Low key Huahine Arrival

In Laura's research, she identified that some of the other islands would resonate with us more than Tahiti, so we decided we'd only really have it be a stopover -- we used yesterday to adjust our sleep schedule, enjoy a hike and a good dinner, and then prepared to head off to the next island.

We woke up today, had another light breakfast, and made use of the hotel gym (only upper body, our legs are still feeling it from the hike) before it was time for another harrowing drive to the airport. Laura's stick-driving ability paid off, as the island seemed determined to throw scooters, fast-merging busses, and pedestrians directly into our path while we tried to navigate the complicated sharp turns and hills to return the rental car. There were no incidents, but some few expletives. I focused on exuding a nonplussed demeanor while trying to divine the actual route from the combination of what Google maps suggested versus the reality of actual road layout (all the while recalling our wrong-way debacle from last night).

After a small struggle returning the rental car, we headed through security and poked at our phones while we waited for our plane to arrive and board.

It was a short, 40-minute flight on the propeller plane with some pretty cool views, just enough time to sip the complementary ananas juice, and we landed in Huahine. The resort had a van waiting, and whisked us off to our garden bungalow. We went across the street to 'Izzy's' for a hamburger and some beers with some locals for a quick bite of lunch.

I was hot as hell, so we cranked the A/C and unpacked. While I took a short nap, Laura went on a scouting mission to get the lay of the resort and find the beach. When I woke up, we put our suits and hit the water. My facial hair thwarted my attempts at snorkeling, but Laura went at it with gusto and reported back all the funny fishies she saw swimming in the super clear and warm water. We spent a fair amount of time lounging on the beach and swimming around until the sun started to set.

Back to the bungalow to read on the patio, shower, and then head to the resort restaurant for some dinner. We both had glasses of rosé and the lagoon fish (hers with coconut, mine sans -- anaphylactic shock on a remote island is probably a poor life decision). The highlight of the dinner was the digestif -- a snifter of 'Mirabelle' -- a strong French plum brandy that was delightful and made us think fondly of our best golden doggy.Read more