Bora Bora
Our eyes feasted on the sight ahead, volcanic peaks, covered with lush green jungle, soaring above aqua-blue water. Bora Bora is the idyllic postcard-perfect island that comes to mind when one thinks of the South Pacific. It was also the first of the many picturesque islands of French Polynesia that we planned to visit.
We disembarked by Zodiac at the sleepy dusty settlement of Vaitape, the island’s largest town, where we then boarded our local transports called Le Trucks, a sort of combination of bus sitting on the bed of a truck. We were then transported by coastal road around the entire island and stopped at various locations to absorb the island images and culture.
Colorful reefs with a diverse and abundant fish population attract many travelers to this part of the world. The scuba divers amongst us ventured out in the morning and afternoon and discovered a paradise below. The water was warm and clear and we could easily see several blacktip reef sharks, their streamlined grey silhouettes, never ceasing their tireless patrols. A school of barracuda, like a shimmering silvery waterfall cascaded over the edge of the drop-off and slowly disappeared from sight. Sweetlips gathered in a tight aggregation and hovered above the sharp hard corals briefly before splitting off in various directions, possibly for the purpose of courtship.
As the sun crept higher in the sky, the colors around us kept changing. The water of the shallow lagoon turned from various shades of turquoise, to blue-green and finally to a soft gold as the sun then began it’s descent in the west. It contrasted starkly with the backdrop of emerald green mountains and softened within the shadows cast by late afternoon. The white sands of the surrounding motus, or small islets, reflected brightly in the noon day sun.
We ended our day on our own private island of nearby Motu Tapu, kayaking, snorkeling or simply enjoying the exotic beauty of our location.
Our eyes feasted on the sight ahead, volcanic peaks, covered with lush green jungle, soaring above aqua-blue water. Bora Bora is the idyllic postcard-perfect island that comes to mind when one thinks of the South Pacific. It was also the first of the many picturesque islands of French Polynesia that we planned to visit.
We disembarked by Zodiac at the sleepy dusty settlement of Vaitape, the island’s largest town, where we then boarded our local transports called Le Trucks, a sort of combination of bus sitting on the bed of a truck. We were then transported by coastal road around the entire island and stopped at various locations to absorb the island images and culture.
Colorful reefs with a diverse and abundant fish population attract many travelers to this part of the world. The scuba divers amongst us ventured out in the morning and afternoon and discovered a paradise below. The water was warm and clear and we could easily see several blacktip reef sharks, their streamlined grey silhouettes, never ceasing their tireless patrols. A school of barracuda, like a shimmering silvery waterfall cascaded over the edge of the drop-off and slowly disappeared from sight. Sweetlips gathered in a tight aggregation and hovered above the sharp hard corals briefly before splitting off in various directions, possibly for the purpose of courtship.
As the sun crept higher in the sky, the colors around us kept changing. The water of the shallow lagoon turned from various shades of turquoise, to blue-green and finally to a soft gold as the sun then began it’s descent in the west. It contrasted starkly with the backdrop of emerald green mountains and softened within the shadows cast by late afternoon. The white sands of the surrounding motus, or small islets, reflected brightly in the noon day sun.
We ended our day on our own private island of nearby Motu Tapu, kayaking, snorkeling or simply enjoying the exotic beauty of our location.
