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News – September 2009 (Paopao/Moorea/French Polynesia, September 24, 2009)
- Website statistics: In August we were able to welcome on our website 33'217 visitors who did 1'115'318 hits.
- (July = 29'138 visitors – 1'041'609 Hits / June = 32'886 visitors – 1'165'979 Hits)
- The visitors are coming from about 157 different countries!
- Record day since 12/17/1998 = the birthday of our website: on 11/5/2007 = 13'407 visitors and 787'456 hits
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- Since one week we are now in Moorea, with a size of 52 sq.mi., situated about 10 miles Northwest off the island of Tahiti.
- Moorea is praised often – besides Bora Bora – as one of the most beautiful islands worldwide. With a population of about
- 16'000 it is part of the Windward Islands (Îles du Vent) within the group of the Society Islands (Archipel de la Société). The
- tallest mountain is Mt. Tohivea, 3'960 ft., and there is a ringroad of 39 miles around the island. While the whole of its scenery is
- stunning, an outstanding sight is at Cook's Bay with its backdrop of spectacular rugged mountains.
- From Papeete we reached Moorea with one of the two car-ferry companies, which run daily about 13 times. Depending on the
- departure and sailing time, the prices vary considerably for a return ride: for a 4x4-car + 2 adults = between US$ 93 and 227
- (duration between 1¼ and ½ hour). Like our inward journey showed, French Polynesia doesn't need to be expensive – despite
- of its reputation. Said this, we found for 15 days an accommodation in a bungalow with kitchen for not even US$ 27 daily,
- although not directly on the beach, however in a beautiful garden setting (a campsite is more expensive!). As already experienced
- before in Tahiti (and mentioned also in the "News August 2009"), the problem lies in the nearly non-existing public transport.
- Shopping at the supermarkets and if cooking is done by oneself, the "South Sea Paradise" can be affordable in any case - once
- it's reached.
- Although all of the previously visited Pacific Islands show their own charm and actually don't resemble one another, we
- personally think that French Polynesia is the "true South Sea", the same as 20 years ago we thought the Algerian Sahara to be
- the "true desert". Of course, everything is relative – if only it wouldn't be all about transport .....
- And this "if" forces us unfortunately to limit our visit of French Polynesia to the two islands of Tahiti and Moorea. Alone the trip
- to the next closest island of Raiatea would cost more than the freight of the seven-day sea journey to our next, the 166th
- destination of Tonga – which will start on October 23rd. The 4x4-paradise of the Marquesas Islands remains a dream – the cost
- to go there is Utopian!
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Tahiti
(Aug.-Sept.+ Oct. 2009) Moorea (Sept. 2009) |
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Rarotonga Island |  |
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Temples, Pagodas, Shrines | |
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| The visit of 12 Pacific Islands with and 1 without our LandCruiser | Pacific February 2008 - |
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| The visit of 13 Caribbean Islands with our LandCruiser | Caribbean June 2003-Dec. 2004 |
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| + added from the United Arab Emirates: | Fairytale Wedding in Dubai (March 1999) |
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| + added from a earlier visit to the USA: | Las Vegas (Millennium change) |
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| + added from our Arabian Peninsula round trip: | Pictures from Yemen (May-June 1996) |
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| + Flashbacks of our Worldrecordtour: | Pictures from "all the continents" (Oct. 1984 - April 1997) |
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