Arriving in Papeete, Tahiti
Many people make a strategic stopover on the journey from Europe to French Polynesia, but I was short on time, so I flew straight through. First, I travelled from London to Los Angeles, which took 11 hours 30 minutes. After a couple of hours in Los Angeles, I changed planes for the second leg to Papeete, which took another 8 hours.
Suffice to say that, at the end of my long journey, I couldn’t wait to set foot off the plane! As soon as I did, I stepped into the warm, tropical night and was instantly transported to into paradise, with the scent of flowers floating in the air. My memories of the frosty, snow-covered Europe I’d left behind instantly melted away!