Moorea, French Polynesia March 24th

March 24th, we left Papeete this morning at 5:00 a.m. and arrived in Moorea, French Polynesia about 6:00 a.m.   Moorea, only about 20 miles away is often called the Sister Island of Tahiti.   Coming into port the island  is very beautiful with many jagged volcanic peaks..... I wish you could see it, the ship anchored in Cook’s Bay, named after Captain Cook who landed here in 1769....we will tender in and have a snorkel tour scheduled at 9:00......   The bay lies cradled  in a half moon of the peaks around it, and it’s just gorgeous.

Scene coming into Moorea

The Island of Moorea

Greeted on the Pier by pretty hula girls

At 8:30 we met our tour group, tendered to shore and boarded another motorized tour boat.....similar to the others we’ve been on except our tour guide could not speak English very well so we didn’t understand anything he said but got along ok with sign language.... :)    We were taken quite a distance out to one of the lagoons and dumped off in the water...  

Beautiful Sail boats not far from where we snorkeled

Just a word here about my photography...  We did not invest in an underwater camera so there is no way to show you the sights we seen under water.   I was able to capture some shots of the marine life when they came close to the surface.
This tour was the best snorkeling yet, we seen beautiful small fish of all colors, manta rays, and sharks!  The sharks were awesome...  they appeared to be a pretty golden yellow with black tips on all of their fins, I think they are called black tip’s but I’m not sure..  Anyway, that has been the highlight of the tours so far, they were probably 6 to 8 ft. in length and I was in awe watching them swim around me, they are so graceful.... 

Jim Snorkeling

Best shot I could get of one of the sharks

Two of them passing each other

Only the tail as they swim so fast it was difficult to get a good picture

Their tails are beautiful and move like trees swaying in a gentle breeze

We stayed in that area about an hour then he took us to an island where we got to snorkel some more..  It was harder there as there was a current that ran right thru the area we were in.......  we got in at one end and let it carry us down to the other end and we seen a lot of fish but no other sharks....  Getting thru the current back to shore was hard for me, it was almost too strong to swim against it even for a short distance.   Then the guide and his helpers fixed us lunch again. They grilled chicken pieces, fish and hot dogs and it was not very good compared to the island lunch we had the other day.....   the dogs were gristly and the chicken or fish did not have much flavor...  they also served  a pasta salad with a few chives & carrots chopped in it, and some plain rice & sliced tomatoes.   

Taken from the beach into the area we snorkeled in

Not a good picture of Jim but he was setting at our

table listening to the music, and it gives you a good

idea of what the beach area looked like.  The hut in 

the background was where they cooked.

A pretty picture of our ship taken as we were returning to the dock

They did put on a good music show, one guy with a uke, one with a guitar and one with a base fiddle unlike I had ever seen before.....

after we ate we snorkeled some more, then got to rest a  little before we boarded the boat and headed back to the ship.   We got back on board by 3:30.   

The peaks of Moorea

After getting back on the ship I was standing on the veranda and glanced up to see what I first thought was snow on top of the peaks....  

I zoomed in and realized that what I was seeing was the trees against the sky, again, the islands just amaze me.....

Then we took showers and I came down to the lounge to post this.....  We will go to dinner at 6:00 and told some new friends we met that we would meet the in the casino at 9 this evening......

Tomorrow we will dock in Rangiroa French Polynesia where we have two tours scheduled.  The first one is out to a Pearl Farm, then as soon as we get back from that we ride a glass bottom boat out to some large coral gardens.....  More later as our journey continues.....

Papeete Tahiti March 23rd

March 23rd......Papeete Tahiti, a big bustling city.....   We did not have to tender at this port, but docked along side a huge pier with other ships coming into the harbor and going out on all sides of us.  There are a lot of cargo ships, as with all of these South Sea Islands, most everything is imported in.

