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| Mt. Otemanu..the highest peak at 2400 feet |
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| Visitor's center at the tender landing in Vaitape |
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| The artist's market |
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| Artisanat Center |
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Excellent map of Bora Bora and lagoon
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Bora Bora is another "big wow" for sheer beauty....one of the best nature provides. It only took us sailing overnight from Moorea to arrive here, since it is located around 170 miles from Tahiti. Depending on the source, there are anywhere from 5800 to under 9000 folks that live here. They work primarily in the tourist and hotel industries.
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| Looks cool, but it was unforgivingly HOT |
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| Shallow aquamarine waters |
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| Too hot for sunbathing |
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| Bill enjoying the walk |
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Paradise for sure
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In 1942, the American armada arrived to this island to set up a military outpost after being drawn into the war after the Pearl Harbor attack. Roads were built, and the water supply was renovated. Eight canons were fixed on the hillsides, and an airstrip and base were completed in 1943. Some of these signs of war relics are still visible today.
We tendered to shore once the main portion of the crowd was already over there. Gosh, it was going to be a hot day, although rain was in the forecast. Of course, we brought the umbrellas to be sure the rain would stay away. We walked up and down the main street via the handicraft market by the tenderboat landing.
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| Locally-made shell jewelry |
Most all of the seashell jewelry was the same as what we have seen for the last two days, only it was more expensive. Did we mention that the Amadea was also anchored in the harbor? Well, that meant at least 400 or 500 more people here today. The craft market was stuffed with shoppers, so we made our way out the back door as soon as we could.
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| Some palms for shade |
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Little boat activity
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Compared to Moorea, Bora Bora is much more suitable for the tourist crowds with shops and boutiques in the town of Vaitape. Certified pearl stores will guarantee authenticity and quality, but the pieces come with a hefty price. When you see a pendant with a perfect black pearl, set in gold, and surrounded with small diamonds, nothing else will compare to it. One such necklace we saw in a store window ran about 162,000 French francs. Matching earrings were even more........184,000. That would be a grand total of about $3900. Hmmmm, maybe next time......
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| Nice shops, but expensive |
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| Each pareo is different |
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| Tahitian tea |
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Cool bottle of coconut oil
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| Matira Beach |
Our destination this morning was Matira Point, where Matira Beach is located. The best way there is by shuttle for a mere $5. per person. You can walk the highway, but it would take a couple of hours one way, carefully navigating on a narrow seaside road. In this humid heat, it was not a wise choice to attempt this. So we joined the convenient shuttle bus that stopped right by the tenderboat landing. We had a short wait, while the driver tried to pick up more folks going our way.
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| Interesting church in the center |
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| Beautiful inside |
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| Stained glass with mountain in background |
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| Church cross |
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Evangelical church
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| Shelter for shade |
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| Lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel |
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| Pathway to the rooms |
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| Lone palm |
The ride took perhaps 15 minutes, and we were dropped off right at Matira Beach, reportedly the nicest white sand beach on the island. It is also a public beach, even though the Intercontinental Bora Bora Resort and Spa is built right there. We discovered that if we wanted to use the resort's lounges, towels, restrooms, and beachfront, it would cost about $40 per person on a day pass. That did not entitle us to the pool area or provide any drinks or food.
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| Finally at Bloody Marys |
All we wished to do was walk in the surf on the beach as we made our way back towards Bloody Marys, the most popular stop on the island. Had we been thinking, we should have brought our aqua shoes with us, because the white sandy beach was full of sharp coral and broken shells. Even accessing the water to swim was dicey. But once the sunbathers got into the deeper water, they simply stayed there. The beach water was so warm, you barely felt it when you walked in it. This is one of those places where the sea temps equal the air temps. We remember it well with all of the snorkeling excursions we have done in the past. Bet we see a lot of sun burnt folks back on the ship this evening.
