Learning About Aliens During our Last Day in Tahiti

Posted on December 20, 2013 by David Cross

We got off our yacht today in Papeete and decided to tour around the island a little more.  There are quite a few good sites to visit and spend half a day driving around the full island.

It was interesting to learn that kids actually get “surfing lessons” and have a curriculum in school on this topic.  Looks like great waves…very similar to Hawaii.

Of course we visited the famous black sand beach that has been seen in many movies.

The waterfalls around the island were stunning…very easy to find and almost no other people were ever at the sites at the same time as us.

The upside down cave was interesting as well.  Tempted to take a dip, but…

We also went to the very nice Tahiti museum that had numerous artifacts and exhibits documenting the entire history of Polynesia.  It was only a 10 minute walk from the Le Meridien hotel.

This was a nice stone carving explaining that the same aliens that were seen in the Peruvian Nazca lines had also visited these islands many years ago.

Now, let’s see if we will actually make our connection in LAX tomorrow or whether we will be stuck in the airport during the holiday travel season…

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4×4 Exploration in Bora Bora

Posted on December 18, 2013 by David Cross

We did a little exploring Bora Bora with a local who had a good Land Rover and could take us up some of the treacherous trails to the top of the Bora Bora mountains (hills?).

It was gorgeous weather and not too hot.  We first visited the most common WW II naval artillery gun emplacements that overlook the main port in Bora Bora.

You can see in the background that we were not aiming at our yacht.

We stopped and visited a local family, ate some fruit and sang some songs together while taking a break.  We gave the kids some small bags of Chex Mix as a snack and they gave us some breadfruit and coconut milk.  Have you ever tried breadfruit dipped in coconut milk?  Amazing treat…very addictive!

We also used low gear 4×4 to climb up the other side if the islands overlooking the airport and sat in a previous gun emplacement. The views from the top were amazing.

But overall, I must honestly admit that Bora Bora is not more spectacular than the other islands.  It is just as good, but not 10 times better as some claim.

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Chef’s Dinner on Princess Cruise

Posted on December 17, 2013 by David Cross

Last night we spent some time with the Executive Chef who prepared a stunning repast for us an 8 others on the cruise.

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The appetizers were served in the main galley and in some ways, they were so good…it was a meal in itself.  They were delicious to enjoy with the senior staff with a few glasses of some good French Champagne 🙂

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What a way to spend the evening in Bora Bora

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The above drizzle was made from a Port reduction…amazing flavors from reducing an entire bottle of Port for just 10 plates.

Tomorrow will be a little more adventurous!

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Diving in Bora Bora

Posted on December 17, 2013 by David Cross

We anchored in Bora Bora for two days.  This is currently the hot spot and most popular place to visit in the French Polynesia islands.

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Today, we went out for two dives in gorgeous waters and weather.

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The first dive was around 45 minutes and we went down to approximately 55 feet.  We were circled by a group 5 lemon sharks that were about 4-5 feet long and often got as close to us as 10 feet in numerous occasions.  Great dive to see some of the fish and creatures hiding in the coral.

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The second dive was much shallower for most of the dive and we drifted around the coral for almost an hour.  Sometimes it was amazing to see the hundreds of colored oysters that were embedded in the coral.  It was tempting to grab one and see if one of them might have a pearl…

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Towards the end of the dive, we have a very large local (Titan Trigger) fish that insisted in following us around and did not want to leave us alone.

Overall, a fantastic dive team and choice of dives from the Bora Dive Team.  What was the one thing that was different with a French dive team?  They served hot tea and French Oreos between the dives.  It went down really well and was a nice treat.

Oh…one final thing…the locals love riding the wake behind large boats with their outrigger canoes…one of their favorite activities when tourists arrive with large boats.

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Tahiti is the source of the best Vanilla

Posted on December 16, 2013 by David Cross

Today we pulled into Raiatea and we were not tendered which was nice.  Getting on and off the yacht in 5 minutes or less is a treat.

It was definitely very warm here, so we awoke early, had some breakfast and then went out for a run nice run along the marina and through the residential area near the port.

We were definitely in need of the 20 oz Powerade sports drinks that we bought in Papeete for our excursion runs, but it was definitely a great start to the day.

After lunch, we went on an expedition to the nearby island of Tahaa.  This is where there is huge pearl farms and vanilla plantations.  I never knew this is where most vanilla of the world comes from…

We spent some time in a local plantation at the home of a local family learning on how Vanilla is really cultivated and used.  Very educational.

Nor did I know that there was so many different colored pearls that all came from the French Polynesian islands.  Many of the French move here because of the weather, gorgeous scenery and there is no income or sales taxes!

