Trespassing, Waterfalls & Giant Centipedes

After being in Tahiti for about a week I was itching to go for a hike and maybe get lost in the jungle.

In Tahiti, and especially in Teahupo'o, it rains quite frequently. Maybe "rain" isn't the best way to describe it. It's more like the clouds are dumping millions of gallons of water in a 3 mile radius for 10 hours a day for 3 days straight. I was lucky to have arrived on the island on a day where the sun was out and the puddles had dried, however the next four days were filled with rain. When I woke up that morning and saw the sunshine I had a silly grin slapped on my face and I knew this was my chance to get out and explore.

Because of the heavy rains the waterfalls had a healthy flow of water. I could see them from the footbridge and decided to make my way along the river in that general direction. I strap on my Chacos sandals- which are ideal for walking on river rock and dealing with mud- I grab my bottle of water and begin the trek.

Walking around Teahupo'o, you'll realize that the path leads you through the front yards of many houses. Since I was born and raised in Indiana, I was pretty sure that I would be pissing someone off. I mean I was clearly walking on their grass and sometimes the path led me around the backside of their house. If I were to do this back home, I'd be half expecting an old man with a shotgun waiting for me on the other side. So it really threw me off guard when I came across a group of men sitting on chairs around a table enjoying their beers. They watched as I walked along the path that led me around the side of the house and through the backyard and pretty much right up to where they were sitting. I thought for sure they'd be at the very least annoyed that there was some stranger all up in their property, but no, of course not, this is Tahiti after all. They smile, ask me where I'm going, and where I'm from. I ask them where they're from, the older man says he's Tahitian... then laughs when he realizes that I'm making a joke- it's pretty obvious where he's from. I tell them I'm heading up the mountain to see the cascades (French for waterfall) they nod and tell me bonne chance (Good luck).

I find my way to the river and walk along the edge as far as I can until I have to cross it. The current is a little on the strong side and it takes a lot of balance and carefully placed steps to make my way to the other side. The river is a meandering one so I have to do this quite a few times. After about a good 3 hours of walking I find myself getting into the thick vegetation. I veer off the edge of the river and begin exploring the bottom of the mountain that's thick with bamboo trees, vines, moss and large-leafed plants. I'm walking on mud that seems to be more than a foot thick, filled with decomposing vegetation and still soggy from the past rains. I'm so happy that I bought myself a pair of Chacos sandals. The straps on those babies kept me from having to finish this hike barefoot. At one point I was walking in mud that went up to my mid-calf. I remember hoping so hard that my sandal would stay on as I pulled my foot from the slop.

*If you plan on doing any hiking around a river and dealing with mud or river rock I highly recommend getting yourself a pair of Chacos, they make men and women styles and they're very durable. - I am not a spokesperson for them, just a huge fan after having them for this hike.

I manage to find some solid ground and I'm able to take a good look around. I'm enveloped in a green glow, everything around me is green. The sunlight is fighting through the leaves overhead to reach the forest floor. It's filtered through the large green leaves which creates this beautiful green, golden ambiance. I'm surrounded by so much vegetation that everything seems muted, yet there's a distinct echo of the tropical song birds calling to one another and I can hear the drops of water falling from the sheer wall of rock to my immediate right. I feel free to relax and take in this moment and realize the degree of solitude I'm currently experiencing. I'm on an island in the middle of the ocean, I'm near a city that's populated by less than 2,000 people. I'm on a spot on this island where many of the locals haven't even explored, I'm wondering how many people have even set foot in this exact spot that I am standing right now. Probably not many. I feel like a true explorer in a world where it seems like every inch has already been discovered.

Once I've stood still long enough I realize that I'm being feasted upon by hundreds of mosquitos. I make my way back to the river to continue my hike. Why does it seem like the little gnats want to get sucked up my nose and into my brain? I swear, at this point I've inhaled more than the recommended amount of insects up my nose. I'm getting sick of trying to get them out, and I hope I don't end up on one of those TV shows where the person has a bug lay eggs somewhere in or on their body from a tropical insect.

I'm on a mission to find a waterfall. I keep my ears open for any signs of rushing water and I think I hear one. I follow the river a bit more until I feel I should follow the sounds of the falling water. I begin climbing up the natural steps created by rocks until I see it. The angelic sight of fresh mountain water falling from a hundred feet up and splashing into the natural pool made from the impact of the water. I found my first waterfall and it's awesome. I take some time basking in the waterfall letting the cold water cool my face and back. I cup my hands and taste the refreshing water, forget about the stupid water bottle I brought, this is so much better!

My feet are starting to hate me and my stomach has been empty for quite some time now so I decide that this was a good enough adventure for the day and begin my trek back to civilization.

I felt good when I got back, my endorphins were running high and I felt accomplished at the end of the day. I was pretty tired once I got back to my room so I laid down and drifted off to sleep. But around midnight I was sitting up straight in my bed wondering "What the F---- just bit the back of my neck!!" I jump out of bed and flip the light on. I don't see anything on my bed or sheet. I shake out my pillow case and out falls the biggest centipede I've ever seen in person. It's about 5 inches long and about as thick as my ring finger. It's brownish with red legs and I'm absolutely horrified. Without missing a beat I put on one of my flip flops and stomp on it with all I've got. It doesn't squish and it's still moving. Holy crap it's got some good body armor. So I begin jumping up and down on it about 20 times until I'm satisfied and certain that of it's demise. Meanwhile the bite is still stinging and burning and it's getting worse as time goes by. I do what anyone else would and get on google. I'm horrified to learn that I've been bitten by a "poisonous, giant centipede" that's native to this island. My paranoia reached an all-time high when I read that the type I was bitten by is the only centipede that has caused a human fatality. And I was bitten on the neck. After many more minutes of quick clicks and skimming stories, I learned that I was bitten by a relatively small sized one and I shouldn't expect any serious injuries other than the intense burning sensation, and that would subside in a couple hours.

After I disposed of the remains...

I learned the next day that it's pretty common for those centipedes to take shelter from the heavy rains by hiding out in the room I've been staying in. And also, the chickens and roosters that they have on their property actually love to eat the centipedes. This changed my opinion of the roosters who would wake me up everyday at 4 in the morning by cock-a-doodle-doodling RIGHT outside my window. Now instead of scaring them off I would lure them in by feeding them my leftovers.

It seems like I've covered just about everything from my trip to Tahiti, but I haven't even begun to tell you all about the beautiful, crystal clear ocean I would go dive in everyday, let alone the famous and formidable wave that breaks there that everyone knows as Teahupo'o.

More on that tomorrow!