on the road starting in Bora Bora
Forbes Magazine nominated the Fiji Islands as the world's most beautiful touchdown. It is definitely one of them, but few landings can rival flying into French Polynesia (as shown in the photos to the left). Fiji, like the islands of French Polynesia, has a fragile ecosystem and insufficient water, so building is limited and visitors are blissfully limited, which, of course is why these trips are so expensive, but it is also one of the most fascinating places you will ever go.
French Polynesia must have been the inspiration for that song that has the line, "Just another day in Paradise."
Friends just asked what my favorite trip was. While I love going anywhere, almost anywhere at all even if it's only a day trip miles from home, it had to be the two-month road trip that started in Bora Bora.
As a teenager, I worked at American Orient Travel for a wonderful woman named Ludmila Logan. With her multi-millionaire German industrialist paramour and from her travel agency connections, they could go anywhere in the world. And they did. But every year they included Bora Bora, Tahiti, French Polynesia. It took years to be in a financial position to get there, but we made it and it was worth it. (The least expensive loding on Moorea, for example, is a Club Med . . . and you know they are not the lowest prices for budget travellers. Because we weren't interested in Club Med, we paid more the the few nights we spent in Paradise.)
I believe Tahiti is the most beautiful place I've ever seen and the most exquisite waters I've ever been in. We swam with pink reef sharks and bat rays. We also swam among lavender coral. It wasn't only the clarity and color of the tropical warm waters, it was also because it is such a rare place to go. I often jokingly say that more people have probably been to the moon than to Tahiti.
Because it is expensive, and because we SO wanted to stay in an over-the-water bungalow, we opted for one in Moorea rather than Bora Bora. One of the reasons why French Polynesia is so expensive is because of water conservation—they do not have sufficient water for expansion, thank God; it amounts to supply and demand. We were fortunate as we had an end unit (image left). The back deck had steps leading right into tropical waters in a bay protected by a surrounding reef.
This was a dream trip which we were able to take as a result of a substantial buy-out from The San Francisco Chronicle. Bless them. (We did send "thank you" note from Bora Bora.)
We
travelled extremely light with Kipling Luggage similar to the one on the left (which comes in a variety of colors, including basic black).
We
still travel with the same size bags, but because airlines are even
further narrowing their aisles (even as people get bigger!), we are
now opting for luggage that allows a sideways pull.
If you travel to shop, Tahiti isn't really the place to go . . . perhaps in Papeete, but we didn't go there as this trip was about a tropical vacation. We did buy a couple of pareaus (those colorful large pieces of cloth that can be wrapped in SO many styles, including skirts over bathing suits that suffice as evening wear in Tahiti), but that's about all.
Flying into Bora Bora is dramatic. Actually, I've never experienced anything like it. The plane heads for a narrow motu set between the dark bluer outer ocean and the turquoise lagoon. From there, a 20 minute boat ride takes you from landing strip to Vaitape and provides a good introduction to the island as it covers most of the western side of the island. We visited Tahiti in May and found the weather to be perfect: light refreshing winds, occasional (but minimal) clouds, no rain, not too hot. of light wind, oftentimes picking up toward the latter part of the day.
Because the islands are actually volcanic, there's not much in the way of wildlife on land . . . a number of exotic birds (which are protected by the government), and now-wild pigs (such as that road hog above right) and most of the land animals were brought in by sailors. However, the marine life is exquisite and the landscapes other-worldly.
We did little on Bora Bora . . . a Polynesian dinner with a fire dance, which was enjoyable but not "great" as "great" goes. We rented a little car and drove around the island, which only takes a few hours even going slowly. In Moorea, we took a few of the day trips, most notably swimming with pink reef sharks (quite small, being fed by hand from the guides, still very scary), and with sting rays, which are not captive but are extremely curious. They are so accustomed to frequent groups immersing themselves into their tropical waters, that they come right up to you. One young woman on our tour caught their attention for some reason and they were actually going up to her and running the bottom part of their "wing" along her skin. Their "wings" feel like silk. (While kayaking in Tomales Bay, rays have come up to the kayak and run their wings along the boat . . . I think it's from curiosity and that is how they "observe.") The tour stopped at a motu for more snorkeling and a superb lunch.
Reading departure signs in some big airport