Our final day in French Polynesia gave us the chance for one final adventure, and we took it. Rather than stay in paradise for one more day of sun, sand, clear blue water, and the hotel food, we decided instead to hop on the first flight *back* to Papeete. Now this was definitely a “non-recommended” move, even from back when we booked the trip when the travel agent told me I’d want to stay in Bora Bora as long as possible. He was right – sort of… it’s not like we wanted to leave, but we hadn’t experienced any of the island of Tahiti, and we had heard so many good things about it. And once a year, the pro surfing tour stops there for one of their dozen major events… the Billabong Pro Teahupoo, which just happen to start on May 8th. So we hopped on the early plane, touched down in Papeete around 10am, and rented a car in search of the big waves of Teahupoo. Unfortunately for us (and for Andy Irons, Kelly Slater, etc…) the waves were the smallest they’ve been in awhile, so the start of the tournament was pushed back. All’s we got for our 90 minute excursion to the peninsula of Tahiti Iti was a pretty cool idea of what big wave surfing in Tahiti might be like had Mother Nature cooperated.
However, the trip wasn’t a waste just because the pro surfers were catching zzz’s and buzzes instead of 10 footers. True to our semi-adventurous honeymoon mindset, we took a trip around the rest of the island. Tahiti itself, outside of the urban-ness of Papeete, is a beautiful South Pacific island with lots to offer independent of its more noteworthy sister islands. After a long trip around the island where the beautiful turns in the road overlooking the ocean seemed to outnumber the guard rails on these winding roads, we found a small place overlooking the water and Moorea just outside of Papeete. We chowed down on lunch, and then got back in the car and headed away from Papeete, looking for an overlook that existed on the tourist map but was impossible to locate on three different trips past the region it should have been.
Since we still had plenty of time, we decided that we’d check out the waterfalls that we had heard about. After driving for a couple of miles on a small dirt road, we reached the parking lot and the path towards the three different falls. All of the sudden, the beach paradise we’ve known for the last week and a half turned into a tropical rainforest of sorts. The trail to the three different falls was covered with a natural canopy of tropical foliage, overhanging trees, and shadows of the nearby mountains. The world here was 10-15 degrees cooler than just down the dusty road, and the hot sandy air replaced by a cool mountain breeze. We hiked down mossy rocks and across semi-overgrown trails to the first waterfall, a tiny sliver out of the side of the mountain, then doubled back to go to the twin waterfalls down the other fork in the path. The cool mountain water was crisp and refreshing, especially considering that it was, well, FREE and ABUNDANT, something that in the resorts would cost us $4 for a medium bottle, yet here we could down all the cold, clear refreshing mountain water we wanted. To be honest, it tasted better than anything we could buy, either in Tahiti or at home. The twin waterfalls were beautiful, and although the temptation was there, T.J. (mostly) minded the “No Swimming” signs and only went in knee-deep.
After heading back to the car, we cruised around the northeast side of the island, watching the sun go down and the surf. Since we’d been walking and sitting in a hot car all day, a final dip in the Pacific Ocean seemed like a fitting way to cap our trip. We stopped at one of the black sand beaches, which at first just seemed like a dirty beach unlike those chalky white beaches in Bora Bora. However, once we got on the beach, the sand was a tannish-black (think the color of Guinness as it goes from the head into the rest of the glass) and very fine and comfortable. We went for our last swim, and T.J. finally got a chance to catch some body surfing waves, as this was the first break that wasn’t hundreds of yards out. A game of cards on the beach brought us to the brink of our last sunset, and we packed up the rental car and headed towards our lunch destination, which had a small outdoor shower we could use to rinse off (and when you’re flying at 10pm on Friday from Tahiti and arriving at midnight on Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale, you DEFINETELY want to rinse off). We stopped at an overlook and watched the sun sink into the clouds (despite the amazing colors in the sky, the sun rarely sets on a clear horizon in French Polynesia, according to the locals), then headed for our ghetto shower.