Some of the ships parked around us

Standing on the pier looking back up at our ship

Street dancers on the pier right next to the main street

We walked around the market square and went in to many interesting little shops.  The tahiti pearl market is a big industry here and we seen so many beautiful jewels...  most of them too expensive to even dream of purchasing.   The ship recommended two shops as being trustworthy, and one can purchase the loose pearls there then have them mounted and you don’t have to pay taxes or custom duty on them..  Along with the beauty, there were also a lot of local type shops selling everything from fake pearls, (which are easy to spot) to every day products.   The market is huge and covers a good two square blocks....  Anything you would want is laying out on tables for your selection, from bananas to shell beads and baskets made in china....  There were some beautiful flower arrangements that was hard to pass up but I didn’t want to have to carry it around until we boarded ship again.....   We passed one homeless man laying on the sidewalk who appeared to be in quite bad condition...  We heard one car wreck and watched the police rush to the scene about 20 minutes later, we sit and listened to a bunch of street musicians for a while, and had a bite to eat at a small outdoor corner snack shop.  They offered sandwiches, pastries, and various beverages.   We got one slice of chocolate cake and a coke for $10.   Vanilla is also a big industry here but very expensive....as was everything we looked at.  There were a few specialty shops that sold just vanilla products but most every store had some type of it or the beans for sale.

Papeete Street Musicians

Block after block of little shops, store after store

Outdoor markets one after one

Fun with a street vendor trying on a para

Fresh flowers for sale by the bucket full

We decided it would be a crime not to purchase some black pearls while in Tahiti since it is the area where they are famous for.   We attended a small class onboard the ship about buying them and they recommended two shops in Papeete.  We found one of the shops and this was our experience.   First you tell the sales person what you're interested in, either a full set or a single necklace, bracelet, or earrings.   After that you tell them the setting you're interested in....  In my case I wanted a 3 pearl dangle.   She then shows you various sizes and you pick out the size you want. 

Making size & quality selection

When you have chosen your pearls you're then taken to the back room with the jeweler who will set them for you.    This is done in steps of marking, drilling, gluing, and attaching the pearl thru the metal setting.

The ones I chose

Drilling each pearl                                                                                                Attaching to the setting

My 3 dangle black pearl earrings

We must have walked a million miles today and returned to the ship about 4:00.

While in this large port, today is also a work day on the ship.  They have been filling with fuel since early morning, expecting it take about 8 hours.  They are also doing a self inspection on everything...  Two officers knocked on the door a short time ago asking if they could pass through our room to check our veranda.....  they went over all the metal nuts and bolts and joints and rails, making sure everything was secure as it should be I guess.   Then they went onto the next veranda through the door that adjoins each one.   There have been a lot of guys washing & polishing everything and climbing all over the outside of the ship.

It’s interesting at some of the ports we have had to show our passports before re-boarding, so before we start up the gang plank to get back on we always stop to dig our little copy out, but at this port we were not asked for it.


It was dark before we left so I was able to get some pictures of the city at night, it was beautiful.....

Papeete Tahiti in all it's glory, taken from our veranda

Dressed for dinner in my new black pearl earrings

I was not able to post this until the 24th as the satellite was not in a position last night to connect to the internet.....

Bora Bora - March 22nd

March 22nd......  It’s not hard to understand why many say Bora Bora is one of the most beautiful islands in the Pacific, and some would say (as James Michener did)  in the world..... Covered with lush green volcanic peaks, a huge lagoon, and a chain of sandy beach motu’s along it’s coast, it probably got as near to the picture perfect tropical paradise island as we’ve seen yet. 

The Island of Bora Bora 

We went ashore yesterday morning about 10:00, looked around in some of the shops for an hour or so,  then took a shuttle to the famous “Bloody Mary’s..... Just as described, with a sand floor, open  walls in a beautiful garden setting, wooden tables, and a welcoming atmosphere, you feel at home when walking in....  We had lunch there and a Bloody Mary, and bought a couple of souvenir tee shirts....  We caught the shuttle back to the pier where we had a tour scheduled for 1:00 in the afternoon.

Pier area at Bora Bora, Tours & Shops

Mary at Bloody Mary's

The Dining Room at Bloody Mary's

Our Table for Lunch

Jim's Fish Plate

Pretty little tables everywhere

Surrounded by beautiful gardens

It was a great tour - aboard a typical Polynesian outrigger motorized catamaran we were taken to a beautiful motu where we had about 2 hours to snorkel, swim, and relax....  We seen lots of pretty fish, some manta’s and abundant coral gardens...  

