David and Lili's World Tour

FRENCH POLYNESIA

July 2023, Family cruise to the Marquesa islands

Ia Orana!

We love French Polynesia so we went there again, this time to meet up with Mom and her wonderful partner Richard for a cruise. This time I studied French every day for months in advance so that I can now, finally, have long conversations with locals. Yea! Bon Jour. Ca va?

The last time we visited this beautiful country we went on a different cruise, and we predicted incorrectly that we would never go on a cruise again. Well, as I said at the time, a cruise is an excellent venue for a family reunion, and this time it did not disappoint! We sailed with a ship named after Paul Gauguin, and this included gourmet food every day (thanks Mom). What's not to like? We had fun with the tourists from France while at sea, and even more fun with the cool locals we met on the islands we visited, and we made a point to do just that, to get away from the touristy tours and walk with the locals.

We visited several of the remote Marquesa islands which were fabulous, some of the last remaining patches of paradise on Earth. These islands do not have the iconic lagoons that make places like Bora Bora so famous, but they make up for this with friendly people and dramatic scenery. The ship stopped at Bora Bora too, and we swam with sharks.

Now we have been to many of the islands that make up French Polynesia, so we know exactly where we want to return next time, especially now that our French skills are up to speed. Our top pick is Maupiti because it's off the tourist radar while still loaded with postcard beauty and relaxed vibes. Get there if you can. Skip Bora Bora because it's less friendly, too touristy, and overpriced. We can envision a return to this lovely part of the world some day because it's on the way from New Zealand to the Americas... Lucky us.

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