For the Love of the Franc (the French Polynesian Franc)

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On leaving Melbourne, last wednesday morning, after what seemed the hottest day in the world I was fully prepared for the idea that Tahiti would not be the ¨hot tropical getaway¨ from a cold Melbourne winter and was probably going to be cooler. Indeed the 28 degrees at 9pm in Tahiti was a welcome relief from the Melbournes 34 degrees when leaving at 5 am. One thing I did not take int account however was the idea that it would be wetter. Yet to say that it was wetter would be an understatement. The auspicious title of wetter than south eastern australia could be claimed by countless cites and regions across the world. No this really was WET! Trenchal, monsoonal, whatever you want to call it, it was certainly not the ¨light¨ showers locally forecast.

The first coule of nights greeted us with the type of tropical thunder storm that the steamy Melbourne days had long been promising but very rarely delivered. Lighting that lite the entire sky, thunder that rocked every inch of the room and rain that made you wonder whether any type of accomdation, even remotely within our price range, would last though the night. For their part the days were not much better. 5 days in Tahiti was beginning to look like a long time! Far from the idealic glass like tahitian ¨postcard¨waters, the ferry ride from Papeete to Moorea was rough enough you wondering how exactly the boat did not capsize and left katie and I totally drenched. By the third, however, the weather had eased slightly, enough to explore up the beach a bit and go for a sunset swim. When we entered the water the sun had just begun to peak through the clouds, for the first time, & then proceeded to light the sky with the most gorgeous colours, changing constantly over the next 2 hours, from light pastal ¨impressionist¨streaks thick with texture and body to the deep dark crimson reds of the photo. It was without doubt the most beautiful and evocative sunset I have ever seen. On the following night we sort to replicate the experience with another dusk swim. Although the start looked as though it was going to deliver another beautiful display any ideas we had were quickly dashed by the black spot on top of the gray fin we saw quickly dart out of the water! It was probably only a small reef shark, not more than a metre long and was a good 20 metres away with with surface high coral forming a protective maze between us but it was reason enough to get out of the water asap!

But what about French Polynesia itself? You may be initally forgiven for thinking that the many french ex pats living here have come to escape the rat race, get a sea change, start clean without all the French snottieness and adopt a more polynesian way of life. If by polynesian you mean walking around topless (talking males here!) well yes you could say that but otherwise no! In most respects FP truly is a little piece of France in the pacific, void of the culture fusion commonly found in other French colonial areas. Far from those who wanted a more relaxed version of France, however, the french that live here I believe are the true hardcore traditional French! The french, who were so appaulled at the loss of natonal dignity that came with the loss of the Franc to the Euro that they were given no choice but to pack up and move. With French Indochina lost in the 50´s, Africa in the 60´s and the cultural corruption that is French Canada too much for these peple to bare Polynesia was their last refuge! Maybe this was happening long before the euro, maybe not, but one thing is for sure: the expat community are doing a cracking job at preserving French arrogance and analness in generations of French Polynesians!

We are now in Buenos Aires and it is raing here too 😞 It never did really stop raining in tahiti but we made the most of the clear patches we had and it was nice to laze, read, shelter from the rain and unwind after finishing up work etc.. before heading on the South America. Buenos Aires looks awesome and we can´t wait to properly explore the city. That is once the rain stops!!!!!

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Comments

[Rosie]

ah, the french
Ah, the french never fail to disappoint in that respect, tightly holding onto their cultural ways unlike any other!! but alas you must love them for that. and the sunset sounded beautiful. just when you think you've seen them all...