Rinsed off and changed, we reluctantly drove back into town, found the Faaa Airport, and returned our car, knowing that turning in those keys really marked the end of an amazing journey we could never forget, not that we’d want to. Sitting in the airport lounge (thank GOD for business class) playing cards and trying to get an internet connection to send an email home and check the Flyers score, the dawn of heading-back-to-reality slowly started to sink in, although not before we took liberal advantage of the lounge’s free alcohol. As we watched our plane taxi in – right at eye level, barely 50 feet in front of us – we both couldn’t help but think this was the end of a truly incredible 16 days that started when the first out of town relatives trickled into Fort Lauderdale. As sad as it was to go – and it was REALLY sad, bringing Jen to “But I don’t *want* to go!” tears multiple times – we both knew that it was simply the final step through the door that separated our lives as “Jen” and “T.J.” from our life together as “Jen and T.J.” And as hard as it is to leave paradise, it’s equally as comforting to know that when the plane touches down in FLL International some 24 hours (by the clock) later, we’d be starting another journey, together, that would be just as incredible, beautiful, and amazing as the best place we’d ever been. And the best place we’ll be back to, one day. “Muruuru” (thank you in Tahitian) for the memories, French Polynesia, we’ll see you again someday.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Thursday, May 8, 2008
A Scuba and Spa Day As Our Finale
Today we got up and ate another great breakfast to fill us up for the 2 dives we had this morning. There was an AMAZING rainbow early in the morning. At 8am, the dive boat arrived for us and we were off. Our first dive began with Jen doing a few more exercises, then Jen, TJ, the instructor and one other guy were off to explore the water. We saw a few black tip sharks and some much larger sharks, maybe 7 feet long, with yellow bellies. We also saw a morea eel, clams and a ton of other fish I can’t remember the names. On our second dive, we saw a school of eagle rays (bigger than this guy), TJ saw another shark, a flounder, scorpion fish, sea anomeas and much more. It was awesome – and best of all after the second dive, Jen was Open Water certified! We then were dropped back off at the hotel and had a quick lunch and headed to the spa for some R & R. Our spa appointments were at 4:20, but we showed up at 2pm to take advantage of the other spa activities and amenities.
We started our spa journey in our private spa suite that was a mini Jacuzzi with 2 lounge chairs and an umbrella, high on the hill of our Motu with spectacular views of mainland Bora Bora and it was private behind brick walls. Next we went into the steam room where we got nice and steamed up, then TJ took a dip in the “cold plunge” – the water was probably like 50 degrees. Jen thought he was crazy. Next we headed over to the tired leg massage trail which was a long skinny pool that you walked through and there were tons of jets spraying our legs in an incredible massage. Then we went into the spa pool where you could set a current to go and you could swim as if you were in a much larger pool – basically swimming in place. We quickly realized that we were way too relaxed to swim against the strong current, so we turned it off and made it a regular Jacuzzi and chilled for a few minutes. Somehow TJ talked Jen into going back into the steam room and then to jump into the “cold plunge.” It was very invigorating! Next we hit the rain showers and that was really cool. Finally, we were totally relaxed and headed to the tea lounge to have a cup of tea and wait for the massuses to come get us for our couples massage. A man and woman arrived, the man grabbed Jen (much to TJ’s delight), the woman grabbed TJ and we were off. Our massage room was amazing – the floors had holes in the ground where we could stare at reefs and fish swimming all around under us. Our massages were 90 minutes long and were just incredible.
We got home and were able to quickly shower up and we headed to the mainland Bora Bora to have dinner at Villa Mahana. Villa Mahana was a small, eclectic restaurant that had only 9 tables, 7 tables in the main parlor and 2 private tables in other areas of the villa. The food was absolutely incredible, the best food we ate on the island for sure. We both ordered different menus that were set and offered 3 or 4 different dishes so we were able to try some of everything. Food ranged from sashimi tuna salad, shrimp & caviar salad, banana encrusted mahi, gnocchi & tenderloin, lobster risotto, sorbet, and for dessert, chocolate sauce cake and bananas and ice cream. It was SO good! Then we headed home for our final night on Bora Bora. It was a fabulous day and a great way to end our stay in bora bora.
