SS: Bora Bora

There we were at legendary Bora Bora, by many accounts the most beautiful island in the South Pacific (and by some accounts, the world). And it was gray. And gusty. And it rained much of the time. And we were derailed a couple of hours by an engine fuel problem. And use of a mooring ball involved acrobatic diving. Thank goodness we weren't honeymooners--a target audience here--or we'd have been profoundly disappointed by the absence of brochure-quality blue (lagoon photographs, swimming and snorkeling all benefit from the normally crystalline azure waters). Fortunately Jan & David had previous opportunities to see these islands in all their glory, and we'll have another chance in a year or so.

Happy hour is still happy in the rain!

An over-the-water bungalow in gusty winds

Hiking to the top of a high hill yielded great views

That said, we made the most of our time there! The scenery was equally stunning in misty clouds (some of which have green hues, reflecting the shallow lagoon beneath them). We did get to enjoy being in the water a few times, and Jan & David treated us to a fabulous meal at Bloody Mary's, a seafood restaurant frequented by luminaries for nearly 50 years (e.g. Buzz Aldrin to Vanessa Williams, Harrison Ford to Johnny Depp, Nelson Rockefeller to Bill & Melinda Gates).  We poked around the town of Vaitape, capital of Bora Bora and full of tourist shops: black pearls, T shirts, black pearls, pareaus (brightly colored fabric wraps), more black pearls. (Sure glad I got mine directly from a Tuamotan pearl farming family!)

Two friends of the reflective type

Two friends of the splashy type

Two friends of the ancient type,
having Bloody Marys at Bloody Mary's

One of our anchorages at Bora Bora

Snorkel time!

A quintessential Bora Bora scene

After bidding farewell to Jan &David, Art &I ended up in an anchorage with manta rays and sea turtles around the boat, watching the surf break high on the nearby reef. Soon we would leave the reef's protective oasis and head back out to the open ocean. We busily prepared the boat for another passage, then spent our last night in Bora Bora reveling in one last dance performance. A local troupe headed to an event in San Diego presented their show on their own turf (or sand) first, so the whole island came out to support them--and they were worthy of the home town pride!

Photographs were allowed at this performance;
along with their families taking pictures,
we captured dancers and musicians

As we were checking out of the country the next morning, we serendipitously came upon yet one more Heiva event.  We didn't get to see stone lifting, in which seemingly ordinary people manage to hoist large boulders onto their shoulders, or outrigger canoe races (though not a day went by when we didn't see people out paddling)--but at the last minute we did get to see fruit carrying! Coconuts and stalks of bananas were tied to poles, weighed, then hoisted onto shoulders for a barefoot race around town--accompanied, of course, by lots of whooping and hollering.

A closeup shows big bundles of fruit and big muscles to carry them

And they're off! 

If we'd had a choice between ideal swimming weather and unique cultural experiences, we would have chosen the cultural experiences anyway. As it was, the weather was reasonably good, and we had rare opportunities to immerse ourselves in Tahitian festivities that created unsurpassed

memories.

I was reminded of my early epiphany, shortly after arriving in the Marquesas: it's about the people, not just the scenery. As we prepare to leave this country, what we think of missing isn't the mountain silhouettes, the surf-sprayed reefs or the beautiful lagoons; it's the cheerful spontaneous Ia Oranas (greetings) from passersby, families selling fruit from their yards along the roads, and spirited community activities.

                              

We are nostalgic about leaving these 'wonder-full' islands, yet looking forward to what lies ahead. Weather forecasts are making us wary of the upcoming 550 mile crossing to the Cook Islands, but with visas expiring, sail away we must. Rarotonga, here we come!