Bora Bora

Wow! What a great vacation! Although I am not a watcher of "The Bachelorette," my son informed me that the show was recently set in the very hotel that we stayed in during our time there. (His girlfriend is an avid watcher) I can understand why it is a prime destination for young couples interested in romance. It is certainly great for older couples interested in the same thing! They greet you at the airport and the hotel with perfumey flower leis and ukulele players. The water varies in the most gorgeous shades of blue that you have ever seen. The sun shines brightly most of the time, but there is rarely a place where you can't find shade and a cool breeze to make you feel at peace. It is paradise!



We planned some wonderful excursions. We scuba dived, para sailed, went off-shore fishing, sailing, snorkeling and the boys skied and wake boarded.

My husband and I have scuba dived before, or I should say, we attempted to before. We had a scuba excursion on a cruise we took once. While I did...okay, my husband was having some sinus issues that triggered some breathing problems and panic during our attempt to dive. We ended up quitting early and just enjoying the sights. This time was different. I was the one with the issues! Both of my boys took off like fish on their first scuba experience, and my husband had no issues this time either. Me, on the other hand, well I told the instructor after my first few attempts to adjusting to breathing out of my mouth only, that I would just stay on the top and look at the fish up there while the others dived. The instructor was a young, tall, skinny, pale, Frenchman with very long dreadlocks piled on top of his head. "Don't be silly! Of course you are going diving with your family," he says matter-of-factly in his French accent. He took the three others down with him while the other instructor coaxed me down with lots of helpful encouragement and determination. I eventually got over my anxiety and had a wonderful dive. It was fascinating to see the fish and sea-urchins and starfish and other see creatures. Mostly I enjoyed watching the boys chest-bumping and high-fiving at things they saw just as if they were on dry land.


An unfortunate side effect of diving was that due to the pressure, some congestion that I was dealing with was forced into my inner ear. That afternoon, when we returned to the hotel, I thought that a decongestant or something might help. My husband went to the gift shop and discovered that they didn't sell so much as an aspirin. He went to the desk and inquired. They manager informed him that they couldn't provide any type of drug, even if it was over-the-counter. We could catch the water taxi in the morning to the main island of Bora Bora and there was a store there that sold over-the-counter medicine. Also, she informed him, the only hospital was on the main island of Tahiti. It got my mind wandering....

The island of Bora Bora is just one of many tiny Tahitian islands. Actually, Bora Bora isn't even really ONE island as you can tell in the previous picture. We flew from LA to the main island of Tahiti on a very large plane. Then, we boarded a small plane and flew 45 minutes to Bora Bora. Then we boarded a boat owned by the Hilton to take us out to a smaller, remote island of Bora Bora. So the only way off the island was by boat. What would happen if there was a serious medical emergency? In a place where about a dozen five-star hotels are located, you take for granted things like safety and accessibility to public services.


Fortunately, we never encountered any problems, even though I am still trying to get my inner ear to dry out. But on the plane ride home, I was reading the Air Tahiti Nui magazine about their latest initiative. Apparently, they are trying to provide regular flights to more and more of the small islands, even though the planes will operate at a loss on these flights. It is a public service to provide the locals with access to public services and transportation. Their road blocks are not just cost, but lack of internet connection for booking flights on these remote islands, and the problem of runway space, even for the tiny prop planes they use.


Paradise...remote, poor, and quite beautiful!