We started our spa journey in our private spa suite that was a mini Jacuzzi with 2 lounge chairs and an umbrella, high on the hill of our Motu with spectacular views of mainland Bora Bora and it was private behind brick walls. Next we went into the steam room where we got nice and steamed up, then TJ took a dip in the “cold plunge” – the water was probably like 50 degrees. Jen thought he was crazy. Next we headed over to the tired leg massage trail which was a long skinny pool that you walked through and there were tons of jets spraying our legs in an incredible massage. Then we went into the spa pool where you could set a current to go and you could swim as if you were in a much larger pool – basically swimming in place. We quickly realized that we were way too relaxed to swim against the strong current, so we turned it off and made it a regular Jacuzzi and chilled for a few minutes. Somehow TJ talked Jen into going back into the steam room and then to jump into the “cold plunge.” It was very invigorating! Next we hit the rain showers and that was really cool. Finally, we were totally relaxed and headed to the tea lounge to have a cup of tea and wait for the massuses to come get us for our couples massage. A man and woman arrived, the man grabbed Jen (much to TJ’s delight), the woman grabbed TJ and we were off. Our massage room was amazing – the floors had holes in the ground where we could stare at reefs and fish swimming all around under us. Our massages were 90 minutes long and were just incredible.
We got home and were able to quickly shower up and we headed to the mainland Bora Bora to have dinner at Villa Mahana. Villa Mahana was a small, eclectic restaurant that had only 9 tables, 7 tables in the main parlor and 2 private tables in other areas of the villa. The food was absolutely incredible, the best food we ate on the island for sure. We both ordered different menus that were set and offered 3 or 4 different dishes so we were able to try some of everything. Food ranged from sashimi tuna salad, shrimp & caviar salad, banana encrusted mahi, gnocchi & tenderloin, lobster risotto, sorbet, and for dessert, chocolate sauce cake and bananas and ice cream. It was SO good! Then we headed home for our final night on Bora Bora. It was a fabulous day and a great way to end our stay in bora bora.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Dive Tests at Sunset
Today we got up and ate another great breakfast, then headed to the front desk to ask our buddy, Pierre, if it was worth the time given up on Bora Bora to head over to Papeetee earlier so we can try to catch some of the Billabong International Surf Competition. Pierre told us that the atmosphere was awesome and that we should definitely go check it out. He said that we would have to rent a car then drive about 45 minutes to the other side of the island. From there, we would take a water taxi over to the reef and that is where everyone hangs out all day and waits for the surfers to surf. Sounded great to us, so we changed our plane tickets from leaving Bora Bora at 5pm to leaving at 8:15am – early, but we think it will be a great time to experience, though we are taking a chance because if the waves are small, there will be no surfing. Next, we headed to our room to relax on the deck of the bungalow as Jen prepared for her dive at 2pm.
At 2pm, the dive boat arrived to pick us up and we were off. This was supposed to be for Jen’s final instructional dive to receive her Open Water certification. Once we were out in the water, the dive instructor began talking to Jen and told her that she was not going to receive the Open Water certification since she still had to take several tests and a final exam that would take several hours. Jen was not having that after spending so much time on our honeymoon studying for this certification. After much going back and forth and the instructors speaking French fast and furious, Jen got a different dive instructor who said that if Jen agreed to take the tests for chapters 4 and 5 (10 questions each) and a 50 question final exam, she would be certified after two more open water dives tomorrow (which TJ could also participate in). (As an aside, the instructor said this seldom happened because no one wants to study and take tests while they are on vacation – imagine that). Anyway, the instructional dive was quick and painless and Jen passed as flying colors as TJ sat on the boat taking pictures – especially of Jen’s first attempt at a backward fall entry into the water off the side of the boat. Jen saw a few cool fish but they only stayed in the water long enough for the exercises, so nothing too exciting.
Tonight was our only night that we scheduled time to see a sunset on Bora Bora. Since the sun set on the other side of Bora Bora opposite of the motu our hotel was on, it was more difficult to catch an actual sunseting into the water than it was in Moorea. As Jen was taking her various exams, TJ was assisting by drinking many cocktails at happy hour. As it became obvious that Jen would not finish reviewing her test with the instructor before sunset, her instructor suggested that she come with us to the beach (not far from the hotel we were at) for the sunset.
So TJ, Jen and the dive instructor head to the beach for a romantic sunset and some instructional dive theory. (by the way, Jen passed with an 82 on the test!) it was actually helpful to have the instructor there so she could take some pictures of us at the sunset. After the sunset and Jen finished reviewing her test, the instructor left and Jen and TJ enjoyed the rest of the bottle of wine at the beach. We then walked a few blocks down the beach to have dinner at Café Matira Beach for dinner, which was delicious! Jen had John Dorry filet (no TJ, it is not a steak) and TJ had lobster risotto. We also split the lemon souflee topped with raspberry which was delicious! We then headed back to the hotel for a good night sleep since our dives started at 8am tomorrow morning!
