Tahiti- day 8

It is 6pm. I am sitting alone on the red deck mats of Scarlet Muse, content and alone. The sun, hiding behind a giant cumulonimbus cloud, is about to set. A lone sailboat is motoring past the ring of reefs protecting Opinahu Bay, ready to anchor for the night. Deep within the mouth of the bay, there is a barbeque taking place, complete with recordings of traditional Polynesian songs, which to the untrained ear, sound no different than the songs of Hawaii. The water is like glass at this hour and not even the distant reef show any signs of breaking.

I didn't do anything today, but with a bit more of an excuse this time. I retired early last night after a delicious meal and woke up early this morning with a migraine and its accompanying nausea. I'm not sure exactly what did it: dramatic climate change (Mickey, who was only trying to do the nice and courteous thing, turned the AC on in dad and my cabin last night, not knowing that we both abhor it. He also wasn't familiar with Fahrenheit degrees and guessed that 68 sounded right. Dad and I froze), or if dinner was off, or if I took too much sun, or if I turned around three times and then touched my toes (renowned for instigating migraines). Whatever it was, I woke up with one and it didn't go away for hours. While the ache in my head finally subsided, the nausea lingered and still, 12 hours later, my stomach is delicate, but vastly improved.

So I was pretty much out of commission, but I got to see some activity as it took place around me. Mikey went up in what I can only describe as a paraglide wing attached to a dinghy. It had a remarkable propeller on the back which, using the ocean as a runway, set it running and then lifted the dinghy in the air, making it fly up to 4000 feet in altitude.

After witnessing that, I settled into the very seat I am occupying now to do some more reading and sleeping, activities that I have become intimately familiar with these past days. Meanwhile, Mikey, his girlfriend Samdine (formerly known as The New Caledonian), and my dad then went to pick up provisions for tonight's feast, a ten-person dinner here, onboard Scarlet Muse.

It looks like we will be returning to Tahiti tomorrow night.
New Year's Eve festivities linger around the corner and we have a very particular party to attend, which I will surely document to the best of my ability.