We arrive in Papeete today. Papeete is the capital of Tahiti and houses all the government offices as well as several historical landmarks. Our plan is to wander the cafes, shops, narrow streets and busy waterfront of this Polynesian paradise, which lured artist Paul Gauguin and writer Robert Louis Stevenson to its sandy shores. The heart and soul of the South Pacific, Tahiti is the largest in a chain of islands that make up French Polynesia. The name can either refer to the main island or the entire destination. Commonly referred to as the Islands of Tahiti, French Polynesia is a collection of 118 islands and atolls scattered across an impressive nautical surface area the size of Western Europe. The islands are situated halfway between Los Angeles, California and Sydney, Australia. They are in the same time zone as Hawaii and located just as far south of the equator as Hawaii is north.

Today is an easy day. Mom can't take too many activities so with 6 days of excursions in a row, I skipped one in the middle to give her a break. I had booked a Polynesian Night at the Intercontinental Hotel called "Marquesses Night" but a few days ago Karen asked that we cancel and just hang out on the ship. We sleep in little bit, walk around outside near the ship and head for the "Marketplace", a flea market building a couple of blocks from the pier. It's supposed to have all kinds of tourist stuff for sale as well as fruits, vegetables and fish for the locals and I'm sure Mom will enjoy that. But Mom can't make it. She doesn't feel good, a bit queasy and light headed. She rests on a garden planter and soon she wants to return to the ship to rest.

We turn around, making our way back to the ship when she thinks her problem might be simply a low sugar attack. She has no test kit, no sugar pills and no insulin with her. How can she leave without that stuff? I look for a store to get a can of Coke but, instead, she opts for the corner drug store right across the street, hoping to buy some sugar tablets, the ones used by diabetics. Speaking only French, the druggist sells her a tube of Sucrets, which actually contain sacrin and no sugar, for $9. Totally useless. I find a can of Coke down the street and that does the trick. Now we're on our way to the Marketplace. It's warm out but cloudy with drizzle.

Mom wanders about the place, checking out coconut oil, vanilla, flowers, pearls, jewelry and all sorts of fruits and vegetables. The vendors with fresh fish have fly swatters and show no fear in using them to protect their wares. While we find no big scores here, it makes for an enjoyable afternoon. Now it's a quick trip back to the ship with a stop at a shipside bazaar. It rains now and then. It's another day with less than optimal conditions for snorkeling so our break from water was a good plan.

Up at the pool, we share a sandwich, salad and desert. Mom sits by the pool, reading her book while work on the blog. We return to the room later but find we have no appetite for the fancy dinner and instead, dine in the Lido followed by the Polynesian show in the theater. It's pretty good, especially the drummers. I manage to get a picture of the group before the jokers all start jumping up on the stage saying, "Look. Take a picture of me with the dancers." It's 10:15pm and we head off to bed with tomorrow on our minds. Hopefully the weather will be better.