Incredible Mag

Visiting French Polynesia

<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">French Polynesian civilization has been around for millennia&comma; probably since 2000 BC&period; Despite the lack of large structural presence&comma; it is agreed that it is among the oldest surviving civilizations&period; Papeetee is the largest city in French Polynesia and it is probably the place where we stay and spend much of the time&period; French is the official language of the country and it is widely spoken by locals&period; English is commonly understood in tourist areas&period; Missionaries came in 18<sup>th<&sol;sup> century and they destroyed much of the original Polynesian culture&comma; including carvings and temples&period; Tattoo and their distinctive erotic dancing are banned as well&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;"><img class&equals;"aligncenter wp-image-175" src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;incrediblemag&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2015&sol;10&sol;Visiting-French-Polynesia&period;jpg" alt&equals;"Visiting French Polynesia" width&equals;"600" height&equals;"305" &sol;><&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Fortunately&comma; some of the traditional ways survived the cultural annihilation and we could still see effects on the locals’ loves&period; In the past few decades&comma; there has been an interest to re-discover the old ways and traditional arts&period; Toere drums and pahu are traditional musical instruments of French Polynesia and they have been used more often&period; Foreign musical instruments&comma; such as ukulele and guitars&comma; are also incorporated into local cultures&period; When visiting French Polynesia&comma; we would immediately experience a casual and very laid back approach to life&period; We could see it from the manner of their dress&period; Even in classy restaurants&comma; many people are adopting relaxed dress standards&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">French Polynesia should provide us with a unique culinary style that combines the classic South Pacific cuisine with some French&comma; Chinese and even Italian influences&period; Like other Pacific tribes&comma; locals also use traditional pit ovens known as ahimaa&period; They would dig a hole in the ground&comma; place food wrapped in banana leaves&comma; put very hot stones on top and bury the whole thing with soil&period; It is a slow cooking process and would be completed after a few hours&period; Meat and vegetables cooked in this method will taste succulent and juicy&period; Baked banana covered with cooked thick&comma; sweet coconut milk is a favourite dessert in French Polynesia and it’s served hot&period; Coconut milk is a versatile cooking ingredient in Pacific area and it can be used in some Western dishes as well&comma; such as chicken casseroles&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">Fish is essential for local cuisine and it is usually marinated with local condiments and spices before baked or grilled&period; Tattooing was an essential part in French Polynesia culture and local designs have excellent aesthetic appeals&period; They are known for the elaborate patterns and tattoos were significantly more important among men&comma; than women&period; Traditional tattooing instruments include sharp teeth made from tortoise shell or bone&semi; and a small mallet to insert teeth into the skin&period; The dye is made from a local oily fruit that has been burnt into soot&period; The ink can be made by diluting the soot and it is an excellent for permanent coloring purposes&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p style&equals;"text-align&colon; justify&semi;">The best time to go to French Polynesia is in summer&comma; between May and October&comma; when it is relatively cool and dry in the area&period; In July&comma; there is a month-long Heiva festival&comma; which features sporting events&comma; crafts display&comma; art exhibitions&comma; dancing and music&period; It is basically a French Polynesian version of Brazilian carnival&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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