At 2pm, the dive boat arrived to pick us up and we were off. This was supposed to be for Jen’s final instructional dive to receive her Open Water certification. Once we were out in the water, the dive instructor began talking to Jen and told her that she was not going to receive the Open Water certification since she still had to take several tests and a final exam that would take several hours. Jen was not having that after spending so much time on our honeymoon studying for this certification. After much going back and forth and the instructors speaking French fast and furious, Jen got a different dive instructor who said that if Jen agreed to take the tests for chapters 4 and 5 (10 questions each) and a 50 question final exam, she would be certified after two more open water dives tomorrow (which TJ could also participate in). (As an aside, the instructor said this seldom happened because no one wants to study and take tests while they are on vacation – imagine that). Anyway, the instructional dive was quick and painless and Jen passed as flying colors as TJ sat on the boat taking pictures – especially of Jen’s first attempt at a backward fall entry into the water off the side of the boat. Jen saw a few cool fish but they only stayed in the water long enough for the exercises, so nothing too exciting.
Tonight was our only night that we scheduled time to see a sunset on Bora Bora. Since the sun set on the other side of Bora Bora opposite of the motu our hotel was on, it was more difficult to catch an actual sunseting into the water than it was in Moorea. As Jen was taking her various exams, TJ was assisting by drinking many cocktails at happy hour. As it became obvious that Jen would not finish reviewing her test with the instructor before sunset, her instructor suggested that she come with us to the beach (not far from the hotel we were at) for the sunset.
So TJ, Jen and the dive instructor head to the beach for a romantic sunset and some instructional dive theory. (by the way, Jen passed with an 82 on the test!) it was actually helpful to have the instructor there so she could take some pictures of us at the sunset. After the sunset and Jen finished reviewing her test, the instructor left and Jen and TJ enjoyed the rest of the bottle of wine at the beach. We then walked a few blocks down the beach to have dinner at Café Matira Beach for dinner, which was delicious! Jen had John Dorry filet (no TJ, it is not a steak) and TJ had lobster risotto. We also split the lemon souflee topped with raspberry which was delicious! We then headed back to the hotel for a good night sleep since our dives started at 8am tomorrow morning!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
A Lazy Day In Tahiti Beats A Good Day At Work
Today was probably our first real “nothing to do” day since we got here – every other day has either involved travel or some sort of organized activity. It was nice to just relax and enjoy where we are. We woke up, got breakfast, and then hung out on our deck for a few hours, reading and playing cards – Jen seems to be getting very lucky at 500 Rummy in French Polynesia. We also decided that today would be a good day to enjoy having a few day drinks – “Tuesday FunDay” in Jen’s terms. We’ve been so busy that we really actually haven’t drank a lot out here, so to mix up a few vodka and island fruit juice (the REALLY good local fruit juice) helped put both of us in good spirits by lunch. Jen had “hours” of studying to do to finish up her scuba stuff – we found out that she’d have to finish her dives here to be able to go anywhere that had a good dive, so she’s doing her final technical dive tomorrow afternoon and then we both do two dives on Thursday morning. So she had to spend 90 minutes after winning at cards reading the last chapter and a half and figuring out dive charts, while sipping a vodka and fruit juice on the balcony of the overwater bungalow in the Bora Bora lagoon. Tough day… ::Jen butting in:: it was actually about 3 hours of studying – but I can’t complain that much! :)
After swimming in the lagoon and taking pictures of ourselves in the water and from the see-through coffee table in our bungalow (and T.J. using the 2nd level railing as a high dive), we wandered over to the pool to get a bite to eat and lounge over there. It was nice to just relax all day. Went to the happy hour and got a couple of drinks, then headed back here to get ready for dinner at the St. Regis.
The boat from the St. Regis picked us up at 8pm, and it was a great ride – we were in a very nicely done pontoon boat, that let us watch the stars as we headed to the St. Regis. The place was beautiful – even though we only saw a little bit of it, everything was five star. We had a drink at a table that was on a porch next to the concrete dock/footer and then moved to our table for dinner, which was the only table between our first table and the water. It was a great sight – the water was lit right there, and the fish were swimming all over the place. The food was REALLY good – we had lamb and grouper, and both were prepared and seasoned outstanding. Jean George or whoever the guy is really knows what he’s doing.
