DAY 12. PAPEETE
The winds of the day before had died down when the Australis Star berthed at Papeete. This capital of French Polynesia was an interesting mixture of island and international culture. Expensive chain stores selling high-priced clothing, cosmetics, laser, and corrective surgery, vied with haphazardly stocked shops full of shorts, pants, and T-shirts for five hundred francs.
Peter and Genevieve wandered the streets and bought trinkets at the market. About to cross the main road back to the ship, they saw a young man driving a tuk-tuk, basically a bicycle with seating for two passengers positioned over the back wheel. He took them for a tour of the city, weaving his vehicle through lines of traffic, around corners and up narrow alleys, pointing out the Civic Centre, the Cathe
