Bora Bora
Ah, Bora Bora, the famous Polynesian island. Does it live up to its reputation? You bet. It's gorgeous. The island is dominated by Pahia and Otemanu, two towering volcanic peaks. Almost all of the 5,500 inhabitants rely on tourism for their livelihood. During World War II, 4,500 US servicemen were stationed here. They built 7 large guns around the island, which are still there.We spent the first day and night at the town dock. During the evening we heard drums and saw some women dancing so we walked about two blocks to see what was going on. It turns out that they are practicing for the annual dance competition that will be held on Bora Bora in July. Boy can those women shake their hips. They practiced for two hours - 9-11 at night. We watched for about 45 minutes then went back to the boat. Hopefully we will be in Bora Bora with Tilikum during the competition in July.
On Friday, June 8 Alan went to the gendarmerie and we were officially taken off the crew list of Rhum Punch. We motored around the lagoon and anchored near Tupitipiti Point where we will be for the next four days. We moved the boat here because there is suppose to be fantastic snorkeling near here.
Snorkeling the Aquarium
I go snorkeling every day at the "Aquarium", an area near Tupitipiti Point were the fringing reefs and fish are. It is fantastic. I see about 50 different types of fish and thousands of fish every time I go. The whole reef area is shallow; the deepest part is maybe 6 feet. The shallowest is 2 inches, right above the reefs. It is like a maze. You just swim between the reefs. One day Steve and I brought stale bread in a plastic bag to feed the fish. Even before Steve can open the bag the fish are nibbling at it. I stand and hold the bread just at the waterline. The fish come right up and nibble the bread. After all the bread is gone, we have fish following us for a while. One even nibbled Steve on the chest.Unfortunately everyone on Rhum Punch is not able to go snorkeling every day. Pete has a sore on his ankle that is infected and he decides it would be best not to get it in the salt water for a while. He does not go in the water the whole time we are at Bora Bora. His only consultation is that we will be returning here on Tilikum. Of course, Steve had to wait 5 days before he could get into the water. Clemencia also has a sore on one of her feet and decides not to go in the water every day as well. Boy, these feet problems seem to be contagious.
Duane's Graduation Party
On Friday, June 8, we had a graduation celebration for Duane. If he had stayed in Canada, he would have been attending his graduation ceremony today. He attended a 6 month long computer school where he learned more about networks than I will know in a lifetime. While his classes ended in March, the ceremony was held later so more students would have completed the program. Pete served as our official bartender and put all the bar fixin's on the top of the refrigerator. Pete was in his element and it reminded him of all the fun he had when he was a bartender. We have rum and cokes, Pina Coladas (using milk from coconuts we found earlier), Rum Punches and Tahiti Clubs. Clemencia has "The Complete Bartender's Guide" which is where we discover the ingredients for the Tahiti Clubs.