We returned a couple days later to PPT, a dinky airport that was no fun to hangout at. Air Tahiti Nui, like Southwest Airlines, had a free-for-all seating policy. As such, close to 100% of the passengers had already formed a line 20 minutes prior to boarding. Just as we begrudgingly made our way to
Vacation
PF 2023 (4/10) – Bora Bora: Expenses
Everyone knows that stuff is expensive in Hawaii because everything has to be imported from an ocean away. Tahiti is the same, just even less populated and further from a major port. And then Bora Bora is like Tahiti’s Hawaii. While getting there isn’t so difficult, spending any time in this paradise is bound to
PF 2023 (3/10) – Tahiti: Hilton Tahiti Resort
From Saturday evening to Monday morning, we had a great time at Hilton Tahiti. It was a great way to use up our free night certificates, both because the cash price was high and because it was simply a very nice resort. I was surprised by the resort’s lack of beach access. In my naïve
PF 2023 (2/10) – Tahiti: Papeete and Faa’a
After an easy 9-hour hop from SFO, we landed in Tahiti’s Papeete / Faa’a airport (PPT). This was our family’s first time visiting the southern hemisphere, and first time flying so far west without crossing the International Date Line. French Polynesia is part of Polynesia, and at the same time unmistakably French. It’s a European-owned
PF 2023 (1/10) – A French Polynesian Spring Break
For spring break this year, we upped the game a little… by going to Tahiti and Bora Bora. Staying in an over-water bungalow had been on our bucket list for some time. Hong made a map of all such resorts in the world, though most of the options were never serious contenders next to the
2022 Year In Review
2022 was a rather notable year. Travels For me, the thawing of 2+ years of pandemic restrictions was by far the most defining characteristic of 2022. To make up for lost time, we were not shy about packing our schedules with trips: the family spent a week in Las Vegas, two weeks in Andalucia, Spain,
Disneyland 2022
For Thanksgiving this year, we went down to SoCal and spent three solid days at Disneyland. The trip closely mirrored our itinerary from three years ago, but the experience changed since the kids grew up quite a bit. Instead of booking a room directly across from the park entrance to accommodate those mandatory afternoon naps,
CDMX 2022 (8/8) – Random Observations
Although the superficial stuff like Instagrammable sights and delicious food is what drives us to visit a new place, witnessing a different culture and lifestyle is often what make the most treasured memories. Here are some thoughts that didn’t fit into any of the previous posts. The Un-America A couple times on this trip, Phil
CDMX 2022 (7/8) – Food Adventures
In their food culture, Mexicans didn’t seem to shy away from any edible ingredient. As such, our trip to CDMX provided a great opportunity to try a wide range of new foods. I had taken notes for unfamiliar dishes and ingredients that we were interested in, and the list was long. Molleja I had plans
CDMX 2022 (6/8) – Day of Last Hurrah
Day 5 was when we flew home from CDMX (Ciudad de Mexico = Mexico City). Fortunately, our flight wasn’t until the late afternoon, so we still had a good half day to roam around. Taco Fail The reality sank in that we’d be flying home in just a few hours, and I really wanted to