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Friday,
September 14th, 2001.
11pm |
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Ohmygod. We are ON the flight home – the first one allowed out of Tahiti! It is a long story that I will get to at the end of this entry. So. Our day started off really early because we went to bed last night at 7:30!!! I suppose that we were both worn out. Tam hasn’t been feeling well for a few days… sore throat and slight coughing. I woke up with the beginnings of whatever she has. Oh, joy. We went downstairs for breakfast – our last $40 one. – and enjoyed the surroundings as much as we could considering all the worries that had been introduced over the past few days of our honeymoon. The food for breakfast was so-so at best. We snuck a few extra packs of cheese out for snacking on later, then went back to our room for a brief stop. We caught Le Truck to the airport for another visit to the Air Tahiti Nui offices. Still no word, but they are very hopeful for tonight’s flight. They say to call back after 12 or 1. We try to get out of them how the boarding is going to go – which passengers have priority etc. They still will not give us a definitive answer as to if we can even get on if the flight goes out. We catch Le Truck again into Papeete… a little last minute shopping. We go back to the market again to pick up a few souvenirs – we had waited to buy everything until the last day so that we wouldn’t have to lug it all with us… and after realizing that things were a little less pricey on the main island when compared to the outer ones. It went fairly smooth. I am still amazed at how much they charge for items actually made in Tahiti. Most of the items the people sell are imported from Indonesia or elsewhere. (I think I typed about that somewhere above, so I apologize for repeating if I happen to) We were very specific in asking everyone we bought something from where it was made. What is the point in buying a souvenir from a country that wasn’t even made there? I expected the locals to charge a LOT less for their handmade wares… I guess they have gotten used to the prices that tourists are willing to pay. Oh well, I think we chose some very nice items. We wanted to get something that distinctly said that it was from Polynesia – not just a generic item. After asking where we could log onto the Internet, we were pointed to a place called the “Cyber Café”. Let me tell you – we walked the same four blocks 3 times looking for the damn place in the searing heat. Tami and I were both beat, and quite sweaty from the weather. It probably is cooler than Sacramento, but the humidity makes it much worse for us wimpy Americans. During our search for the place we chanced upon the main offices of Air Tahiti Nui. Stopping in not only to enjoy the air conditioning, we queried them about the status of the flight and the possibilities of us getting on it. No definitive answer again. Argh. She said they were still trying to clear it with the FAA, and they wouldn’t know until after 2:30. We resumed our search for a place to search the web. We found it, logged on to read our mail, and sent an email to our employers… letting them know that we didn’t know when their stranded employees would be able to return to the country to work. We paid $7 for the pleasure and made our way down the street to McDonalds again. Yes, again. With both of us feeling a bit under the weather, I wasn’t feeling too daring for chancing something exotic. It was good. We hoped on Le Truck again for our return trip to the hotel. It is now after 2:30. Two calls are made to each office. At 4 or so, the news is positive that a flight will be able to leave Tahiti tonight – however, our name is not on the list to go. I plead with them and they say that I am the first name on the Standby list. We are supposed to be there three hours before the flight time. The flight time is 10:45pm, so that makes our time to be there 7:45. I call Marama tours next – they say that a shuttle will be there at 6:30 for us. I didn’t mention this before, but on the day we flew to Bora Bora, they forgot to pick us up at the hotel – we waited for them after the representative at the desk assured us they were on their way. Uh, no. They came to pick us up with less than 30 minutes before our flight was to leave. I had to ask three times before they actually got someone out there. So, needless to say, my confidence level with them was low. I wanted to be one of the first people down there to make sure that we made it on the ride to the airport, so we went downstairs at 6:10. People were already waiting. We ran into Oscar – the guy that I mentioned several times above. We traded stories… he was supposed to leave the night prior, but had to reschedule his flight. For next week! I decided that our best chance was to get to the airport early to get in line… so we had the hotel call a taxi. They said it would cost $15. Fine. A bus pulled up at 