We decided to run to town to scope out parts stores and see if we could find a rudder bearing anywhere or have it machined, so to the bus stop we went with Osprey. They joined us on the marine store scavenger hunt since their transmission wasn't working quite right.
Some of the locals and other cruisers had warned us that the busses on Tahiti aren't all that reliable or regular--you have no idea when they'll pick you up but you better not be out after 5 when they stop running. Hence the early start.
After being in the Marquesas and Tuamotus where the population for an island could be 200-2000 it was mind blowing to see thousands of cars rushing past and huge buildings. Completely culture shock. It made the long walk from the last bus stop to the marine parts store entertaining. (It wasn't that long of a walk, maybe 2-3k but all that pavement made it hot!!)
Poor Ben had to deal with hangry (hungry-angry) Sarah. After not eating for two days on the passage all I wanted was food, more food, then even more food. And possibly after that more food.
We did find a little sandwich place for lunch that had free wifi, so I got to let my mom know we were safe and sound in Tahiti, although I might have left out that whole rudder issue... Don't worry mom... we're fine... After lunch we wandered back toward the bus stop, which was conveniently across the street from McDonald's where we got dessert. Ice cream is 100% effective at preventing hanger issues.
Near the marina where we're moored there's this grocery store called Carrefour that we figured we'd walk through and scope out before provisioning tomorrow. That was even more shocking than all the people and cars. Carrefour is HUGE. You can find absolutely anything you need--camping gear, skateboards, bicycles, dishes, candles, beer coozies, puzzle cards, calendars of nude Polynesian women, TVs, oil, car parts, and food food food! Imagine spending over a month shopping at teeny little mom and pop grocery stores where they carry cans of Russian chicken spam (really wish I had a picture of that) but no vegetables then walking into a HUGE Fred Meyer. Oh man. We walked around for hours: up and down every single aisle debating everything:
"Our cookie sheet is rusting through, we really need another one"
"Do we need another one for $17."
"I guess not, we can play MacGuyver with the cookies."
Another entertaining thing about Carrefour is the carts: they aren't locked in to drive straight. The wheels can turn any which way. Which means that if you're not paying attention to the cart as you push it, you could be pushing it diagonally down a narrow aisle full of expensive wine. No casualties. These carts are really useful, though, because you can take them back to the marina. I had been worrying about carrying a couple 6-packs of coke and cans of food back to the boat, but that wasn't an issue with the carts.
Now imagine pushing a cart that has crazy wheels over dirt trails in spots, uneven pavement, through a marina, over the docks (not tooooo close to the water, please!) and down a quay to the dinghy. All the while being really really hungry. Now imagine doing all this while laughing at how silly you must look. That was our experience that first night at Carrefour.
Check back for pictures, Ben's HP computer hates my iPhone and won't let me upload pictures to it. There's some entertaining photos of town/Carrefour.
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