March 09 - Bora Bora

March 09, 2008

As we pulled away last night from Tahiti, we went topside to watch the sail-away. The view was magnificent. The sunset was incredibly beautiful behind the sister island of Moorea (the Yellow Dragon) with an incredible blend of reds, yellows, and oranges. The BBQ was excellent, and the movie gave me a new perspective n England’s relationship to its monarchy. We fell asleep tired but ready for the next port of call.

We woke up early to the sounds of the bow thrusters maneuvering our ship closer to the port. We had arrived at Bora Bora!!! The view from our cabin only whetted our appetite for the whole view. After a brief breakfast we headed topside to get a good look at this beautiful island. The view from the highest point on the ship was breathtaking. “Bali Hai,” the impressive remains of a collapsed volcano, overlooks this pacific paradise. We boarded one of the ship’s lifeboats for the short trip to the docks. I would hate to have to be stuck on one of those for a significant amount of time. Then again, I guess it would be better than going down with the ship. On arrival to the docks we browsed the stalls at a small craft market, and then a group of 19 of us boarded a large outrigger pirogue for our tour. The island of Bora Bora consists of a central island made up of the remains of a collapsed volcano surrounded by a myriad of small motus (small islands) with a barrier reef around them. As a result, the water between the motus and the central island is incredibly calm and clear, with coral reef heads dotting the lagoon floor. Our first stop was at the edge of the barrier reef where we got the chance to swim with and feed sting rays. They feel very smooth, almost slimy, and these particular bunch are accustomed to humans and weren’t aggressive at all. Like puppies, they gathered around us and would come up onto our chests looking for handouts. It was scary at first but very cool and exciting. We then stopped off at a beautiful beach where there were hotels and dive shops. We picked up a few coolers for our lunch and the proceeded to a spot called “the fish garden.” They should have called it something else, since in addition to swimming with a multitude of tropical fish and sting rays, we got the opportunity to swim with a few dozen black-tipped reef sharks. A few of us stayed in the water to feed them. It was amazing, and I didn’t feel scared at all. At one point I swam out from the boat and was swimming amongst them. According to what the rest of my companions said when I got back onboard, they were very concerned for my safety since the sharks were actually circling me. At no time did I feel threatened, however. After that unique experience we proceeded to a private motu where our guide and his helpers prepared lunch while we swam in the lagoon. We were out at least 500-600 feet and we were still thigh-deep in water. Lunch was a Polynesian feast of grilled marlin marinated in soy and oyster sauces, a fresh fish (raw & marinated in lemon) salad, boiled taro and plantain, taro bead, poe (a mixture of ripe banana, tapioca flour, and coconut cream), and fresh fruits. The dishes were all hand-made from coconut fronds and large round leaves. There was no silverware so we ate with our hands native-style. They played Polynesian music for us – enchanting melodies of ukulele, guitar and drums. We stayed for another hour after lunch and then continued our tour. We circumnavigated the central island and had wonderful views of a variety of motus, from large ones with luxury hotels to small, uninhabited ones. The majority of the luxury hotels have long jetties that jut out into the lagoons, each jetty with cottages that have steps out into the tropical waters. My hope is to some day be able to stay in one of those… We also saw the airport that was built for WWII and some gun emplacements that have been conserved. We had some excellent views of the local villages, each marked with its own church steeple. After return to the docks, more shopping was available, then we tendered back in to the ship. After quick showers we went topside for tropical drinks, then Karen went for a pedicure while I watched the sail-away and then went to deal for the watches we want. We met up at the cabin and got ready for dinner. We went to a pre-dinner show by Dennis Blair, a comedian. This guy toured with Rodney Dangerfield and was very funny. We had martinis after the show, and dinner was, as usual, excellent. It felt that dinner was endless, though, since Karen and I were both exhausted. We should’ve just went to the grill and had pizza or pasta and then headed for bed. Karen passed right out and I stayed up just a little longer updating you guys…