Tahiti2001

:Bora Bora: :Moorea: :Tahiti Nui Roller Marathon: :Tahiti 2000: :Tahiti 2002:

In March 2001, Bill, Robin, Vlad, and Karin re-visited French Polynesia to attend the 3rd Annual Tahiti Nui Roller Marathon. Of course, the smooth pavement on the road encircling Moorea is merely an excellent excuse to return to this paradise of turquoise blue lagoons, lush jungle greenery, Mai Tais under the impossibly starry skies, extraordinary sunsets, and snorkeling with the jewel-like fishies and stingrays. Unfortunately, Bill's camera malfunctioned during this trip, and we don't have as many photos as we might have liked...so I am left to parasitize the photos of others.

For more Polynesian Travels, be certain to check out our Travelogs from 2000 and 2002. Call us addicted! And stay tuned for Karin and Vlad's 5th Polynesian Adventure in 2003!

We arrived in Papeete and immediately flew off to Bora Bora. Arriving in Bora by plane was breathtaking. The volcanic peaks jutting up from the impossibly turquoise lagoon were simply breathtaking. The island was surrounded by motus, or islands created by the sinking volcanic mountain and a coral reef building up at the edges. The Bora Bora airport is located on one of these motus, as was our hotel, the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort.

We had arrived late because our connecting flight was not on time...and the boat to take us to the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort was nowhere to be found. So, we made our way to the main town, Vaitape, and began to hunt around for a telephone from which to ring up the resort staff. A fellow on the dock approached us and asked if he could help us...he made the call to the Bora Bora Lagoon resort and told them of our stranding. In 5 minutes, we could see a tiny boat launch from the motu...they were coming to get us!

The Bora Bora Lagoon Resort was a treat. We immediately settled in for a meal in the lovely restaurant.

Our room was stunning! Spacious and breezy...no air conditioning, but absolutely no need for it with the lagoon breezes. We were at the very end of the dock in one of the deepest overwater bungalows.

We were tuckered and went to bed early. We awakened early and jumped out of bed to finally see a daytime view of Bora Bora! As I mentioned, our overwater bungalow was right at the end of the dock.

The views of Mount Otemanu from out of our bedroom were simply stunning!

We had a staircase leading down to a platform from which we could snorkel.

The very first morning, Bill and I brushed our teeth, just gazing at the water. Within seconds, I spotted an eagle ray, just basking in the shallows about 15 feet from our deck. Obviously, this is not my picture here, but I just had to show you what we saw:

Then, when I was down on this platform, Bill said, "Hey, there's a moray eel behind you!". I am sad to say that I didn't believe him at first. I mean, how could we be seeing so much fantastic sea life within just 10 minutes of brushing our teeth outside our bungalow. But sure enough, there was a mid-size moray eel, about 10 feet off the platform, looking up at me. You can't see it from this picture, but it was just behind me....

Our deck was heavenly...

Hee hee...I think I was mad at Bill for snapping this pic of me...

We spent many of days in our bungalow...a launching pad for all the day's activities. Reading, snorkeling, drinking Mai-Tais.

The Bora Bora Lagoon was heavenly (am I over-using that word?). We snorkeled every day and never tired of it. I've never done anything so relaxing as spending hours snorkeling through the coral gardens. The water was incredibly clear, and the jewel-colored fish were unafraid, surrounding us whereever we went.

Occasionally, we took our lunch by the pool, where the staff delivered fresh fruit every hour or so, and towels cooled with ice water to drape around our necks. What a treat!

One afternoon, we took a Tupuna Safari 4x4 excursion tour through the interior of the island. We traveled through the jungles, up and down scary steep unpaved roads. We had a chance to view the WWII canons that the US had set up high on the mountains. This is the view from there.

Afterward, Bill "accidentally" spotted Matira Pearls...a very famous Tahitian pearl shop, the best known in all of French Polynesia. He said, "let's go in!" While in the shop, Bill suddenly said, "Pick out a pearl you love". He was strangely insistent.

I was a little shocked at first (although this particular shop is the best value in all of Polynesia, they were still VERY PRICEY and I thought we had already broken the budget by staying at the Bora Bora Lagoon Resort). Bill assured me that he had considered purchasing a pearl already, and urged me to pick the biggest, most beeeyoootifulll pearl I wanted. So, I did! I was still a little shell-shocked, but I loved my pearl, and debated whether to have it made into a pendant or a ring.

Fast forward to the next glorious morning: February 14/Valentine's Day. One of the drawbacks of our resort was that it faced the island of Bora Bora. The sun set BEHIND the little hilly island (motu) it was on, so we always missed the sunsets. Bill suggested that we get up in the wee hours of the morning and hike up to the panoramic viewpoint so that we could enjoy the sun RISE instead. That morning, the pre-dawn alarm went off, and Bill was up and out of bed in a shot. I thought his behavior was a little odd...he is not typically a morning person. But I had no suspicions, and chalked his preternatural wakefulness and alertness to travel jitters. I certainly thought it was sweet that he wanted to get us up to see the sunrise...that’s his way. Honestly, it did not even really occur to me that it was Valentines Day. So, we set off on our hike (only about a 15-minute jaunt, no major undertaking) in the pre-dawn dark.

Bill reached over to his bag as if he was going to pull out his camera for one more photo, and told me precisely where to stand. Then he pulled out the pearl in it's pretty little box, got down on one knee and proposed to me in deliciously romantic words that, for the life of me, I cannot remember now! I was astounded! I really had no idea (although reading this, his intent is likely blatantly obvious to readers!). Well of course, I said yes. I was beaming. Here I am…face unwashed, hair uncombed, sleepy seeds not washed outta my eyes, pearl in hand…is there any doubt from the giddy look on my face that I said, "YES!"

We brought this lovely pearl back to the states and found a "jewel" of a jeweler who created this engagement ring for me!

Here is the location of Bill's Proposal!

On to MOOREA

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