Since my last post we have managed to slow things down a little bit. No diving, no snorkeling, no wave runners. We have seen polynesian dancers, had great food, and circumnavigated the island.
Wednesday night the hotel had a polynesian dancing troupe give us half-hour show and it was fun. I wasn't too excited to attend because I have seen some pretty extravagant shows (from when I was a kid in Hawaii) and they were long, and after the first 30 minutes or so, boring. This was just the right length and it included some audience participation. Both Sarah and I were selected, among about a dozen, to participate. It was cute and not too embarrassing.
After the show we went to the resort restaurant and had some very nice food. Just right. Again, we were all tired from the day and hit the hay early, excited to sleep in today. Of course we were all up early, around 7a, and trying to figure out what to do for the day.
Thursday was Richard's last day with us and we wanted to see the rest of the island, so we rented a small car and took off around the island around 9:30a. We took a little road up the Opunohu Valley toward a lookout called Belvedere. From it you could look down both the Opunohu Valley and the Opunohu Bay and the Paopao Valley and Cook's Bay. Kind of cool to see both in the same view.
We saw a couple of archaeological sights dating back to the 13th century. One of the sights was an ancient archery platform from which the inhabitants had contests. The other was an ancient dwelling. Brian Davis would be loving it.
From Belvedere we headed back down to the bay and drove around the island. We made one stop to check out a large waterfall. It was about a 15 minute hike up a moderate to easy trail to the falls and it was worth it. I even stripped down to my skivvies and took a waterfall shower. It was fun.
We stopped and bought some cuban cigars, had some pizza for lunch, and then came back to the resort to relax on the patio until Richard's departure. It is about a 15 minute drive to the ferry from our resort, so at four o'clock we took Richard to the ferry and dropped him off. Once he gets home, back in Chicago, he will have 23 hours before he heads to Nevada to see his parents. He is literally going from one vacation to another.
Sarah and stopped at a small black pearl store on the way back to the resort. Muk, the owner of our resort, told us it was the only place on the island that would not rip us off, and that the owners were very nice. He was right. We spent a little over an hour there looking at pearls and talking to the gal who runs the shop and her brother who is the jeweler.
We got to learn a lot about how the Mooreans feel about the French (they don't like them much) and a little about life in paradise. They are probably a lot like most Alaskans; they don't really see the splendor in which they live. I think that talking with them reminded them to take a look around. I think it did because they really seemed to like us and they invited us back today to harvest some bread fruit in their yard and eat some with them.
I think Sarah and I are going to take the resort kayak down to the pearl place to visit with them, an then....we will will see what the day brings.
Today I will be posting some photos of local flowers, the resort cats, and the waterfall. The yellow cat we call MC (mangy cat) and the other is call VC (vacation cat). Sarah wants to take care of them, but they seem fine to me, and I don't think they need any food from us, since there are chickens literally everywhere on the island. In fact there are homeless dogs, cats, and chickens running around everywhere. It seems like the cats would keep the chicken population in check, but I think there is so much fresh fruit to eat, that none of the animals are in need.
Check out Facebook for the full spread of photos.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Wave Runners and Stingrays
It has been a good time since my last posting. Last night we had dinner with an older couple from the LA area and it was marvelous. Great food and great company....there was even a pretty good father-daughter music act who did a pretty nice cover of Simon & Garfunkel. After some cribbage we were all sacked out by 9:30p.
It is a good thing we got to bed early because today has been a whirlwind of island activity. Sarah, Richard, and I have been at it since 7:30a. We started with a couple of dives (our last two) and just finished with a wave runner tour and stingray encounter.
The dives were fairly straight forward between 40-80ft with plenty of tropical fish, black tip sharks, a turtle, and a moray eel to name a few things we saw. Richard is not a certified diver, but after doing an introductory dive yesterday afternoon he was invited to come back and dive with us today! I think he really got a kick out of it. Check out the photos on Facebook! It really was very relaxing. Sarah and I are getting very good a conserving our air, and I think we have really improved our diving skills overall on this trip.
We were returned back to our hotel and had just enough time to grab a hearty lunch before heading out on some wave runners. We went on a tour of Cook's Bay an Opunohu Bay before heading out toward the island that Sarah and I dove off of yesterday. This time, however, we rode on the inside, or the lagoon side, of the island. There we were able to visit with some Stingrays. The were so peaceful and gentle, coming to us to be pet and fed. We spent 15-20 minutes hanging out with them before heading back. What a trip!
Tonight we are going to a special dinner with a Polynesian dance, etc. It should be fun to watch, although I don't think there will be too many folks in attendance. There just aren't many tourists on the island right now. But that should pick up just about the time we leave....perfect.
I don't know what we are going to do tomorrow, but it should be relaxing and fun. TTFN.
It is a good thing we got to bed early because today has been a whirlwind of island activity. Sarah, Richard, and I have been at it since 7:30a. We started with a couple of dives (our last two) and just finished with a wave runner tour and stingray encounter.
