Crab on the highway

My good times crashed down to earth a bit with a difficult day yesterday. So I am dedicating this morning to some of the strange things I have seen whilst here in French Polynesia.

Picnic in the ocean

Imagine you’re at the beach and you spy some locals gathered around a picnic table complete with umbrella, food, drinks and laughter.

Now place that scene 20 meters out in the water and you’ll chuckle at what I was seeing. I swear they were out there, nothing doing, enjoying their BBQ or picnic around a table (with umbrella) in almost waist high water. The only thing that was missing was the actual BBQ.

Woman carrying a baby

She was riding a bike, gripping the handlebar with her left and clutching her baby with her right. It didn’t look very safe to me, but who am I to judge?

Chicken on my roof

I don’t think it was the culprit eating my roof the other night but still, somehow a rooster was up on my roof this morning. I walked the perimeter and didn’t find any obvious ways he could have gotten up there. What a vantage point for his crowing though! In fact, there’s chickens everywhere on this island.

Crab on the highway

Single lane main road that circumnavigates the island; this is their highway. As I was driving home last night I came upon a crab on the road, pincers up, looking dead-set determined to kick my arse. My headlights must have startled it because it was staring me down as I approached. I continued past the aggravated crustacean.

It’s remarkable to go for a drive and find yourself immersed in thick rain-forest yet still a few meters away from the ocean. At times I will see nothing but the green lush surrounding me and then suddenly I’m in a clearing where a big wave might actually roll up onto the road. This is an amazing place.

• 

•