Where In The World Is CHARLES GANDY
Feb 4, 2007
Papaette, Tahiti
What would Paul Gauguin say? That’s what I kept asking myself as I visited this special place. He would certainly say…”Gosh, it’s bigger than I thought!” Or he would think,”It’s more commercial than I thought it would ever be”. And, no doubt, he would say, “The flowers and foliage are just as dense and colorful as I remember them….no wonder, I loved this place!”
Tahiti is a big busy place with some 200,000 people. Papeete (Pop-P-Ate-Tay), the capital city, is a bustling hub of government, banking, and tourism…even on a Sunday when most places are closed. High rises, apartment complexes, shopping malls, and yes, even McDonalds can be spotted. Yachts, sail boats, ferry boats, barges, cruise ships and outriggers dot the busy harbor. All of this set against a backdrop of tall majestic mountains covered in the dense greens that I have come to recognize as the vegetation of the South Pacific.
Like Easter Island and Bora Bora, Tahiti has a road that encircles the entire island. It was off this road that the wonders of Tahiti came to life. Stopping at Tahara View Point we were able to spot the neighboring island on Moorea in the distance. Seeing the black sandy beaches with skillful surfers, spotting an occasional topless sunbather, watching the naked children playing in the frothy surf all underscored how life obviously revolves around the ocean. Visiting the lighthouse at Venus Point erected in 1867 to commemorate the arrival of the religious missionaries and then seeing dozens of open air churches, each with a steeple taller and more pointed than the last I realized what an impact those missionaries had had on these islands. Church after church was overflowing with Sunday worshipers. The women gathered under the shade of nearby trees and fanned themselves with large woven grass fans as they admired each other’s crisp white dress and large white hats….oh yes, What would Paul Gauguin say? Gauguin’s women were ALL topless….those missionaries!
Continuing on around the island we enjoyed a playful stop at the Arahoho Blowhole. My fellow travelers took their lives in their own hands, dodging traffic, as they stood close against the mountain to await the pressure of the air that builds up and then “blows” with enough of a strong force to remind me of Marilyn Monroe standing over the subway grate in that famous pose.
What would Paul Gauguin say if he knew there was a museum devoted to his life and work in Tahiti? He would probably be pleased that the people care enough about him to maintain a museum that has no original work, but one that sheepishly attempts to capture the years he spent here chronicling the lives of these fascinating people? And what would he say if he knew that just a few feet away was a restaurant bearing his name that serves a huge Sunday buffet featuring many of the native fish, fruits, and vegetables? I wonder if he enjoyed Bread Fruit, the large green fruit that grows like a weed and taste very much like a potato. I wonder if he enjoyed the litchi fruit that grows in abundance in bright red prickly bunches on small bushes along side the road. What would Gauguin say when he heard the guide explain that he swam in the fresh cold water found deep inside a roadside grotto? Something tells me, he might say…”I never swam there…I don’t like to swim!”
No doubt, Gauguin would simply say “I am so glad that you came to visit this island that I adopted as my home….now you see why I stayed”.
Feb 4, 2007
Papaette, Tahiti
What would Paul Gauguin say? That’s what I kept asking myself as I visited this special place. He would certainly say…”Gosh, it’s bigger than I thought!” Or he would think,”It’s more commercial than I thought it would ever be”. And, no doubt, he would say, “The flowers and foliage are just as dense and colorful as I remember them….no wonder, I loved this place!”
Tahiti is a big busy place with some 200,000 people. Papeete (Pop-P-Ate-Tay), the capital city, is a bustling hub of government, banking, and tourism…even on a Sunday when most places are closed. High rises, apartment complexes, shopping malls, and yes, even McDonalds can be spotted. Yachts, sail boats, ferry boats, barges, cruise ships and outriggers dot the busy harbor. All of this set against a backdrop of tall majestic mountains covered in the dense greens that I have come to recognize as the vegetation of the South Pacific.
Like Easter Island and Bora Bora, Tahiti has a road that encircles the entire island. It was off this road that the wonders of Tahiti came to life. Stopping at Tahara View Point we were able to spot the neighboring island on Moorea in the distance. Seeing the black sandy beaches with skillful surfers, spotting an occasional topless sunbather, watching the naked children playing in the frothy surf all underscored how life obviously revolves around the ocean. Visiting the lighthouse at Venus Point erected in 1867 to commemorate the arrival of the religious missionaries and then seeing dozens of open air churches, each with a steeple taller and more pointed than the last I realized what an impact those missionaries had had on these islands. Church after church was overflowing with Sunday worshipers. The women gathered under the shade of nearby trees and fanned themselves with large woven grass fans as they admired each other’s crisp white dress and large white hats….oh yes, What would Paul Gauguin say? Gauguin’s women were ALL topless….those missionaries!
Continuing on around the island we enjoyed a playful stop at the Arahoho Blowhole. My fellow travelers took their lives in their own hands, dodging traffic, as they stood close against the mountain to await the pressure of the air that builds up and then “blows” with enough of a strong force to remind me of Marilyn Monroe standing over the subway grate in that famous pose.
What would Paul Gauguin say if he knew there was a museum devoted to his life and work in Tahiti? He would probably be pleased that the people care enough about him to maintain a museum that has no original work, but one that sheepishly attempts to capture the years he spent here chronicling the lives of these fascinating people? And what would he say if he knew that just a few feet away was a restaurant bearing his name that serves a huge Sunday buffet featuring many of the native fish, fruits, and vegetables? I wonder if he enjoyed Bread Fruit, the large green fruit that grows like a weed and taste very much like a potato. I wonder if he enjoyed the litchi fruit that grows in abundance in bright red prickly bunches on small bushes along side the road. What would Gauguin say when he heard the guide explain that he swam in the fresh cold water found deep inside a roadside grotto? Something tells me, he might say…”I never swam there…I don’t like to swim!”
No doubt, Gauguin would simply say “I am so glad that you came to visit this island that I adopted as my home….now you see why I stayed”.
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