The dives were fairly straight forward between 40-80ft with plenty of tropical fish, black tip sharks, a turtle, and a moray eel to name a few things we saw. Richard is not a certified diver, but after doing an introductory dive yesterday afternoon he was invited to come back and dive with us today! I think he really got a kick out of it. Check out the photos on Facebook! It really was very relaxing. Sarah and I are getting very good a conserving our air, and I think we have really improved our diving skills overall on this trip.
We were returned back to our hotel and had just enough time to grab a hearty lunch before heading out on some wave runners. We went on a tour of Cook's Bay an Opunohu Bay before heading out toward the island that Sarah and I dove off of yesterday. This time, however, we rode on the inside, or the lagoon side, of the island. There we were able to visit with some Stingrays. The were so peaceful and gentle, coming to us to be pet and fed. We spent 15-20 minutes hanging out with them before heading back. What a trip!
Tonight we are going to a special dinner with a Polynesian dance, etc. It should be fun to watch, although I don't think there will be too many folks in attendance. There just aren't many tourists on the island right now. But that should pick up just about the time we leave....perfect.
I don't know what we are going to do tomorrow, but it should be relaxing and fun. TTFN.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
R&R in the South Pacific
We are having another fantastic day in paradise. Last night we relaxed at the resort and met the owner, an ex-patriot named Muk. He is a very interesting guy who came here in the 50's and has lived here ever since. He is one of those guys who has the gift of gab and the stories to use it.
He recommended a very nice restaurant that we all thoroughly enjoyed. I love having fresh shrimp, oysters, mussels, etc. The mahi-mahi is excellent here. Served with a nice garlic butter sauce....mmmmmm. For desert we had an open faced pear pie. All Very good. Richard and I played some cribbage before hitting the sack. Sarah was pretty tired and hit bed pretty soon after we got back.
Moorea is a beautiful island, and scuba diving from a boat has allowed us to see a fair amount of it. Yesterday we dove out of a shop located at the Hilton Mooread Lagoon resort. It is located on a peninsula between Cook's Bay (where our hotel is located) and Opunohu Bay. Today we dove out of a resort on the west side of Opunohu Bay called the Intercontinental Beachcomber.
Our first dive was off a little atoll just on the edge of the lagoon and northwest of the resort. The site, called the Tiki, is near a shark cleaning station. At this particular spot Grey Sharks come to have their teeth cleaned by small fish. These fish voluntarily swim into the sharks open mouth in order to get a few morsels that may be lodged in between the shark's teeth. It was was fascinating to have that view, and although we where a good distance away, I managed to get a couple of hazy photos (check out Facebook).
Our second dive was across Opunohu Bay to the east, not to far from where we dove yesterday. We descended on a small volcanic crater and then proceeded to take a tour of some coral canyons. We saw countless tropical fish during the dive, but on our return to the crater we stopped about ten minutes to check out some Clown Fish who viciously protect their patches of anemone. They are incredibly tough little guys for being so small. I was also able to get some nice photos of some Tiger Fish. Very cool.
Richard is off doing a dive inside the lagoon (a place where they take enthusiasts who do not yet have their certification) and Sarah and I are relaxing back the Bali Hai. Later we are going to catch some dinner at a nearby restaurant, and then probably hit the sack early again. I think the latest we have been up is 9:30p. It is just so relaxing.
Tomorrow Sarah and I have two more dives, and then in the afternoon we are all renting wave runners and taking a 2 hour lagoon tour.
He recommended a very nice restaurant that we all thoroughly enjoyed. I love having fresh shrimp, oysters, mussels, etc. The mahi-mahi is excellent here. Served with a nice garlic butter sauce....mmmmmm. For desert we had an open faced pear pie. All Very good. Richard and I played some cribbage before hitting the sack. Sarah was pretty tired and hit bed pretty soon after we got back.
Moorea is a beautiful island, and scuba diving from a boat has allowed us to see a fair amount of it. Yesterday we dove out of a shop located at the Hilton Mooread Lagoon resort. It is located on a peninsula between Cook's Bay (where our hotel is located) and Opunohu Bay. Today we dove out of a resort on the west side of Opunohu Bay called the Intercontinental Beachcomber.
Our first dive was off a little atoll just on the edge of the lagoon and northwest of the resort. The site, called the Tiki, is near a shark cleaning station. At this particular spot Grey Sharks come to have their teeth cleaned by small fish. These fish voluntarily swim into the sharks open mouth in order to get a few morsels that may be lodged in between the shark's teeth. It was was fascinating to have that view, and although we where a good distance away, I managed to get a couple of hazy photos (check out Facebook).
Our second dive was across Opunohu Bay to the east, not to far from where we dove yesterday. We descended on a small volcanic crater and then proceeded to take a tour of some coral canyons. We saw countless tropical fish during the dive, but on our return to the crater we stopped about ten minutes to check out some Clown Fish who viciously protect their patches of anemone. They are incredibly tough little guys for being so small. I was also able to get some nice photos of some Tiger Fish. Very cool.
