Second day in Papeete we took a Holland America excursion: Ohana Catamaran Escapade. This one was a very large catamaran with maybe 20 or more people aboard. We motored out within the coral lagoon, stopping to gain clearance from the local airport before we passed their runways, then stopping again for snorkeling. We had about 45 minutes of snorkeling on the reef. The visibility wasn't great, though it wasn't bad. The reefs weren't as alive as other reefs we've seen but there were a number of large schools of small fish swimming there.
After the snorkeling they pulled up anchor and headed to the lagoon exit into open water, serving rum punch on the way. Our friends had taken the same excursion yesterday and they had done the snorkeling after a ride just outside the coral lagoon. The downside to that was that they don't serve any alcohol until after snorkeling. So on our excursion we had more time for the rum punch. One of the tour guides, I think her name was Mahana (sunshine in Tahitian) started demonstrating Tahitian dances. I was almost next to her and fearing being "volunteered" decided I had to use the bathroom at that moment. By the time I returned, Elizabeth had been chosen as the "volunteer" but unfortunately I missed her dance. **whew**
We didn't spend too long outside the lagoon before heading back to the ship where we had picked up the excursion. By then it was near noon and getting even hotter. The weather forecast said it was in the high 80's but felt like the high 90's due to the humidity.
It being a Sunday, practically all of the shops were closed. We tried visiting one of the local landmarks, the Catholic Cathedral, but it was also closed.
Given the heat and humidity, as well as the fact that most places were closed again, since it was Sunday, we went back to the Les 3 Brasseurs for another flight of beer. The local craft beer is very good. The people looked a bit more friendly today. Maybe they recognized us from yesterday.
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