Running around the world is always fun.  Some of my other favorite spots:

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A little about diving in the South Pacific

Posted on December 14, 2013 by David Cross

There are islands everywhere…even little ones with only one tree.

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You have to be very cautious of the currents and the large waves that can appear due to changing tides around the various coral atolls.

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The most important advice: actually take the extra safety equipment. Whistles and blow up diving balloons called “safety sausages”.  Sometimes that is what the dive boat needs to find you when you are drifting along in heavy currents!

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Headed to Bora Bora in 2 days! :-0

 

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Diving in Rangiroa

Posted on December 14, 2013 by David Cross

We pulled into the large coral atoll of Rangiroa.

 

The waves were really rough outside the atoll, but when you come in, it is quite peaceful.

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We took the opportunity to do some diving here given the large coral reefs.  Unfortunately, we had to go outside the atoll with the goal of drifting back in.The waves were pretty rough going out and we quickly dropped out of the Zodiac to get under the water.

The fish were plentiful, very diverse and colorful.  We even ran into a large school of barracuda and even saw a 6 foot shark circling around us from time to time.

Unfortunately, the tide changed and we could not drift back into the atoll.  We had to board the zodiac by taking our gear off and climbing into the boat despite 10 foot waves.  It was brutal … one if the most difficult dives we have ever taken.  But everyone got back safe and survived the rough churn.

And there was a surprise at the end when another 5 foot shark kept circling our zodiac in the shallow water when we returned to the dock 🙂 If you look close, you can see him…

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Recovered quickly from the painful tossing and churning…time for some lunch and a nap!

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Get Your Vanilla in Huahine!

Posted on December 12, 2013 by David Cross

Yesterday, before boarding our yacht before final departure, we bought some local flowers to decorate the room for 2 weeks.

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Amazing flowers here in French Polynesia.  Only $15 in local currency for this collection.

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Today, we stopped by the island of Huahine.  Definitely a VERY warm and sunny island.  Only 7,000 people and it has some gorgeous views.  We caught a local taxi to drive us around and see only what we wanted to see.  You can rent a car, but it is $200 for 4 hours…

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It almost felt like this is a place where famous photographers take pictures and sell them in galleries.

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This island is the dominant and primary source of vanilla.  It was quite interesting to learn and see firsthand how it is grown and takes in things like local coffee 🙂

and of course everyone on the island has their “baguette” boxes as fresh French bread is delivered twice daily!

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Also amazing was the giant blue eyed eels that live in the rivers.  I jumped down to take some close up pictures and then my hands got stained by the Bauxite in ground.

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Working on getting a connection so I can post this entry with the 56K modem that is built in the original SurfaceRT!

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Cruising around Tahiti and Papeete

Posted on December 10, 2013 by David Cross

Yesterday, we got on board out yet and prepared to travel around the French Polynesian islands in style. Of course we started in Papeete (Tahiti).

The Ocean Princess is a nice small ship with an excellent crew.  Great way to tour around the area to some of the best spots.

This morning, we did a nice 8K run along the boardwalk and downtown park.  It is very popular spot for the running community…the only question is whether it is better to run early in the morning or when the sun goes down. Hint:  it is warm down here!

Did a little shopping.  Found the local wine shop…will keep you informed on what we found to enjoy on board the yacht in a future post 🙂

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In case you missed it, here is the posting of where we explored the island before boarding the ship.  And of course, running around the world is always fun.  Some of my other favorite spots:

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The Internet in the South Pacific is Brutal

Posted on December 8, 2013 by David Cross

I must admit we get spoiled in North America.  It feels like 15 years ago here in the Polynesian Islands… the time when we used to dial up for the Internet and the modem kept dropping off every 5 minutes and you have to re-connect again. Very cumbersome using Skype to make an overseas call when the satellite based Internet is very flaky and inconsistent…

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Did a nice run along the mountainside here in Papeete.  I was not the only one…despite the heat and humidity, running seems to be very popular here on the island, both for locals and tourists.  Needs lots of H2O to go more than 10K…

Food and drink is definitely VERY expensive here in Tahiti…and not because we are hanging out in a tourist area.

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The way to survive and enjoy some time off is to shop and dine with the locals.

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Very friendly and easy to mingle…just work on your French or you will not enjoy going native!

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Tonight, we are splurging and having dinner at the upscale French restaurant at the hotel.

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Something we learned today: how many people know that their hotel door locks are powered by 6 AA batteries?  They eventually die out unexpectedly, and if you don’t check your door every time, it will just open when you push on the handle.  Yes, I am in SECURITY again!

…and 12 hours later at 6 AM when we want to go out for a run…the door lock is broken again 😦

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