The weather is nice, the people are nice....even Polynesian sharks are nice

While in Fakarava, I snorkeled with sharks, scuba dived, saw one of the former presidents of French Polynesia, and took an 1.5 hr boat ride to snorkel at a motu while my host dad and host sister scuba dived with thousands of sharks.

Not only was the trip amazing because of what we did, but the hospitality of the people I met was heart-warming. We attended mass twice, once the night before Easter and once the second Sunday we were there. Both times random women would welcome us. Even with the simple faire du bisou (kissing of the cheeks), you could feel them welcoming your presence.

A beautiful Catholic church. Garlands made of shells strung across the ceiling, and  many shell chandeliers hung as well.

In front of us sat former French Polynesian President Gaston Flosse. He spent Christmas in jail and Easter at his home at Fakarava. Yes, you read that correctly. He was in jail for corruption that he committed during his presidency.

The first time I saw a shark, I was snorkeling by myself and swam back to shore as fast as possible. After the shock of realizing that I could quite possibly be attacked, I decided getting back into the water was worth price. Haha. Actually, my host parents convinced me that the Polynesians sharks are just as nice as the people. Rarely are there attacks, and people have safely swam with them for years.

The second time I snorkeled was at the motu I visited. At that time I saw six of them at once. I can't imagine swimming with thousands like my host dad and host sisters have!!

I met several interesting people who were visiting Fakarava. After I landed, no one was there to pick me up because my host parents thought my plane was stopping at another island before landing in Fakarava. As I spoke to a woman that worked at the pension we were staying at, I'm pretty sure this one couple overheard my feeble attempt to speak my accented French because after I hung up the phone, they asked if I was American. Haha. Come to find out, this couple had been traveling the world for the past year and wrapping up their journey in French Polynesia before their final destination in southern California.

I also met a family of five on a five-month world tour. They were traveling en route to Peru where the father will be working for a NGO. Their last globe trotting adventure lasted 18 months!! Their next destinations included Tahiti, Easter Island, Chili and finally Peru. What I would give to be able to do that with a family of my own one day!!