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| Shoreline abode |
Many private bungalows lined the shoreline. Some even had patios where they served the tourists beverages....the most popular being Hinano beer. Sure looked appealing to us, as by now, our water supply was dwindling. We finally reached the end of the sandy beach, and the end of the shoreline.
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| A pearl shop along the roadside |
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Pareos in the breeze
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| Tikis tell a story |
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White sandy beach with lots of coral
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| Idle sailboats |
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| Really idle hot dog |
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One of Patrick's dive boats
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From there, we popped back up on the road, and followed it to famous Bloody Marys. Expecting it to be over-crowded with diners, we were pleasantly surprised to find most of the tables were available. As the friendly waitress took our order, we did see busloads of people coming inside to take photos, buy a drink or t-shirt, and use the restrooms facilities. The restrooms are a novelty in this establishment, because they have interesting decorations and fountain-like wash basins. The "decorations" can be considered x-rated, and for that reason, the tourists line up to take photos.
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| The restaurant |
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Whimsical palm at Bloody Marys
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| OK, ready for anything cold and wet |
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| Tables and chairs made of solid wood |
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| Hinano beers |
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| Until the Amadea group arrived |
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| Not crowded |
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| Restroom sign in the men's bathroom |
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| Nice t-shirts |
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Chicken quesadillas with sour cream, salsa, guacamole, & beans and cheese
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| Ready for lunch |
Well, we were there for the beer and the food. Usually we indulge in their hamburgers, but today we wanted to try something different. So we went Mexican with an order of a chicken quesadilla with guacamole, sour cream, refried beans mixed with melted cheese, and a tangy salsa. We were in heaven......about as good as having a margherita pizza. The best part was sitting under an overhead fan, and not being rushed. We do know that we are in a lot of photos and video from the Amadea crowd, who stumbled inside and did not hesitate to snap away. The time flew by all to quickly, and we knew we had to start back to the pier.
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| The dock across the road from Bloody Marys |
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Standing on the dock of the bay...is that a song???
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One of the shuttles was waiting to transport guests back, so we hopped on. All aboard time today was at 4:30pm, and we did not want to wait until the last tenderboat. Did we ever use the umbrellas? Of course not, even though the rain did pass overhead while we dined. Like we said, if you bring them, you will not need them.
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| Look who's here.....the Amadea again |
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| Oops....letting off steam (not us) |
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Native kayakers
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The sun was still penetrating when we went to the aft deck for the sailaway. The Amadea tenders were stilling running back and forth, obviously staying later than us.
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Two surfers and the tenderboat
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| Riding the waves of the tenderboat |
It was fun watching the local kayakers paddle to get in the boat's wake, and ride the wave. By the time the Captain was heaving anchor, the sky opened up and the rain came down hard. That sure cleared the decks. We took refuge down on deck seven aft on the narrow strip of balcony overlooking the back. It's a nice place to sit and stay out of the elements. Not that we minded getting wet, but the cameras don't like it. We stayed there, blissfully relaxing on one of the teak lounges until the magic was broken by a lone passenger who decided to crowd us out.
Some of the choices at dinner were not really to our liking, so the alternate steak entree worked OK. One of us had the poblano and cheese stuffed chicken breast, which was hot and spicy. This is the first time we have noticed that the cooks are not afraid to season the food. You just have to have a full glass of ice water on hand to counteract the hotness. And the double scoop of rocky road ice cream for dessert helped also. Great excuse, right?
We now have two days at sea to relax before reaching American Samoa....Pago Pago to be exact.
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| The best place for the sailaway |
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| Rainbow over the island |
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| Terraced gardens |
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| Abandoned huts over the water |
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| Major hotel resort of huts |
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| Small boat launch |
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| A motu (small islet) |
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| One resident lives on the motu |
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| Sailboat |
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| Until the next time |
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| Leaving the bay |
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| Goodbye Bora Bora |
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| See you next fall! |
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| The rain felt so good |
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