Today we did really touristy vacafion-y things in this, the most touristique isle in all of French Polynesia.

We did get up early to have a live-streamed chat with Andy Revkin on his SustainWhat? podcast. If you missed it, you can still watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK-NGHceEqE

After that and breakfast, I went for my third kite boarding lesson, and stayed up for five times longer than ever before. About ten seconds. Before being dragged head first underwater by the kite. Still, I think with a few more days I might get the hang of this.

I met Robin at the beautiful public beach at Matira Point, and we hung out there for a while.

Robin wanted to go to the Polynesian Dance Workshop she had seen advertised in flyers across town. I was dubious, but I humored her, and we biked into town and found the field set aside for the dance workshop. The woman at the gate seemed dubious as well. She looked us over and said “Vous voulez . . . participier?” Robin said she would essayer. I said “je vais regarder et peut etre dormir.”

The field was crowded with mostly teenage girls wearing either yellow or red skirts. Robin boldly walked into the scrum while I made myself comfortable leaning against a tree.

Robin came back. She told me she learned from a guy on the middle of the yellow skirts that there were two competing dance schools in town, and that dancing was highly competitive, and that Bora Bora had the best dance festival in all of Polynesia. Also, his son was the “chef” and that his son either “had” or “was” “une femme et un homme.” Robin is even less certain of her French comprehension than I am. I think we saw him walking around in a red skirt, emceeing and taking pictures.

Robin decided not to participate after all, but we watched the workshop conducted by the “number one PolynesIan danceeuse in Tahiti.” The dancers were all very accomplished, and even though this was just a workshop and not a performance, their steps and hip wiggles were much more in sync than the dances we saw in Rangiroa.

We finished off this most touristy day with dinner at the most touristique restaurant in all of French Polynesia - Bloody Mary’s - right by where we are currently moored. We dined on moon fish and baby back ribs to the strains of ukulele covers of pop tunes, and distinctly American accents among the clientele