On the tour boat going to a motu beach

Large Manta just under the surface of the water

Our Private area on the beach

Jim in his snorkel mask

Jim Snorkeling - Notice the color of the water and how clear it is

Mary in Snorkel gear

After we left the private motu we took the long way around the island where we could get a good look at all sides of it.....  Towering over the island is Mt. Otemanu 2,385 ft.  The remains of the original volcanic rim, it’s appearance changes depending which angle you see it from.. beautiful from all directions.

Mt. Otemanu watching over us

As we left - Our last view of Bora Bora

It takes so much energy to snorkel so we were worn out when returning to the cabin..  We showered the sea salt off and it was all we could do to make ourselves go down for dinner...  as usual it was very good, and was just the ticket for a good night’s sleep following our busy day......Returning to our cabin that night as usual there was a little towel animal to greet us, this one leaning against the pillow.

Raiatea, French Polynesia

We had a good day at sea on the 20th, then came in to the island of Raiatea, French Polynesia on the morning of March 21st...  

Approaching Raiatea

Such a beautiful little island surrounded by many tiny islands, called motus, with wonderful white sand beaches...   Our tour started at 9:00 a.m.   We were able to dock at this harbor, it was a pretty harbor with many small boats docked nearby.

in the Pier area

We boarded a boat which took us up the Faaroa river....the only navigable river in French Polynesia...   We passed by many of the small motus on our way....

We seen a lot of beautiful foliage.... ginger, vanilla, & coconut trees.  

Entering the mouth of the Faaroa River

Very dense foliage on both sides

Beautiful blooms on many of the trees & bushes

Sometimes one tiny bud just beginning to bloom

Happy trees getting their feet wet

After we left the river they took us to one of the little motu’s and we had about an hour and a half to swim, lay in the sun, and relax...  It was like what dreams are made of.....surrounded by coconut trees for shade, and crystal clear waters as far as you could see......  We did not take our snorkel gear but it wasn’t needed as you could see many colorful fish just standing there looking.....They served a hugh tray of fresh fruit, filled with mango, melon’s, pineapple and the little tiny banana’s....The sun was very hot but we wore lots of sunscreen and did not get burned.....

Standing near one of the grass huts and shelters built on the beach

There were also showers around and picnic tables

Beautiful flowering bushes everywhere we looked

Wonderful swimming

Shower on the beach

Wonderful secluded areas where we could get off by ourselves

Too soon the afternoon was over and time to go back to shore....  It had been a low energy day so we just cleaned up, went for dinner and spent the rest of the evening on the veranda watching the scenery we were passing until dark.....   We closely went by miles of the gorgeous shoreline of the society islands, the locals stopping to wave as the big ship passed by them.  

One of the tiny Motu's as we were leaving Raiatea

There are a few of these little islands for sale.....

Just a few multi millions and you can have your own.

Sailing close to shore

Fisherman on his pier

Areas that were inhabited and some that were not

Zoomed in on a rocky cliff

Wouldn't you love to live here.......

Bora Bora loomed in before us

Tired from a long day of excitement we were in bed by 9:00 last night.   The ship docked off shore in Bora Bora to spend the night and will be in Bora Bora until 5:00 tonight, March 22nd.  We have a tour scheduled at 1:00 this afternoon that will take us around all sides of the island and give us some snorkel and beach time....  We are going ashore this morning to visit the famous “Bloody Mary’s” then will meet the tour group before we take off on this afternoon’s tour.

As I’m looking out the window of our cabin at this time, I can see 8 shades of blue dotted by as many greens on the shore of all the lush foliage that covers Bora Bora.  It is almost too much for my mind to absorb, let alone describe.......   

The Village of Bora Bora

I’m having a hard time trying to post these messages as often as I wish I could....  Getting connected is hard and I have to go down to the lounge in order to get on line,  (and that is hit & miss) then as soon as I get connected someone stops by wanting to visit.  There never seems to be enough time to just set and write like I want to and it’s killing me!   I wish I could just sit on the veranda and let all of the words roll out of my mind but it’s impossible at this time. .....Between ship activities, dressing for dinner, slow internet connections, and the tours, we’re on the go a lot.   Sending pictures just takes too much time and space on my allotted time if they download at all, so it’s not working out like I had hoped....  The day will come though when I’m sitting back at home that I can share all of this with you and give it the proper attention it deserves......  Until then I will just assure you we’re having a wonderful time and indeed living the journey of a lifetime.....