Last week we finally caught up to present time.  But hold on. This week we will step back a bit.  I will continue to write about Tahiti and trips I made immediately when we returned.  By next week at this time we will be all up to date.  Hallelujah!  As you will see I have been traveling a lot (so what else is new?).  From Tahiti I went back home to L.A., then made two trips to NY and one side trip to Chicago.  Not bad for the mileage account.

My first trip after Tahiti was to the Big Apple.  I was in town to see my Dad, for the first time in over two months.   It was a chance to spend some quality time with him, since he now lives in Connecticut and Pennsylvania.  PA is where his companion Nancy lives, and they are usually inseparable.  I really like her, and think my Dad is fortunate to have her (and vice versa).  But it's nice to spend some time alone with my Dad.  We met in NYC and went to one of his favorite Italian restaurants, Quatro Gatti.  My brother Frank joined us and we had a nice time arguing with each other.  Just  kidding.  Quattro Gatti: 205 E 81st St., (212) 570-1073.

We drove back to Connecticut for a last-minute mini-family gathering.  You have to love being Italian.  You make a few phone calls, say, “Hey, wanna get some  pasta and go bowling?" and a small gang shows up in no time.   I hadn't bowled in years. I had forgotten how nice it is to take out some aggression on those poor pins.     

It was my first time back in Connecticut since early January, the second longest I have ever been away.  But if you have to pick a few months to be gone, then January, February and March are the best.  It was comforting to be back in Connecticut with my Dad, brother and sister Georgette (who had a  painting on display at the New Canaan art show).  

Another highlight was visiting Clark Howard at one of his book signings.   Clark is the 6th-ranked DJ in America (Howard Stern is #1).  He's a consumer advocate, with a nationally syndicated radio show out of Atlanta.  I had never met Clark before, but he has always been a huge supporter of Johnny Jet.com.  We have been fortunate to have him write about us in his book Get Clark Smart, and he has mentioned JohnnyJet.com numerous times on the air. 

When I heard he would be in my neck of the woods, I talked my Dad and brother into going along on the 30-minute ride.  I was the last person in line for an autograph, and wasn't sure if he would even know who I was.  When it was my turn I said "Hi!  Can you sign the book ‘To Johnny Jet’?  He looked at me and said, “Are you kidding?”  And to my delight he said, with a huge smile, “Holy cow everyone -- Johnny Jet is here!”  I almost fainted.  All of the customers, including the radio host and manager of the book store, were looking at me like Who the hell are you? They later said that was a bit different – people are usually excited to see the author, not the other way around.  Clark could not have been any nicer (you have to love that Southern hospitality!).  

I went back to L.A. for only a few days before heading back out to LAX.  This time I flew to Chicago, then on to New York again as I wrote about last week.  I was in Chi-town for my cousin  Dennis' 40th birthday party.  It was a little chilly on the North Shore where they live, but nonetheless it was really good time.  Every time I go there I feel like I am in a John Hughes movie, because “Sixteen Candles,” “Weird Science” and all those others were filmed those in these suburbs.  I hung out, played with my little cousin's who got the best of me in a sword fight and then went to one of my favorite candy stores (appropriately called sweets).

My brother Frank also flew in for the occasion with his friend Cricket  (I just love saying CRICKET, what a name).   Dennis' wife Sheridan is an amazing cook, and every time I go there she makes all my favorite meals.  One of them is rendang (spicy Indonesian beef).  It might not look too good, but it is mighty tasty!  They rented a party bus for the occasion, making the 30-minute drive out to Arlington Heights easy.  We ate, drank, and roasted Dennis at this great Tapas restaurant called La Tasca.  When we got back to the house all of their middle-aged friends partied like they were 18year olds.  It was hilarious.  La Tasca Restaurant: 25 W Davis St., Arlington Heights, IL.  Tel. (847) 398-2400  

Okay, let's get to the GOOD stuff!  TAHITI! (Or should I say FRENCH POLYNESIA!)  Last week we left off on our  flight to Raiatea, which is where you need to land to get to my new favorite island in the world.  We stayed at the brand new 5-star Pearl Resort on Taha'a (opened August 1, 2002).  That's right:  Taha'a. Write it down and tell all your friends who are looking for a romantic getaway.  This place is it. 

