Ia Orana Bora Bora!

It's been long since I have paid attention to my beloved blog. I have a good excuse. A while ago I mentioned that my husband and I were planning a trip, so all the time I was absent from the internet noise was because I was planning our trip to Bora Bora, traveling to Bora Bora, and coming back from Bora Bora.

I am oh-so-sad to be writing this post today because it means our trip is in the past -we are back home; but i am oh-so-happy we were able to have this experience.

The place.

No words to explain how beautiful it is. This "lagoon in the middle of the ocean" is just as magical as it sounds. Beautiful colors everywhere you look, our resort was top notch, and we had the chance to stay in an overwater bungalow with the view of stingrays, baby sharks, and a variety of fish under our glass floor. Breathtaking sunrises and sunsets; and perfect weather. We stayed in Tahiti first, and then flew to Bora Bora for the rest of the week. We also flew over Moorea, Raiateia, and Taha. Thankfully, those connections planes are small and fly low enough to act as a helicopter giving a tour of the islands. All dreamy.

The people.

Anyone can say that people in places like this are nice to you because they know you are a tourist and they live off that, but I believe in my heart that every person we met in the island -and off the island- were genuinely wonderful, if for any reason, because they come from simple and calm lives that make them at peace and happy. Regarding the non-local people we met, most of them were on honeymoons, so they were happy also.

The food.

Lots of seafood in every presentation with french charm all over it -we were in French Polynesia, it only made sense. Fresh fruit, wonderful salads and of course, wine. Besides wine I tried a basil mojito and Chris really enjoyed their Hinano Tahiti beer.

The languages.

It is a medley. European tourists are amongst the most common visitors, Italians and French especially. We also met people from Canada and Australia, we could hear a mix of spanish, japanese, and portuguese every day on the resort, and just one other couple from the US. I feel I understand Italian and french a little better after this week, but I have to say that Tahitian is the one language that stole my heart. You can't just speak it, you need to almost sing it, I swear I smile every time I pronounce one of the 2-3 words I learned.

The traditions.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a sucker for flowers, especially on my head. As soon as we landed in Tahiti, they put a “Tiare” flower behind our ear to greet us. The “Tiare” is a white flower with 7 long thin petals and a very sweet smell that is seen on everything in Tahiti, from the airplane wings to the blankets; it is their symbol, their trademark. No need to mention I wore one every single day, I actually purchased an artificial Tiare to avoid having a passed-out flower on my ear every couple of hours.

We also saw a polynesian show that included about 5 wardrove changes, strong drum sounds, and lots of hip action. Cool but not out-of-this-world. Public was invited to participate at the end, needless to say that this last part was the most entertaining.

The shopping.

Not much shopping or night life in Bora Bora, which works for me because I am not a party kind of gal, the island surely invites you to relax. Since there isn't much to say about night life, let's concentrate on the shopping. Besides food I shopped for only two things: the artificial “Tiare” I mentioned earlier and the very famous Tahitian Black Pearls.

Apparently, a certain God from Polynesian beliefs came down to earth gazillion years ago and gave black pearls to the princess of Bora Bora to show eternal love (I believe the story goes along those lines). This historical fame plus their uniqueness are the reason for prices to be really high and it was difficult to find a little pair of earrings (or something of the sort) for a reasonable cost. However, our knowledgeable taxi driver advised us that jewelry was expensive in the island because gold, silver, and other complementary materials are imported, so it was best to buy only pearls and have something made when you are back home. We followed her advice. She was right.

The time.

As I implied at the beginning, I want to go back. We had a great time laying under the sun, exploring the main island, feeding stingrays, swimming with sharks and turtles, kayaking, and snorkeling under water with fish that were really showing off their colorful nature in your face. Literally. Nobody has seen Nemo (and friends) as close as me. I promise.

I need to single out the turtles, such calming and wonderful creatures! The resort we stayed at has a private lagoon where they protect and raise their turtles until they reach a good age to go out to the ocean. Every morning they get fed at 10:30, they are hilarious to look at when all the food comes. It is safe to say that at least 50% of our pictures have turtles in them.

We couldn't have asked for more. We love the beach  (any place that gives us the chance to relax for that matter), but this was a really special time and we only hope for the chance to go back in a not-too-far future. Enjoy the pictures. Mauruuru!

Location:French Polynesia