(Or Bo-ha Bo-ha in French)
The third and final island of my quick tour of French Polynesia would be the highly acclaimed Bora Bora. I caught a 45 minute flight from Moorea and, along with the rest of the passengers, I was glued to the window as the island appeared out of the clouds. It is a truly spectacular sight: a central green peak surrounded by a few beaches on the main island then a powder blue lagoon around the main island and finally a ring of thin islands that nearly create a complete circle around the island. The airport is actually located on one of the small islands, so, in true decadent Bora Bora style, a luxury yacht takes passengers on the 20 minute ride across the lagoon to one of the tiny towns, consisting of a few homes and a few shopping centers. With only about 5,000 people on the island, tourism is the focus of the economy and most everything on the island. Of course I found the cheapest place on the island, a hostel in a small house for about $36 a night. As in Moorea, my hostel was strategically located near one of the top luxury resorts on the island, The Intercontinental (no, not that annoying Christopher Walken sketch on Saturday Night Live fortunately). On another guest's recommendation, I simply walked into the resort and asked if I could look around, so then I stayed in high style for about an hour, admiring the white sand beach, overhanging, manicured palms and overwater bungalows with a view of the glistening green lagoon backed by the two peaks of the island. There were many honeymooners at the hotel, and it was easy to see why. This really was a tropical Eden, but you certainly had to pay the price, again with rooms in excess of $1,000 a night for the ones near the water. Across the tiny peninsula from the hotel, a group of people gathered to watch the wonderful sunsets over the West side of the island. To top off my great day in paradise, I finished with an amazing dinner: an overflowing plate of spaghetti noodles and pesto sauce, bought at the local market and cooked in the hostel for about $4, as opposed to much smaller portions at a tourist restaurant for 5 times the price. It doesn't get much better than this.
The next day, I wanted to see more of the island, and with a lack of public transport, a bicycle seemed to be my best option. The circumference of the island and coastal road is only 32 km (about 20 miles), so despite the heat and humidity, it was definitely feasible to ride around the island in half a day or so. After a late start and a lazy morning, I took off around the island around 10:30 or 11:00. Every turn of the road offered unique and beautiful views of the interior mountain and the surrounding lagoon, providing many photo opportunities and chances to take a break from the unrelenting sun underneath some of the surrounding palms.
Halfway through the ride, I found a nice bench overlooking the lagoon and decided to have some water and eat my massive lunch consisting of one apple. Just as I was finishing and warding off a few mosquitoes, a big truck pulled up and four people emerged. They all were staring at me as they got out, so I feared that I might be trespassing on their property or something. One of the bigger guys cam up to me, shook my hand, and said something to me in an interesting mix of French and Tahitian, of which I only understood the final word: mauruuru, meaning thank you in Tahitian - something I picked up on the flight over during the safety instructions. Then a young, very Aryan-looking guy came over and started speaking English. The young man, not more than 20 or 21, had a nametag reading Elder Jones, as he was apparently a Mormon on his mission trip for 18 months in French Polynesia. He spoke to me briefly about a few trivial things, but it was clear that he was still early in his missionary career, as his skills in keeping a conversation going were less than stellar (and this assessment of social skills is coming from an actuary). Next the good part: they were carrying plates of food to offer to the people they met, so I got a free lunch of chicken, potatoes and two rolls. Just as I started eating, something in French was said, and the group had to move on. Elder Jones finally mentioned 20 or 30 seconds about the Mormon church, gave me a card with a picture of Salt Lake City and the mormon.org website, and that was it.
Following my fortuitous lunch break, I moved around the Northern tip of the island, still a bit hot and sweaty but cherishing every moment of this amazing ride. Nearing the end of my trip, I found a surreal bay with a nice pier and a tiny hut, so I spent some time cooling off in the shade and even took a swim in the serene water, which is a big step for those of you who know about my (lack of) swimming prowess. The water was too incredible to resist, though. I eventually made it back to the hostel, a little hot, a little tired, a little sore, but it was definitely a memorable ride. As a side note, whenever I ride bikes for a long time, I remember that they aren't the most comfortable things in the world and some of the biking adventures in my mind might not be as great as they seem.
For my last day, I basically hung out at the tiny beach behind the hostel and relaxed before my evening flight back to Tahiti. Even after seeing the island for a few days, I was still amazed by the incredible natural beauty as I flew back to the main island of Tahiti. Not wanting a repeat performance of the airport fiasco, I was able to get in contact with a hostel - the same one I tried before who apparently didn't receive my email until the night after my requested stay, so they picked me up, and I listened to the many travel stories of the other guests at the hostel and their round-the-world trips. Thus far, there have been many Brits and Europeans but very few Americans, which has been kind of nice.
