Our friend from French Polynesia, Tihoti, is on Kauai for a couple of weeks booked solid with tattoo appointments. He called the other day and we figured out a good time for him to take a break and come over for paina (dinner) and a catch up. I picked him up last night after his last tattoo appointment and we had a great time. He has done most of my tattoos and all of jane's..We got some of them done at his place on Huahine, French Polynesia...and some done here on Kauai when he was visiting..I cooked mojo shrimp on the barbie and Jane made a her famous caesar salad, grilled polenta and yellow rice with garden peas...and homemade orange sorbet flavored with oranges from the yard..Tihoti has a boy and a girl that are living with their mom in Australia..no schools in Huahine so they all moved to Australia via Northfolk Island..wife pauline is a descendant of Fletcher Christian and her family lived on Pitcarin Island until they were moved to Northfolk Island...Relatives live in Australia where there are good schools for the kids. Tihoti moved with the family but didn't last long in Australia..too cold for him..so he moved back to Huahine..and then to live on and clear his father's land on Tahaa..He comes to Kauai to tattoo every year to earn money to live on and send to Pauline and the kids..and gets to see them a few times a year until her can build a place on Tahaa and the kids are out of school..Tihoti is one of the nicest people I have ever met..a very spiritual, gentle soul..I have know him for 15 years and have never seen him wearing shoes..flip flops..or anything on his feet...a pareau and maybe a tee shirt...here's a pic I took last night at dinner...which profile does Tihoti fit when TSA screens him ????
©bobpolli
"TIHOTI"
TATTAU MASTER
