2016_03_31 BORA BORA!

Late arrival today in Bora Bora will allow a bit of relaxation this morning.  However, it's all relative!

We should arrive in port around 10:00 this morning.  It's 6:30 now as I enter this into the blog.  Breakfast call is 8:45 in the main dining room and after that it's up for discussion.  The ladies really want to try and do some shopping as there has been no time or possibility of it on the smaller islands. There is probably more opportunity in Bora Bora as the main town of Vaitape is walking distance from the pier.

First look at Bora Bora this morning.

Getting closer!

A plane just landed at the airport in this image.

The group looks out from Rich's front balcony.

Here you can see the outlying motus, the edges of the atoll surrounding the mountains.  Click on the image to see it better.

Inside the Bora Bora Harbor.

Arrived into Bora Bora harbor this morning around 10:00.  Another LONG breakfast in the dining room fueled us for the day’s activities.

Some of us headed over to the pier in Viatape a bit earlier to do some shopping.  Arrived just in time for the rainfall to drive us indoors to a shopping area.  After a while some went back to gather rainwear and umbrellas.  Stopped at the buffet and had a bite to eat.

Returned to the dock with no rain!  I guess getting the ranger did the trick.  Met Patrick - the owner of Bora Bora 4 x 4 Adventures.  He passed us on to our truck where we met Rappa our driver and tour guide.  

Rappa telling us about the view below.

Pretty nice views from high above the Bora Bora Harbor.  Sun was a bit bright.  You can see our cruise ship (click image).

2 of their vehicles parked above the viewing area.  

Started out for a bit and headed up a STEEP narrow “road” to our first photo opportunity.  Pretty awesome views of the harbor with Oceana Marina in the background.  This company has 8 vehicles and they are all pretty much going to the same places at the same time so we had to jockey for parking.

View from inside heading down......

Rappa showing us breadfruit along the way.  We ate some of these yesterday at lunch.

Inside Bloody Mary's

Brother-in-law Mike would like this!  Apparently Jimmy Buffett played there.  Here's the news story the was in a display case outside.

Next on to Bloody Mary’s, a bar that a million stars have visited in the past.  Trip Advisor said it was basically a tourist trap so we had a quick look and headed on.  

One of the ripe mangos.

Richie Steingart eating a mango!  Juicy!

Stopped at a local beach and got out to stretch our legs and take a few images.  Headed onwards a bit and Rappa stopped to snare us some mangos from a tree along the road.  Delicious - we shared about 5 of them.

Saw a few luxury resorts along the way all with over the water bungalows.  Whet our appetite for our stay on Moorea in a few days at the Hilton!  Click on the image to see the bungalows better on the right side.

French Polynesia!

Rappa telling us about the guns and how the Polynesians love Americans.

Up another steep track to a place where a giant gun is still in place from 1942.  Rappa told us quite a bit about how appreciative the Polynesians are to America.  To stop the Japanese advance in the Pacific, Americans set up bases all along the eastern and southern edges of the original Japanese conquests.  We built an airbase on Bora Bora as well as the road that goes all around the island.  Power grids, hospitals and schools built because the 10,000 Army troops based on Bora Bora didn’t want to leave.  There were about 8 of these huge 150mm cannons in place but they were never used in battle because the Japanese never came there because of the American presence.  Wound up going all the way around the island returning to Viatape city center where we started.

View down the STEEP road from the cannons.  Doesn't do it justice. 

Freshly caught Mahi Mahi on the side of the road in Viatepe.

Protestant Church in town.  65% of Bora Bora's people are Protestants, 20% Catholic.  7,000 people inhabit Bora Bora.

A little bit of shopping for pearls - no takers, apparently the pearl farms on Fakarava were the best and least expensive place to buy them.  We were too busy on the day long snorkel trip to get to the pearl farms.  Rapper said Bora Bora was really expensive.  He also said to bring some beers for the workers on Raiatea after we leave Bora Bora.  He says that will get us some great deals!  We may have to try it!

Richie "Dr Blood" Steingart happy to be on the tender!

Local guys waiting for our boat tenders to head for the pier.  They "surfed" in the wakes from the tenders!

Back to the ship and a shower to get ready for our dinner tonight at Red Ginger Restaurant.  Rich Rediker is almost giddy with anticipation - finally the Asian restaurant.

We successfully got our waiter to speed us thru dinner (only an hour and a half) and we were able to see almost all of the Tama Nui Polynesian show in the Marina Lounge after dinner.  Local Polynesians sang and danced traditional songs.