6:15… we were the first down the steps. I had the hotel cancel the taxi. After the driver read through the names and loaded everyone else onboard without calling our name, I asked what the deal was. We found out that this was another tour service picking up their people – not ours. Not sure what to do… wanting to get in line at the airport and not trusting our own service… and not sure how long a taxi would take to get there to pick us up… choices. I asked Tami for our Tahiti money, and pulled out 2000 (about $17)… and then walked up to the driver. With a casual transfer of the Francs, I asked if we could catch a ride. He immediately pocketed the funds and loaded up our luggage with the rest and we boarded the very comfortable bus. The airport. Wow. I am sure that Tahiti Nui is not used to this type of thing. The line had already – FOUR hours early – grown huge! I am glad that we got there when we did. We waited and waited and waited. Finally, our time had come. We pushed or luggage through the initial x-ray and had to combine our four carry on’s into two. Apparently, one of the new rules is a limitation of one carry-on per passenger. Then came the confrontation. I knew things were going to start after the girl who checked our luggage had a confused look on her face when reading the terminal in front of her. She took our tickets to the back room and returned with a supervisor. She told us that we were not on “the list”. I had visions of Schindler’s list: “The list is life”… The argument began. They were taking mostly people that had been cancelled from yesterday. My ploy was to try to get her frustrated enough to just want us out of there… we went back and forth. Me telling her that this was our flight, and if THEY were not going to let us board, then it was no longer USA’s fault for not letting us back… it was now theirs. Therefore, they could no longer claim that it wasn’t their fault, and I told her that I expected them to cover all expenses now incurred because of their decision to make us stay in Tahiti. My point was that WE were now on time for our flight, and our flight had not been cancelled. I knew that my argument was not waterproof, but I wanted to upset her enough to put us through. I ask for her name and where I can write a letter of complaint. I demanded to speak to a supervisor that never showed up. We were not a happy couple of people. We settled back for the next 45 minutes on standby. One hour prior to boarding. There is room on the plane… she calls us over first and not only gives us seats, but gives us FIRST CLASS SEATS! Wow. We both apologize to each other, and Tami and I are on our way to catch a plane! First class even! We stop to wake our parents up first – we didn’t want to warn anyone until we knew for sure, and that just happened to be 12:45am their time. It would be our last chance for over 8 hours to let anyone know… I could tell my parents had been sleeping pretty well. The only problem left to resolve was whether our United Air flight from LA to Sacramento was still going to fly out or not. We have several hours from now to worry about that. I just know that we are going to get home one way or the other. This is the first time that either of us have flown first class, and I have to say that it is QUITE different than coach. Very nice. A good way to return from a honeymoon… speaking of honeymoon, how the heck was it? What a terrific trip this has been. So many new and exciting things that we have now added to our repertoire of memories and experiences. What a magical place Tahiti has been… the people. The land. The sights, sounds, and smells. I would love to return here again one day – preferably NOT during another world crisis! Nothing we bought as souvenirs even comes close to the unforgettable images that we have in our minds. AND film. We took 23 rolls of film on this trip!!! I feel in afterthought that we actually had two trips here. One above ground… and the other below sea level. Two distinctively different places… each filled with wonders individual to itself. I eagerly look forward to seeing the photographic results from both. One of the best places that I have experienced in Tahiti was within the arms of my new wife. Mrs. Tami Candiani. How lucky I am to have spent these precious moments -- sharing these fantastic times -- with such a beautiful lady. She was an adventurer, friend, companion, and dive buddy. I hope that this trip is just the first of many, and that we can look back on this wonderful honeymoon with fond memories many years from now. If you have made it this far, you are obviously a dedicated family member or friend. I thank you. If your name is Tami Candiani, then I love you dearly and hope that your memories are as wonderful as mine. One of the main reasons that I did this laborious journal was so that you and I could read this together years from now and remember. Together. I love you. The
End.
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