Just Like The Picture

We're back. Actually, we've been back almost a week now, but I've been in denial.

The trip was everything we hoped it would be, and more. Please bear with this picture heavy post (I hope the photos convey even a fraction of the incredible beauty of the French Polynesian islands)...

Day #1 - The Hotel

This is a view of the sunset the first night from the balcony of our hotel room. Somehow we lucked out and got assigned a duplex room, which meant that we had two levels (living room/bathroom on ground floor, and bedroom/bathroom on the upper floor), and two balconies. Another unique aspect of the room was that it overlooked the outdoor bar a few floors below (you can see bar tables on the lower left hand corner of the below picture).

Good news = the island music was very, very good.

Bad news = the band played very, very late into the night.

Morning of Day #2 - The Roosters

For reasons I never quite got figured out, there are a TON of roosters in Tahiti. Chickens in general, really. One such hen, rooster and chicks family had taken up residence on the grounds of our hotel.

Good news = Growing up in a city, I've never been this close to a rooster outside of a zoo. The iridescence of a rooster's tail feathers glinting in the sunshine is quite beautiful.

Bad news = Roosters crow very, very early in the morning. I am not a morning person.

Days #1 - 10 - The Green

Tahiti is impossibly green, and flowers grow wild everywhere you look. For someone living in the desert, it was almost hard to take it all in. It reminded D & I how much we missed real trees, grass, and just the sheer lushness of a climate with rain....

Good news = We have enough pictures of verdant countryside, ginger and hibiscus blossoms to stave off the longing to live somewhere greener for a little while.

Bad news = We have palm trees in Phoenix, but nothing like these.

Day #4 - Sunrise on the Boat

The picture says it all - it doesn't get more beautiful that a sunrise over French Polynesia.

Good news = D got up to take this picture. Did I mention I don't do mornings?

Bad news = There was so much to do on the trip that sleeping in much past 7:30 a.m. was not an option.

Days #1 - 10 - The Water

I could post a zillion pictures just of the water. The water in Tahiti is incredibly clear, almost surreally so. We snorkeled, kayaked, rode Waverunners, swam, and generally spent every moment we weren't sight seeing in the water. Although we've seen some beautiful beaches before, the beaches of French Polynesia top our list by far for the most beautiful.

Good news = The water is so clear that you can see fish and corals standing on shore.

Bad news = A Tahitian lagoon is not a great place to be if you are at all leery about swimming elbow to elbow with ocean life. Thankfully, I am not squeamish about fish touching me.

Lastly - The Rainbows

Due to the fact that it rains (just a little bit) almost every day in Tahiti, rainbows are prevalent. We saw at least three full rainbows, and a few partials that were fading away. Below are pics from two different days.

It's all good news with a rainbow.

Usually, our adoption is at the forefront of my mind. It seems as though it's with me almost every waking moment in some way, influencing some future decision, or simply hanging out in my mind as a "someday" possibility. I was surprised at how well I was able to immerse myself in the trip and forget, just for a little while, that our lives are still waiting to change. It was more than a little overdue, and frankly, a welcome relief. Truly, a trip of a lifetime.