Paying the Freight
An adventure cruise aboard a freighter in the South Pacific islands of French Polynesia
By Jerome Shaw
GO! Get Out of Denver Better Go
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao-tzu, Chinese philosopher (604–531 BC)
My Polynesian adventure begins with the steps leading out my back door, down the alley, and out to the bus stop at Colfax and Clarkson to catch a 5:55 a.m. #7 to rendezvous with a 6:12 Skyride to Denver International Airport (DEN) for an 8:30 American Airlines flight to Los Angeles. The Skyride offers easy and inexpensive transportation to DEN from the downtown Market Street Station and several Park-n-Ride locations and stations around the metro area. Round-trip tickets purchased in advance are $18; individual rides paid on the coach are $10 (exact change only).
The American flight arrives on time, giving me three-plus hours at LAX to get my bags and transit to the Tom Bradley international terminal for my 1 p.m. Air Tahiti Nui (ATN) flight to Tahiti. My paperless check-in with Air Tahiti Nui goes smoothly. I ask if the other journalists from the press trip have checked in, and I am assured that they have and are seated in my row. At the gate I play "can you spot the other journalists." I spy a couple of likely looking groups before we are called to board.
Air Tahiti Nui Los Angeles
Air Tahiti Nui's boarding procedure defies logic. Passengers are called to board in groups based upon seat number, but rather than immediately boarding the plane, passengers are herded onto a bus, which jumbles everyone up, effectively invalidating the section-segregation procedure. Buses shuttle passengers to an open-air boarding area, and it becomes a mad scramble to get on the plane. Only the first- and business-class passengers are spared the free-for-all, boarding via a forward cabin entrance.
As departure time approaches and the flight attendants go down the aisle closing the overheads, several realizations settle upon me: 1) I have yet to meet Jana, the leader of the press trip, or any of the other journalists, and 2) I am flying to Tahiti and I have no idea where I am staying or who is meeting me or if I even have passage on the freighter. YIKES!!! I contact a flight attendant to see if Jana is in fact on the plane. The FA politely informs me once we are airborne he'll have time to check the manifest to see where she is seated. This does little to lessen my anxiety, but reason suggests I'm on the plane and already committed. Nothing left to do but relax. I guess this passes for adventure travel at this stage of my life.
As final preparations for departure are made, three women come up the far aisle and one gestures toward me. Jana smiles and introduces herself, Joyce, and Brooke across the empty row before they continue on to their seats.
The seating configuration in the Air Tahiti Nui A340-300 Airbus economy class is quite tight for my six-foot-two and, shall we say, athletic frame. Fortunately, I have the entire center row to myself.
Our very stylish and attractive flight crew serve a selection of complimentary drinks including wine, beer, and champagne before dinner and still manage three uniform changes during the eight-and-a-half-hour flight from L.A. to Papeete, Tahiti. Our choices for hot meals are oven-baked chicken thigh with barbecue sauce, rice, and vegetables, or Tilapia with turmeric cream sauce and stir-fried noodles. Both meals are accompanied by cheese and chocolate-coconut mousse cake. I have the Tilapia, which is quite good.
About two hours out from Papeete, the cabin lights come up and the flight crew passes through with a light meal of fruit salad, a turkey and cheese sandwich, coconut-pineapple coleslaw, and a cookie.
The Sofitel Papeete, Tahiti
Arriving on time, we exit from the plane into Tahiti's ripe and humid evening air. The strains of a Polynesian welcome band greet our arrival as a lovely Polynesian woman hands me the first of many Tiare blossoms I'll receive during my two weeks in French Polynesia.
I grab a luggage cart (free) and pass through customs surprisingly fast. The driver of the ground transportation arranged for us by Tahiti Tourism is waiting for us with welcoming flower necklaces called hei in Tahitian It's a quick transit to the Sofitel Hotel, but unfortunately a very long check-in.
My room is pleasant and has a hot pot for instant coffee and tea, a minibar, and Internet access for 850 XPF (US$9) per hour. My major complaint is the bathroom, where the design of the shower enclosure allows the entire bathroom floor to become wet. After a quick shower/flood I am out the door and down to the poolside bar for a drink with my fellow travelers. We share a fried appetizer plate and I have a Tahitian beer called Tabu. It looks like there's a band playing near the pool, but it turns out that it's karaoke night. There is some good talent staying at the Sofitel .
Tomorrow our adventure begins as we board the Aranui 3 Join me for part 2 of "Freighter to Paradise"
This trip was sponsored by Aranui 3, Air Tahiti Nui, Tahiti Tourism and Fox Global Communications.
Photography and text copyright Jerome Shaw 2011 / www.jeromeshaw.com. This article and photos may not be reposted or reproduced without prior written permission from the author. Please contact Jerome on Twitter at @JeromeShaw or find him on Facebook.
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