Day two in Mo'orea started off even warmer than yesterday. There were fewer clouds, more sun, and less wind. It might be nice for picture-taking, but this humid heat makes you "melt". We had a big treat after leaving breakfast around 8:30am. Going down to the promenade deck, we saw some dolphins jumping in the distance near the moored sailboats. They began appearing in larger numbers, and put on quite a show jumping and even spinning like the big spinner dolphins. They must have been feeding as they do in the early part of the day. Before we knew it, a few dolphin-watching tour boats arrived and they had the dolphins following the boats as they sailed in a big circle very slowly. What spoiled the activity were 5 jet-ski people that sped around the pod and the boats, sending the pod elsewhere, not to be seen again until later when they were not bothered. At least we were able to see them frolicking, happy in their element. We doubt we could have gotten better pictures if we were in those boats. Simply the luck of the draw.
We were in no hurry to go to shore, and we took advantage of the time working on the computer. We were scheduled to have our carpet cleaned between 10:30am and 2pm, although we did not have to leave the room. According to the notice we got last night, it would take 10 minutes for the shampooing and it would be under the supervision of a housekeeping officer. We gathered our stuff at the same time we had the knock on the door. Perfect timing.
Once off of the tender boat, we headed to our lady friend's table to search for matching earrings for the necklace we bought yesterday. Matching the purple shell was impossible. Actually none of the vendors had that particular shell in their creations. That will give one of us something to look for tomorrow in Huahine.
Being that it was so much warmer today, we decided to take a shorter walk, but turning left at the intersection this time. Even checking what was available up that way online , it appeared that there was little in the way of restaurants or shops. We had hiked this way many years ago, but had forgotten what we saw. Truthfully, it was much the same as turning right yesterday. Shoreline homes with green gardens and plenty of mango and breadfruit trees. One house had a side lot full of banana trees.
About a mile or two up the road, we found the road that goes up to Magic Mountain or a good lookout with a vigorous hike straight up. We have been up to Belvedere Lookout many times, but this one is closer to the ship. We had heard that someone would collect a fee to go through a gate on private property. Sure enough, a lady came out of a house/roadside shop, to collect 200 Pacific French francs or $2 US dollars. She laughed when we said no thanks – it was way too hot for that climb today. Best to leave it to the youngsters onboard (crew members). She agreed it was too warm, and gladly went back to her chair in the shade of a tree.
By now it was after 12pm and a good time for a beer. Right next to this side road was a place called Fare Tutava. It appeared to be a take-away counter, but was in fact an outdoor eatery with picnic tables under the shade of a roof and plenty of trees. Studying the menu, we saw they served beer, so we took a table for two and ordered two bottles of ice cold Hinanos. Perfect. Most of their food items were fish, but they did have burgers and fries. We shared one and saved room for a dessert. There was a bit of a language problem, since the waitress spoke more French than we could understand. Showing us a dessert menu, we indicated a banana split would be fine. She said OK and took off, coming back with a wooden monkeypod bowl in the shape of a pineapple with the banana split. It was vanilla ice cream with rum-cooked bananas, topped with whipped cream, and sprinkled with coconut. Good thing we were sharing. Part of the screening for the outdoor restaurant were island pareos hanging on clotheslines. Of course, some of them were very pretty, and we ended up buying one on the way out. It is a piece of clothing I use all summer at home, and have to admit the collection is growing.
We headed back to the pier, stopping in the shade of the old mango and breadfruit trees. Frangipanis scented the air, but so did the several fires that created smoke. One of the first times we sailed into Bora Bora, we noticed the smoke coming from the shoreline. It smelled pungent, so we thought they were firing up the BBQ's. Nope…it turned out to be burning of the dried leaves and trimmings from the jungle foliage. Upon a closer look, we saw piles alongside the road where eventually they would dispose of the trimmings with fire. Good thing the mountains and valleys are so green, or these islands could burn up like what happened in Lahaina this year. One other observation we made while sailing away this evening was that many more fires were creating thick smoke everywhere. It is possible the smoke helps keep the biting bug population under control, especially at dusk.
We are still trying to figure out the correct spelling for the bay we are anchored in. Is it Bahia d' Opunoha or Opunohu, as it is spelled locally? If it is in fact Opunohu, then HAL has been spelling it wrong for several years. Perhaps one of our readers has the answer.
We got back to the ship by 2pm, and chilled out in our room until we left the bay. Opunohu Bay to be exact. Captain Paul came on the speakers at 5pm, and said the ship had been at anchor and spinning on the it for two days. That saves fuel since they did not have to use the engines to stabilize our position. We have 82 nautical miles to reach Huahine tomorrow at a speed of 6 knots. The seas have calmed down and the sailing was smooth. We are now heading northwest where we had an excellent view of the sunset at 6:10pm. The Captain even came back on the speakers to remind the guests to look out a window to see that dramatic sun go down on the horizon.
Tomorrow's port will be a new one for us, and many other guests and crew. Having TV access to the port talk given by Kimberly really is a help with a new stop. Having saved a local tour booklet from last year's cruise has been invaluable for information.
Dinner was in the dining room with one order of chicken noodle soup and a pork belly appetizer. The salads have been skimpy, so we will wait until Papeete before we order one. Mains were the beef bourguignon meal with roasted fingerling potatoes and carrots with pearl onions. Very tasty and tender, we ate all of it. Our waiter, Mario, was a bit under the weather according to Risman, so we had a new man take over tonight. We think standing in the heat on the pier got to Mario yesterday. Just too warm. Desserts were one bowl of coffee ice cream with chocolate syrup and an orange-flavored panna cotta. Small, but just the right size. By the way, we thought we might add that there are Morimoto specials every evening on the menu. They offer Epice lobster tails with lemon foam and veggies for $25. And fresh halibut with Asian veggies, dried shrimp, and a scallop sauce for $25 was the other choice.
Bill & Mary Ann
