Hi there, I'm Lale Arakoglu and this is women who travel.

Today we're going to Tahiti, a place that's so magical, it's hard to believe it exists.

I'm talking to Condonast Traveler's very own Megan Sparell,

who went there to meet the surfers who were taking part in the Olympics.

My hammock is blowing in the wind. Someone just went by on a boat. It is like the picture of, like to me,

everything looks like a 90s screensaver of a tropical destination. It's so gorgeous. If there was a trip to have clichés on, it's here. On summer weekends when we're both at home in New York City,

Megan and I go surfing in the Rockaways. She is much better than me. She comes from Southern

California, from Palace Verdes, where there's a huge surf scene

that she's passionate about. Growing up in London, I did not have the same experience. For Megan,

one of the most fascinating parts of this assignment is that the event is the furthest from the host

city in Olympic history. The Olympics are going to be in a small village here called Tehupo on the island of Tahiti,

and it became my dream and then reality to come and interview all the surfers and learn about

the surf scene here. And I mean, so many people I've spoken to ahead of this trip don't even

realize that part of the Paris 2024 Olympics

are happening here, just surfing. I love being in the water, so I think that's my first

interest in just like being around people who also appreciate that and are excited to like get out

and have fun on the waves, even though I am on such a different skill level than the people

I've been around for the past couple weeks.

How easy is it to describe the surf scene in Tahiti and what were kind of your initial impressions

of it?

Obviously, the surf scene, if you're talking about the whole island, which kind of has like a big section of the island and something that looks like a second island that is still connected.

You know, you can drive around the whole thing.

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