On the Outside Looking Out
Taha'a · French Polynesia · French Republic
A sliver of Taha'a Island reflects in the broad window of our overwater bungalow during a beautiful morning in paradise. Ashley and I didn't catch too many sunrises during our time in French Polynesia, as the tropical latitude meant the summer sun broke the horizon a few ticks shy of 5 AM, and neither of us were too keen on being sleep-deprived on our honeymoon. We did manage to tear ourselves away from la la land on this particular occasion, and it was well worth it...a journey from one quietly peaceful state to another, save for the jarring buzz of a drone flown a bit too close for our comfort by some Instagram influencers (as I believe they're called) a few bungalows down. They were a sporadic but rather pretentious presence...at the restaurant, on the beaches, on the boat rides to and from the tiny airport at Ra'iātea...ever ready to strike a pose before the camera or disingenuously play it off like they hadn’t a clue it was there
Those shenanigans aside, we enjoyed our time immensely with our feet partially off the grid, dangling as they were in the crystalline turquoise waters literally just a stone’s throw from our threshold. I think for some, being seen somewhere is more about the being seen than the being somewhere. But for us, obscurity carries far greater rewards.
