Moorea Day 1

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After an exhausting work week, we were dropped off at LAX after work on Friday, January 20, 2012. We had a late evening flight so the first day of the trip would really be the next day.

DAY 1

We arrive in Faa'a international airport in Papeete, Tahiti on the morning of January 21st after an 8 hour flight on Air Tahiti Nui. As we make our way through the terminal after picking up our luggage, we spot a McDonalds. We had a 30 minute wait until our next flight to Moorea so we decide to try the breakfast. We got a Croque McDo which was essentially their version of a croque monsieur. Unfortunately, we found it quite underwhleming. Maybe it was that we were tired, we weren't that hungry, or the anticipation of getting to Moorea and settling in. It was probably a combination of all 3.

Aboard the 5 minute flight from Tahiti to Moorea, I was able to capture 80% of the flight from my seat on video with my GoPro camera. It was incredible to see the islands and their developing lagoons.

After landing in Moorea, we were shuttled to the Moorea Pearl Beach Resort by Blanc from Albert Tours. During the ride, Blanc mentioned that Moorea translates to "Yellow Lizard" because they are plentiful and help keep the mosquito population at bay.

The resort was beautiful. We were greeted with fresh juice and wet towels to refresh ourselves after the long travel day. We were shown to our Garden Pool Bungalow which had a private pool in the enclosed patio just outside our room.

It was early afternoon by the time we were all settled so we decided to go to the town of Maharepa, a short 5 minute walk from the resort. We went to the market and bought some bread, ham, and cheese spread and decided to make sandwiches for lunch. It was an amazing combination and such a simple meal became an unexpected delight.

After introducing ourselves to our private pool and a quick nap, we were greeted with a pineapple treat as a gift because we told them we were celebrating an anniversary.

For dinner, were off to a buffet dinner at the resort that included a Tahitian dinner show that evening. With dessert, we discovered one of Tahiti's truths, anything with vanilla will be delectable.

An amazing first day in paradise.

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