Street Markets

As Papeete is the city where everyone stops for connecting flights in and out of the French Polynesia, we are just stuck in this city for two-long days before our rescheduled departure to Auckland, that comes only every Monday and Thursday of the week.

In a vain attempt to find some aspect of Tahiti that wasn't entirely spoiled by exposure to the West, we decided to spend one day visiting the island, the local craft fair and center market, Paul Gauguin museum, the surfer's point with the sea world aquarium, blow hole as well as the nature trail that leads to a cascading waterfall that promises to be picturesque. Perhaps my expectation of the richness of its culture was not well quenched. It turned out the most intriguing is still the combination of side street craft shops (selling, mostly, tourist-friendly junk, but pleasant junk nonetheless) and a little arena in which all sorts of competitions and displays took place in the center market.