by Azam Gill, Dec 25, 2024, in Different Truths

Azam recounts an experience in Tahiti, on the way to Teahupo’o, where a traffic jam transformed into a Polynesian party, showcasing the locals’ civilised and joyful approach to unexpected delays, exclusively for Different Truths.

We drove down from Papaeete to Teahupo’o to my daughter and son-in-law’s campsite, only 500 meters from the waves where the 2024 surfing events for the summer Olympics were held. Grandma Mamie’s well-tried Nissan people carrier welcomes weekend odds and ends without complaining about packing space. When my daughter takes the wheel, she puts the car into steady motion and then tends to relax by crossing her left leg over the right thigh without, of course—phew—grabbing the left ankle with her right hand.
A mite worrying, to which she reacts with a delighted smile: “Papaaa, it’s an automatic, so my foot doesn’t need to hover over the clutch.”

After brief stops at two breathtaking waterfalls, we took up the road again, petitioning for good luck to the estuaries spilling their gurgling flow from the mountains into the sea and munching home-made snacks bought from roadside stalls. The scent of tipanier frangipani flowers and the small basket of mangoes—the size, taste, and aroma of the Malda variety—suffused the car.
Read the full article in Different Truths, published on 25 December 2024
https://www.differenttruths.com/a-polynesian-road-trip-fruits-flowers-the-spirit-of-iaorana/

Tahitian Sunset