Haapiti, Moorea, French Polynesia
Monday, 16 Jan
It's now afternoon, a fan blowing directly on me as I sit at the table in a modern little dormitory at Mark's Place, a campground, backpacker dorm, upscale dorm (where we are for $10 more), and cute little bungalows for people who want modern hotel-like accomodations. Something for everyone. This is an A-Frame with beds built into the eaves, little mezzanine platforms up near the roof peak with mattresses. This has got a kitchen, a CD player and a central table. Varnished plywood floors. A covered porch with table and chairs. In the camping area, there's an above-ground basin that looks REALLY inviting.

After breakfast (baguettes, butter and puree of mango and banana, with a plate of sliced avacado, papaya and banana, along with the usual instant coffee...I might even get used to it!) this morning, JF and I walked up to the Lagoonarium sign, spent $50 and got ourselves transported across to a tiny island owned and operated by a family. There, they have constructed a kind of holding tank that operates not unlike a lobster trap: the fish can swim in, but not out unless the folks let them out.

If you want to hear me gush about it from underneath the palm fronds, click any or all of the Lagoonarium clips here. I'll try to reflect in tranquility from the dormitory of Mark's:

It's the kind of setup you imagine before the coming of the big hotels. Coconut shells painted to show the path, shells and coral hanging on strings for curtains. Everything wood and palm fronds.



Driftwood is nailed crosswise and then hung with snorkels, masks and plastic shoes. You pick out a mask and snorkel and put on your sandals and walk out into what looks like a little swimming area, maybe the whole thing the size of a half a football field.

Right away, I got a shock because right in front of me were huge rays, rippling along the sand. When I was growing up, we had land on the Santa Rosa Sound near Pensacola, Florida. There was a strip of sand, and then waving grasses underwater. The one boogeyman out there were the rays. We called them Sting Rays and were terrified that we'd step on one of them and get stung to death.

And here they were, right at my feet; blocking, in fact, my path to the lagoon where I was supposed to be swimming with the acquarium fishes. One of them headed right for me. I backed quickly out of the water and went to see our guide, an amiable young woman, one of five daughters in the family. She spends half-years here, helping her folks out and the other six months in France as a camp counselor.

She explained to me that the rays were totally harmless, that I could even pet one if I liked...and she proceeded to do just that. I stood there while they rippled all around my legs, losing my childhood terror.

Then I put on my mask and put my face in the water. Immediately, I was in a whole different world, a world of purple and bright blue coral, of lemon-yellow fish, orange and white striped fish, fish that look like needles, sharks...yes...sharks. Big orange turtles with geometric designs on their backs.

We were the first customers, having showed up at 8 a.m. as we'd been advised, and so we had the lagoon to ourselves, to float face down over a scene that I've only seen before at Monaco's famous acquarium. After awhile, we went outside the lagoon to look at the "natural" habitat, where there was more coral scenery and fewer fish.

After that, we hitched a ride with a friendly grandmother to our next accomodations: Mark's Place. It's more modern than Pauline's, that's for sure. Pauline's had a kind of turn-of-the-century charm, along with one mysterious room that looked like a ceremonial hut. I didn't get a chance to quiz the owner about it.

This place even has internet...albeit $10 an hour. I may get this posted before you all go to bed tonight! I am working on getting photos and audio up, but so far I have not been successful. I'm headed over there now to see what I can accomplish.