2012-1-22 Bora Bora

We went out with Patrick in Bora Bora today. He is legendary and for good reason. He took 12 of us in his outrigger canoe around the island. We stopped to pet the stingrays and  we were told not to pet the black tipped sharks. The sharks are not generally dangerous but they are not friendly, either. The stingrays cozy right on up to you. They are hoping for a piece of fish. Of course, someone mentioned Steve Irwin who died after he was stung by a sting ray but Patrick told us not to worry, just be happy.

Then, we went snorkeling in a deeper spot. The coral was brown in both places we have snorkeled. Patrick said that it was damaged by a hurricane in 2005 that caused mud to flow off the mountains and into the lagoon. Live coral is brightly colored. There were plenty of small fish.

Patrick took us to his family Motu which he described as a coral island. He set up a luau. They had a cooking in a pit along with breadfruit and chicken. They set up a barbecue and grilled lobsters too. They had soda pop, beer and champagne. I really liked a dish of spinach that was cooked in coconut milk.

There was also pineapple, tapioca root, Tahitian poi, plaintains and other veggies and fruit. I think I hit the high spots there.
The island was covered with crab holes which made it a little difficult for Bill, as he was using his canes. The crabs are hard to catch unless you wait three days after the full moon. That afternoon, they skitter down to the beach to lay their eggs. You can pick up as many as you desire as they pay no attention to you at that time.

When we got back from our outing, there was a notice attached to our door warning us not to eat off the ship. They still can’t get the GI bug under control. We can no longer do our own laundry, check out a book, etc. Every dock we dock, the captain says, “Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands.”

At sunset, we went out to the deck to attempt to see the green flash. When the sun sets in a thick atmosphere, there is a tiny green flash just before it dips completely away. I thought maybe this was the same kind of thing as a snipe but many people on board claim to have seen it, including Bill. It has something to do with the red that you normally see when the sun sets.