The third and final island of my quick tour of French Polynesia would be the highly acclaimed Bora Bora. I caught a 45 minute flight from Moorea and, along with the rest of the passengers, I was glued to the window as the island appeared out of the clouds. It is a truly spectacular sight: a central green peak surrounded by a few beaches on the main island then a powder blue lagoon around the main island and finally a ring of thin islands that nearly create a complete circle around the island. The airport is actually located on one of the small islands, so, in true decadent Bora Bora style, a luxury yacht takes passengers on the 20 minute ride across the lagoon to one of the tiny towns, consisting of a few homes and a few shopping centers. With only about 5,000 people on the island, tourism is the focus of the economy and most everything on the island. Of course I found the cheapest place on the island, a hostel in a small house for about $36 a night. As in Moorea, my hostel was strategically located near one of the top luxury resorts on the island, The Intercontinental (no, not that annoying Christopher Walken sketch on Saturday Night Live fortunately). On another guest's recommendation, I simply walked into the resort and asked if I could look around, so then I stayed in high style for about an hour, admiring the white sand beach, overhanging, manicured palms and overwater bungalows with a view of the glistening green lagoon backed by the two peaks of the island. There were many honeymooners at the hotel, and it was easy to see why. This really was a tropical Eden, but you certainly had to pay the price, again with rooms in excess of $1,000 a night for the ones near the water. Across the tiny peninsula from the hotel, a group of people gathered to watch the wonderful sunsets over the West side of the island. To top off my great day in paradise, I finished with an amazing dinner: an overflowing plate of spaghetti noodles and pesto sauce, bought at the local market and cooked in the hostel for about $4, as opposed to much smaller portions at a tourist restaurant for 5 times the price. It doesn't get much better than this.
The next day, I wanted to see more of the island, and with a lack of public transport, a bicycle seemed to be my best option. The circumference of the island and coastal road is only 32 km (about 20 miles), so despite the heat and humidity, it was definitely feasible to ride around the island in half a day or so. After a late start and a lazy morning, I took off around the island around 10:30 or 11:00. Every turn of the road offered unique and beautiful views of the interior mountain and the surrounding lagoon, providing many photo opportunities and chances to take a break from the unrelenting sun underneath some of the surrounding palms.
Halfway through the ride, I found a nice bench overlooking the lagoon and decided to have some water and eat my massive lunch consisting of one apple. Just as I was finishing and warding off a few mosquitoes, a big truck pulled up and four people emerged. They all were staring at me as they got out, so I feared that I might be trespassing on their property or something. One of the bigger guys cam up to me, shook my hand, and said something to me in an interesting mix of French and Tahitian, of which I only understood the final word: mauruuru, meaning thank you in Tahitian - something I picked up on the flight over during the safety instructions. Then a young, very Aryan-looking guy came over and started speaking English. The young man, not more than 20 or 21, had a nametag reading Elder Jones, as he was apparently a Mormon on his mission trip for 18 months in French Polynesia. He spoke to me briefly about a few trivial things, but it was clear that he was still early in his missionary career, as his skills in keeping a conversation going were less than stellar (and this assessment of social skills is coming from an actuary). Next the good part: they were carrying plates of food to offer to the people they met, so I got a free lunch of chicken, potatoes and two rolls. Just as I started eating, something in French was said, and the group had to move on. Elder Jones finally mentioned 20 or 30 seconds about the Mormon church, gave me a card with a picture of Salt Lake City and the mormon.org website, and that was it.
Following my fortuitous lunch break, I moved around the Northern tip of the island, still a bit hot and sweaty but cherishing every moment of this amazing ride. Nearing the end of my trip, I found a surreal bay with a nice pier and a tiny hut, so I spent some time cooling off in the shade and even took a swim in the serene water, which is a big step for those of you who know about my (lack of) swimming prowess. The water was too incredible to resist, though. I eventually made it back to the hostel, a little hot, a little tired, a little sore, but it was definitely a memorable ride. As a side note, whenever I ride bikes for a long time, I remember that they aren't the most comfortable things in the world and some of the biking adventures in my mind might not be as great as they seem.
For my last day, I basically hung out at the tiny beach behind the hostel and relaxed before my evening flight back to Tahiti. Even after seeing the island for a few days, I was still amazed by the incredible natural beauty as I flew back to the main island of Tahiti. Not wanting a repeat performance of the airport fiasco, I was able to get in contact with a hostel - the same one I tried before who apparently didn't receive my email until the night after my requested stay, so they picked me up, and I listened to the many travel stories of the other guests at the hostel and their round-the-world trips. Thus far, there have been many Brits and Europeans but very few Americans, which has been kind of nice.
(Flying into Bora Bora)
(The amazing boat ride to the main island.)
(Me at the bungalows of the Intercontinental - taken by a Japanese guy after some quick advice on how I'd like the picture framed...a little shady, but not bad)
(Stormy skies after I left the picture, though the rain was very, very brief and light)
(The inside of my hostel - my room was upstairs behind those curtains)
(The pier and view from my final break during the bike ride around the island)
(The sunset from the beach across from the Intercontinental - everything is better there, even nature)
(A final, sunny picture of the same area - I liked that palm tree)
2 comments:
the sunset behind the clouds picture is gorgeous...
the picture is shady or the japanese guy was? and love the comment about the mormon's social skills.
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