Richard is off doing a dive inside the lagoon (a place where they take enthusiasts who do not yet have their certification) and Sarah and I are relaxing back the Bali Hai. Later we are going to catch some dinner at a nearby restaurant, and then probably hit the sack early again. I think the latest we have been up is 9:30p. It is just so relaxing.
Tomorrow Sarah and I have two more dives, and then in the afternoon we are all renting wave runners and taking a 2 hour lagoon tour.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Diving & Adventure
Since my last entry we have had a lot of fun and adventure. We all ate in last night and made some pasta and generally relaxed. This morning Sarah and I got up and had a quick breakfast before being picked up by the dive center van and whisked away to our first warm water diving.
On the first of two dives we saw Black Tip Sharks, Lemon Sharks, and Grey Sharks, as well as hundreds of tropical fish. The sharks were very docile and not at all aggressive. I don't think a shark came within 30 feet of us. On the other hand I had a Beaked Sea Turtle swim right up to me. I have couple of photos of the it right in front of me. The dive master had Sarah feed it and I have a picture of that as well. All photos can be seen on Facebook.
On our second dive we went to a different part of the reef and saw more Black Tip and Grey sharks and more tropical fish. They are so colorful and amazing to swim with. It really was worth all of those cold dives in Seward and Whittier.
The best part about diving in warm water is the fact that we have much less gear on and much less weight to deal with. Sarah and I are literally carrying 1/4 the weight needed when in a dry suit. All in all we were in the water about an hour.
After diving we came back to the room and rented some scooters, but after taking a small spill, I made everyone nervous and we are returning them. I have a small scratch on my right arm but I am non the worse for wear. The scooter is now missing the plastic on the right tail light. Whoops.
I think we are going to go out for dinner tonight, but either way, it has been a fantastic day. Back at you tomorrow.
On the first of two dives we saw Black Tip Sharks, Lemon Sharks, and Grey Sharks, as well as hundreds of tropical fish. The sharks were very docile and not at all aggressive. I don't think a shark came within 30 feet of us. On the other hand I had a Beaked Sea Turtle swim right up to me. I have couple of photos of the it right in front of me. The dive master had Sarah feed it and I have a picture of that as well. All photos can be seen on Facebook.
On our second dive we went to a different part of the reef and saw more Black Tip and Grey sharks and more tropical fish. They are so colorful and amazing to swim with. It really was worth all of those cold dives in Seward and Whittier.
The best part about diving in warm water is the fact that we have much less gear on and much less weight to deal with. Sarah and I are literally carrying 1/4 the weight needed when in a dry suit. All in all we were in the water about an hour.
After diving we came back to the room and rented some scooters, but after taking a small spill, I made everyone nervous and we are returning them. I have a small scratch on my right arm but I am non the worse for wear. The scooter is now missing the plastic on the right tail light. Whoops.
I think we are going to go out for dinner tonight, but either way, it has been a fantastic day. Back at you tomorrow.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Paradise
After a long flight from LA we made it to Tahiti. The flight itself was only about 8 hours, but we had to sit on the tarmac at the airport in LA for an extra 1.5 hours while they fiddled with baggage.
Once we landed, Sarah and made our way to Richard's hotel in Papeete. From there the three of us walked over to the ferry terminal and caught our ride to Moorea. We took a taxi to our hotel here at Club Bali Hai. The rooms are far from extravagant, but the view is to die for. I got a nice photo of the view from our patio.
We have mostly been hanging out, although we did make a trek to the local grocery to get some food for dinner & breakfast. After the walk to the store I took a nap, but Sarah woke me up to catch a photo of Coconut Crab coming up from it's beachfront hole.
We relaxed a bit around the pool and then made some dinner. We went to bed around 9:30p and then got up today around 8a. I went to find some wi-fi. Which was a struggle, but I think I am hooked up for a few days.
Today, after lunch we all went for a swim and some snorkeling right in front of our hotel. I got a couple of photos.
It is a little hard to take photographs from above the fish. Tomorrow we go scuba diving, I am pumped. Hopefully some more photos tomorrow. All photos are on Facebook. I am having a hard time getting them on this blog.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Once we landed, Sarah and made our way to Richard's hotel in Papeete. From there the three of us walked over to the ferry terminal and caught our ride to Moorea. We took a taxi to our hotel here at Club Bali Hai. The rooms are far from extravagant, but the view is to die for. I got a nice photo of the view from our patio.
We have mostly been hanging out, although we did make a trek to the local grocery to get some food for dinner & breakfast. After the walk to the store I took a nap, but Sarah woke me up to catch a photo of Coconut Crab coming up from it's beachfront hole.
We relaxed a bit around the pool and then made some dinner. We went to bed around 9:30p and then got up today around 8a. I went to find some wi-fi. Which was a struggle, but I think I am hooked up for a few days.
Today, after lunch we all went for a swim and some snorkeling right in front of our hotel. I got a couple of photos.
It is a little hard to take photographs from above the fish. Tomorrow we go scuba diving, I am pumped. Hopefully some more photos tomorrow. All photos are on Facebook. I am having a hard time getting them on this blog.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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