Beautiful Bora Bora

We've enjoyed a standard trip: Taha'a, Huahine, and now Bora Bora.  They're all beautiful, but there's something special about this island, and we're far from the only people who feel that way. The island's iconic silhouette is unmistakable, of course, but the lagoon is also beautiful.  A lot of the fame stems from its importance during World War 2, when it became the first bastion of aircraft and supplies in the South Pacific. Imagine seeing this island for the first time when all you have known was a farm in Nebraska.

Arimiti 6, a rapid transport, is motoring past the Bora Bora Yacht Club as we were enjoying a beer.  Wings' mast is to the right of the yellow sailboat's.

This is the "Paul Gauguin", a beautiful cruise ship that plies the French Polynesian islands.

This is the iconic Bora Bora silhouette from our boat: Mt. Pahia. 

This is the lovely but small harbor at Viatape.  The small rapid transport boats that ferry passengers between Viaape and the only airport are docked at right. Our dinghy is the second one.

As we were enjoying lunch at the Aloe Cafe, we noticed this white cat hovering over the patrons.

Shoes!  You can have any style that you want as long as they're sandals.

As we were riding on our bikes, we came across this amazing view of stored va'as, the modern version of the ancient seacraft of the Pacific, as well as a multitude of sailboats at anchor.

Lovely Conni resting on her bike during our ride.  The front brakes on her bike continued to lightly grip her tires, so she had to pedal constantly.  I had no tools to help her.

This is a public beach, a location of a previous year's holiday photo and one of my favorite snorkeling spots.  They've upgraded their facilities so it's even nicer.  It's quite a view!

A short ride from the beach is the Lucky House restaurant, one of our favorites.  This lovely pizza is from their wood-fired ovens and each of us has a tall Hinano draft. 

A small container of cream, a dollop of coconut ice cream, pear slivers on a tar'tain:  a lovely dessert.

Other than its being a beautiful scene, there's no other reason to show it.  It's just another shallow inlet on Bora Bora's lagoon.

Over-the-water bungalows are a classic Polynesian resort style.  These are good examples. 

Although they're expensive, we always enjoy a cocktail at the Hotel Intercontinental Bora Bora-Moana.  The service is extraordinary and the setting beautiful.  I thought that the peach-colored umbrellas looked like flowers.

Continuing our ride back to Vaitape, we stopped to shoot this photo of the main Bora Bora mountain.  It looks different from this side, doesn't it? As you can tell, it's what remains of a tall volcano, just a volcanic plug.

As we motored in our dinghy out of the small harbor, I turned and snapped this photo of the marker for the harbor.

Back on Wings, we snapped this photo of the mountain, Mt. Pahia, in the fading sunlight.

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