Alone In Papeete

My "Eat, Pray, Love" In Two Weeks

Series

Part Ten of Twelve

Papeete, Tahiti

I suddenly felt lonely today, but finding the swim-up bar and infinity pool cheered me. I found fun people here, even if we don’t speak the same language. I dined like a queen, but no more squid ink ever again, thank you very much!

I confess today was a mixed day of both weather and emotions. Overcast skies and rain reflected my mood, as I suddenly felt lonely at this beautiful resort. I feel lost in Tahiti for the first time without my friends and Nenad. My time by the pool was a lesson in being proactive: one minute sunny, one minute cloudy, the next raining.

The weather was in a constant state of change, and I was juggling to keep up. Towel under me, towel over my legs, second towel as a blanket…hot, cold, hot, cold. I finally gave up and came back to my little bungalow and relaxed. Since I have such an oversized covered deck, I could sit outside even as it poured rain and still enjoy the setting.

I figured since it was my last official night in Tahiti, I would treat myself to a gourmet dinner at the Le Lotus restaurant here. Since I didn’t know where it was, I took a walk and discovered the restaurant and a swim-up bar and beach right next to it. Home run! It is an infinity pool, and the setting here is just wondrous. I plan to spend my day here tomorrow before heading to the airport. I stopped to have a quick drink before getting ready for dinner. The view was too gorgeous to pass up.

I met a lovely couple from Maryland, drank some good Pinot Gris, watched the clouds finally part, and let some sunshine in. The bartender was a fun lady named Iris, and her right-hand guy was a young man whose name I could not pronounce or spell. He is young, buff, tattooed, and a dancer in the Polynesian shows. He speaks only French, so Iris became the translator. He works several jobs, and his mode of transportation between them is his running shoes. This includes his daily runs to and from his home, which is 45 minutes away. No wonder he looks so damn good. I think I may need to take up running…

I came back and dressed up for dinner. I may be dining alone, but what the hell. The funny thing, though, I showed up at 6:30 p.m. and found I was the only one in the restaurant. So I had my pick of tables and got one on the water, looking at Raiatea, the lagoon, and a sea full of sailboats. The water here is crystal clear. The fish below me and those jumping out of the water were dazzling. I had an interesting dinner of lobster stew (yum!) and swordfish with ink spaghetti (not yum!) I didn’t like that part so much, but the fish was superb.

I had lots of time to reflect on this week, what has happened, and what I learned about this journey and myself. I took a long, lazy walk back to my bungalow and am now comfortably in bed.

I head back to the States tomorrow, then Colorado, and home on Wednesday. I cannot believe this trip has gone so fast. On the one hand, I feel like I blinked, and it was over, yet on the other hand, I am profoundly affected by this experience on many levels.

I think it will take a while to sort things out, but I will go home somewhat changed for the better. I have learned life is an evolution. We can fight it, but we can’t stop it. Being open to the journey is the key. I am so glad the journey brought me to Tahiti and my new friends, Nenad and M/S Paul Gauguin. What a blessing.