you, why were you so brave?  I shrugged my shoulders and she said “its cuz you were comfortable talking about sports, huh?”  I shook my head yeah and said… “probably.”

We made it to Huahine - to Rande’s Shack.  J  Rande (originally from Santa Cruz,CA) and Emere, his wife (originally from Moorea, French Polynesia) greeted us as the taxi drove on to the property – the taxi that he arranged.

This is our home for the next 9 days.  We love our little house.  It’s about 40 yards through fruit trees from the water.

He told us that the more mangos and coconuts we eat, the happier he will be.  After he showed me around the property, the first thing I did, of course, was pick a mango with the picker and ate it!! SO YUMMY!  You can see in the above picture the mangoes he picked for us and left on the table for our arrival.

Lisa and I were very excited to unpack our backpacks and use the shelves in the bedroom.  There is a queen size bed In the room you can see and then in the corner you cant’ see in the pic, there is a twin bed.  We are still fighting over who gets the big bed!  It may just come down to a wrestling match at bed time – like queen of the bed. J

We noticed around these parts that 5:30AM is similar to 8:30AM in USA.  So we go with it.  In the airport at 6:30, it seemed like it was 10, seriously.  Noone looked tired, everyone was just buzzing like normal.  You go to an airport in the USA, everyone has their coffee mugs and sweats on – except your few select business people.  We are thinking its because it gets dark here at about 6:30.  Early to bed, early to rise.  I like it.

So after we unpacked our bags, of course we got our suits on and went to the water - so so so beautiful. I started out with no snorkel or anything and just wanted to get wet and swim a little.  Lisa is walking tentatively, unsure of the coral and what she should and shouldn’t step on – but I go out swimming, checking things out.  I see a fish swimming and it was very pretty…  So I stand up to tell Lisa to come along and see this beauty.  I look down and see this fish acting very different – kinda like Dori on Finding Nemo – when she forgets why Nemo is following her.  I just keep looking at this fish and all of the sudden – I kid you not.. it darted right into my leg!  WHAT?  That has never happened to me while snorkeling/swimming.  What on Earth?  I scream like a girl and dart back toward Lisa. “Lisa, I think that fish just bit me!”  NO seriously. I think it bit me. I raise my foot out of the water, and sure enough, I have little teeth/fish mouth mark on my leg.. see below!!  I guess I should have been more like Lisa and felt things out a little…

Yep… the teeth marks of that naughty fish!! -  I went back to the house to grab some snorkel gear, water shoes and some noodles.. and saw Rande.  I said “There’s some attack fish out there, huh?”  He laughed and said, Oh… the humuhumu got ya, huh?  - protecting his eggs.  Apparently, this attack fish was a humuhumunukunukuapua’a… which just so happens to be the Hawaiian State Fish.. it looks a little lighter here than in Hawaii.. most likely because of the lighter background.  He told Lisa that a girl from Idaho last week got bit too!  But she was warned… I however, was not!

We continued our adventures in the water… steering clear of that area, obviously.  The snorkeling is so pretty – so much life under there.  Many similar fish and sea life as Hawaii, so far, but I didn’t venture too far out today.  Lisa is just learning to snorkel and it is so much fun to watch her see this sealife under the water.  I love it.  However, she didn’t get out of the water unscathed today!

This is her battle wound from our snorkeling adventure today!  She was swimming and went over a big piece of coral.. I told her not to put her hands on the rock, but I was too late.  She had already tried and then she was kicking to get out of it.. lucky this was all she got from that.  I was nervous for her cuz I was standing by a piece of coral that had TONS of spiny sea urchins.  So glad she didn’t get stuck by one of those suckers!

We took a nap today and then went into town – it’s hopping because of the canoe race.  The supermarket is just like the European ones.  You should have seen us trying to figure out what milk to get… then, we grab the one we finally decide on and realize that there is English on the back side!  (we chose the right one, by the way)

Karen and Phil – remember the yogurt drinks in Europe!!! OH yeah.. they have them here.  Guess what I will be living on for the next month!  Lisa loves em too!

For the next 9 days, though, we will be happily drinking coconut water, eating coconut meat, mangos, and pakia fruit!  We are pretty blessed, I do have to say!  

This is what the pakia fruit looks like on the tree…

This is the inside of the fruit- the black part is the seed found inside of the white fleshy stuff.  The white part is the meat and it is the sweet part that you eat.  It is quite tasty. 

Today at dinner Lisa asked what was my favorite part of the day.  I told her that it was either picking the mango OR getting bit by the humuhumu… J  I returned the question and she said “when you got bit by the humu and screamed like a girl” – as she was laughing. 

Great day today.  To top it all off.. as we were walking in to town, guess what we walked by?  J  Our church.  Tender mercies of the Lord are all around us.  What incredible blessings the Lord gives us when we just realize that is exactly what they are – blessings.