tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417784322197275588.post6201933588103012203..comments2024-02-08T02:11:01.665-08:00Comments on Coconut Radio: Traveling French Polynesia by Supply Ship Part 1Celeste Brashhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15320277479867366961noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417784322197275588.post-56286975023777656712011-01-23T11:28:17.071-08:002011-01-23T11:28:17.071-08:00Haha! Well the Dory's changed a lot since you ...Haha! Well the Dory's changed a lot since you went - you can't sleep on deck anymore - but that blond bronzed man is still out there! Thanks so much for this story. Polynesia just gives out these experiences like they were fliers from a street corner.Celeste Brashhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15320277479867366961noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7417784322197275588.post-85125711505790236752011-01-23T11:08:19.841-08:002011-01-23T11:08:19.841-08:00I will never forget my trip aboard the Dory!! Firs...I will never forget my trip aboard the Dory!! First of all, someone from the Kamoka office (not going to mention names, ha!) made the transaction at the dock for me. Considering I do not speak a lick of French I had no clue what was actually being said. Second, I had no idea the voyage was a total of three days!! I thought it would take ohhh... maybe a day! Third, all the bunks were booked but since I didn't know I would be traveling overnight I was convinced to buy a ticket anyway. The only thing I had with me was my pack and a bag of grapes, so the lovely man that was shuffling me along gave me a sheet so I could have something to sit on. <br /><br />So!! let the adventure begin!! I befriended an amazing Polynesian family and the first night we slept on the deck beneath a sky that I will never forget for the rest of my life. There were so many stars I could barely make out any constellations! Wow, I can still see it now. The second day I woke up to a cup of coffee from the captain and at every island I'd ask, "Ahe?" He'd laugh and shake his head "no". Still feeling jet lagged from the flight from New York the day before, I was entirely confused but loving every minute. For the rest of the afternoon I hung out with the family and a girl my age that I had met, Bertie. I laid down on the deck for the second night in a row but was awakened by a torrential downpour, thunder, lightning, and seas that were rolling over the sides of boat and rushing down the deck. We tried hiding out in several spots around the Dory, but wherever we went the waves would find us. The family managed to squeeze into the room with the bunks, which was actually a container if my memory is correct, but for one reason or another I did not feel like I had any business being in there. Being the gentleman that he was, the boy took me under his wing and brought me down to the cargo room. The seas were so rough the containers were shifting and banging, and I could see the terror in the boy's eyes. So there I was, aboard a ship in the middle of the Pacific, with no idea where I was headed. I remember thinking, "How in the world did I get here??" Just two days before I was with my family, convincing them not to worry because I had it all figured out. ha!! With nowhere else to go, the boy shoved me under an old beat up Pinto that was being delivered to one of the islands. Thinking back to that moment makes me wonder how I actually fell asleep under there!! <br /><br />The next day we stopped at another island and the boy insisted that I follow him to his house, which was little more than a shack. Upon arriving, his mother cooked so much food that I swore it must have been everything they had. I persistently told her that it was unnecessary, but she went right on cooking. I still feel disbelief when I think back to that experience.. there I was, a complete stranger, and this woman was cooking me enough food to last a month. After a teary-eyed goodbye, I was back on the boat. In the afternoon the Captain found me, pointed ahead and said, "Ahe". I ran to the front of the boat and as we went through the pass a pod of dolphins joyfully jumped over the bow's waves. I felt a sense of sheer excitement and happiness, but I was also nervous about what was to come... where was I going again? A little island that's not three hours from Tahiti, but three days? Needless to say my worries vanished when Bertie pointed at the tall bronzed man with sun bleached hair that was walking down the dock and said, "That's your boss."ajanefergusonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07192029202205166475noreply@blogger.com