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May 19, 2013, 7:50am

Any Port in a Storm :: Beyond the Breakwater :: Ports of Call :: Tahiti

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Topic: Tahiti (Read 895 times)

spindrift
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Tahiti
« Thread Started on Feb 19, 2009, 7:04pm »

I have been inspired by Kerouac's story about being off-loaded in Singapore.

Here is what happened when I was flying Quantas from Mexico City to Sydney.

We were scheduled to land at Fiji to re-fuel. We were many hours into our flight and well out over the Pacific when there was an announcement saying we'd be making an Emergency Landing at Tahiti because one engine was giving trouble. I was young in those days and rarely gave death a thought or, if I did, then surely nothing bad would happen to me!
I was not alarmed at our predicament.

We landed at Papeete and were driven to a nice hotel right by the sea, with individual thatched cottages and a large swimming pool. It turned out that a spare part for our engine would have to be flown out to the island so we'd have several days to wait. This suited me since I was alone and on a beautiful island.

In retrospect I should have taken a car around the island but all too quickly I lost my resolve and got busy partying with the Quantas crew. We had three idyllic days. I never left the hotel grounds.

I made good friends with a steward and continued to see him whilst I lived in Sydney (2 years) and after that in London. I've since lost contact with him.

I'd like to return there and really see the island next time.

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tempus fugit

kerouac2
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Re: Tahiti
« Reply #1 on Feb 19, 2009, 7:12pm »

It sounds like you might have been at the Hotel Tahiti in Faaa, near the airport. I loved that place. I was stuck in Tahiti for 3 days once, going to the airport every day and returning to the hotel when I didn't get on the flight. It was my absolute favorite time of being stuck somewhere. Luckily, I had planned a pretty good margin for getting back home, so every day in Tahiti just removed a day from being in Los Angeles, never a great loss.

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