We were greeted by a well-dressed Tahitian named John (nice name!).  He took our bags and walked us over to the port, where we caught the boat to paradise. It took 30 minutes to ride across the calm blue waters to our hotel.  The Taha'a resort will take your breath away, I promise.  I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere. (That usually scares the hell out of me, but this time I didn't want to leave).  Everything was so clean, fresh and tranquil.  The lobby made me feel like I was in a gigantic 5-star…tree house.  

The staff was amazing.  We were greeted with a  smile, a lei, and a cool blue vanilla delicious non-alcoholic drink that I wish I could have a sip of right now.  We were then personally guided to the nicest, most unbelievable hotel room ever!  It was an over the water bungalow that I could have lived in forever.  Look at this room !  Everything was state of the art, and spotless.   Here, I'll show you around.  The bathroom had two sinks which is key whenever you travel with Amber Airplane.  The water pressure in the shower was firm.  Now let's go see our private deck, complete with lounge chairs (this is what it looks like during the day ) and an outdoor shower.  Okay, are you ready for the best part?  Now hold on to your socks... check out the foot of the bed.  There is a glass floor that you can lift to feed the fish or hear the sounds of the ocean while you sleep.  Is that incredible or what?   

After taking in  the view, let's go for a tour of the grounds.  If you feel like being active, just see the " Beach Boys " at the activity desk.  There are plenty of sports activities, including tennis.  Every visitor has free use of snorkel gear and kayaks.  The best day we had was when we took a two-person kayak and paddled over to neighboring Motu.  We pulled up on this deserted island, put on our snorkel mask and fins, and saw some of the most incredible fish and coral reefs ever.  It was magical. I wish I had pictures to show you, but some moments are private.

By the way, there's more staff here than guests.   In fact, the Taha'a Pearl Resort has only 48 over-the-water bunglaows and 12 beach bungalows.  The place was almost packed to capacity, but we hardly saw anyone.  It was like our own private island.  We were there in their rainy season (which isn’t long, because the sun usually shines) and it still was the best place ever.

Do you want to see what the  beach bungalows look like?   Although these are a bit cheaper, they are just as nice.  This is the entrance, the bed, a seperate room, two sinks (again) and a private bath tub outside! How sweet is that?  Guests also have their own private beach.  Now if this resort isn't the nicest in the world, then what is?

It's unreal!  I still can't get over it.  I keep thinking, Did I really just go there?

Every night the maids came in for turn-down service, but instead of mints they left sweet-smelling flowers all over the place.  Oh yeah, they also gave us an ancient bedtime story to read before saying night-night. It was a different two-page legend each night. The one I brought back is called “Legende de Migo.”

The next morning we woke up early and  headed to breakfast, which is in the tree house (main building).  Before we left, we fed the fish from a bread basket the hotel leaves at the foot of the path. It’s day-old bread, but I’m sure the fish love it.  There are 3 restaurants on the island, and the food at all of them is amazing.  A famous French chef lives on the island, and we were in awe of what he cooked up.  I had one of the best Denver omelet's ever at the breakfast buffet. 

We went back to our room to lay around and snorkel.  I took pictures of Amber and the giant Manta Ray's from our room.  That's right:  the friendly manta rays swam right underneath our room. How exciting!  Check out this whale – uh oh, it's just me after breakfast.   People who don't feel like swimming in the ocean can lie out at the pool, (it's a cool 78 degrees).  Or they grab a book and lie on one of the many hammocks which are set up throughout the island.  Well, it's time for lunch on our deck. Gotta go!

What a trip!

Next week we finish Tahiti with the crazy couple massage Amber Airplane signed us up for, plus our unbelievable plane ride home.  If you want this Tahitian dream to be a reality, just contact FlyTahiti.com or 1-800-JohnnyJet!