Choc de Civilisation
15 33.634 S 146 14.481 W After 5 months away from anything remotely resembling a city, Papeete is a shock to the system. We flew in the other day from the remote atoll of Apataki in the Tuamotus. Traffic lights, cars, buses and people everywhere, lots of them. But it is still a gentle introduction for what we’ll be facing tomorrow night when we arrive back in Cincinnati via San Francisco and Chicago. And “civilization” does have its perks. An air-conditioned hotel room with unlimited hot water. Street cafes with good coffee and ice cream. French burgers with fries. A plat du jour at Le Petit Maison. Nice for a change. We left the boat in good hands on the hard on Apataki. It must be one of the most beautiful and remote boat yards in the world. We had to gingerly navigate the boat between shallow coral heads up to the palm tree lined beach where we were lifted out by a tractor-trailer. It’s a nervous moment when your 14,000 kg/31,000 lb home is suspended above water and ground. All went