Post #74880 by bigbrotiki on Fri, Feb 6, 2004 2:18 PM

That, off course, is open to interpretation. Gauguin liked to provoke the local Bishop with his bohemian lifestyle, and thus the carved frame over his entrance has widely been translated with "House Of Pleasure".
It lead after all to his bedroom, which supposedly was liberally decorated with pornography.
His other mottos carved to the left and right of the door were "Soyez mysterieuse" (be mysterious) and "Soyez amoureuses et vous serez heureuses", which could be translated with " Be in love and you will be happy" OR, more literally, be AMOROUS and you will be happy.

Congrats guys on taking that trip, to the cradle of Tiki. Gauguin's house is unfortunately just a reproduction, ironically no one could afford the REAL carved doorframes in the Marquesas nowadays. But there are fine small Museums on several islands with interesting artifacts. And of course there is nothing more rewarding than visiting actual Tiki temples in the jungle, like the one in the Taipi valley, where Melville lived with the Taipi tribe after he jumped ship.
A warning: The Marquesan Tiki carvings are not cheap, the locals rather sell ONE for more money than more for less, so hold out for the good ones, they are worth their money.
Hope you will get to stay at the ROYAL TAHITIAN in Papeete, a small intact 60s resort.

Please convey my warm regards to Didier, (if he is the guide on your trip) and have him send me his e-mail address, I lost it.
He was a guide on Easter Island for years, and really knows his stuff.

I have been thinking of getting a group of Tiki Centralites together to do the journey again, that would be a blast. I have not been on their new ship, the old Aranui was a rustbucket made in Bremen, Germany in the 50s.

It is just a little costly (in the 3 to 4 grand range) for non-lecturers, so I don't know who can spring for that, sort of a once in a lifetime deal for most, I would think.