After swimming in the lagoon and taking pictures of ourselves in the water and from the see-through coffee table in our bungalow (and T.J. using the 2nd level railing as a high dive), we wandered over to the pool to get a bite to eat and lounge over there. It was nice to just relax all day. Went to the happy hour and got a couple of drinks, then headed back here to get ready for dinner at the St. Regis.
The boat from the St. Regis picked us up at 8pm, and it was a great ride – we were in a very nicely done pontoon boat, that let us watch the stars as we headed to the St. Regis. The place was beautiful – even though we only saw a little bit of it, everything was five star. We had a drink at a table that was on a porch next to the concrete dock/footer and then moved to our table for dinner, which was the only table between our first table and the water. It was a great sight – the water was lit right there, and the fish were swimming all over the place. The food was REALLY good – we had lamb and grouper, and both were prepared and seasoned outstanding. Jean George or whoever the guy is really knows what he’s doing.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Peddlin' Around Bora Bora
Our first full day on the island of Bora Bora!!! We woke up and just enjoyed the view from the bedroom window out to the water, the bungalows, the boats, and the mountains in the background as the sun was coming up. It is quite an amazing site. We got to go to the breakfast buffet (luckily, it’s included in our package here) and it was pretty good – similar to the IC Moorea but a step up to be sure. We came back and went for a swim around the bungalow, then got dressed and went on another exploration trip. We hopped on the IC’s ferry to the mainland early, and by 10:30 we had two OLD beach cruiser bikes with baskets on the handles – the neat-looking dune buggy was our first option but it was expensive and we think sold out, so we just opted for good ol’ pedal power – which actually turned out to be a lot easier and nicer than even we thought.
We stopped at a couple of black pearl places – they are nice, but certainly not cheap! We made the trip into the main town to check out the shops and then doubled back – it wasn’t a very far trip, about 10 miles round trip, and we stopped to check out the scenery quite a few times, which helped to break it up. The island is as amazing as Moorea – it seems a little nicer, more cleaned up, and not as populated. There were shacks up here and there, but even they looked pretty decent and reminded T.J. of cheap shore house rentals. The beach and the water were, like usual, amazing. At the end of the one harbor just before we reached the main village of Vaitape, the water got muddier and it wasn’t nearly as nice, but for the most part it was crystal clear water and white sand. The town itself was more or less a tourist trap that had a few local stores. We got a few little things, and a couple of bottles of wine and a couple of loaves of bread (which will go great with the cheese we stole from the breakfast buffet) for the week, and headed back the way we came. We stopped at several dive places to see if we could get Jen a deeper dive than the original place was offering, but we just had really bad timing and everything was closed or had just left for a dive when we got there.
We stopped at “Bloody Mary’s”, an American-ish bar that was pretty cool. We had heard mixed reviews about the place, and probably should have spent more time there, cause it seemed like a place that would be right up our alley. Overpriced for sure and touristy, but then again, what’s not here. The atmosphere was really cool – they had a “shoe check” because the ground was all sand. There was a cool tiki-type bar and lots of tables in the restaurant with an overall island tiki theme. Jen went to the bathroom and told TJ how cool it was, so he went in to check the mens room which was equally as fun. The sinks were actually mini waterfalls and the bathrooms were eclectically decorated. We debated eating at Bloody Mary’s, but both of us agreed we wanted something more “authentic” than burgers and wings. After a few drinks, we got back on the bikes and found the one pearl farm on Bora Bora island, and took the 15 minute tour to see how the pearls were cultivated. Then TJ bought Jen her wedding present from the pearl shop. :)
Back on the bikes, the place we wanted to stop for lunch was, of course, closed when we got there, so we ended up finding some little shack on a public beach and had a decent meal there. It started raining while we were eating, so that helped to cool the air a bit but kept us off the bikes for an extra 20 minutes. Once we got on the bikes and got moving, we were pretty surprised to discover the IC Moana was right around the corner from where we were. So we returned the bikes, and had about 40 minutes to wait for the next water taxi. We got some towels and then headed for the pool at the IC Moana, a neat little two-level thing that had a small waterfall and a sand lower level. It was nice to lounge a bit after going going going all day long.
We got back to the Thalasso at happy hour time, but opted to skip it to hang out at the bungalow. We opened a bottle of wine and saw a semi-sunset over the mountain. After another fun swim in the water, we got dressed in hopes of getting to the St. Regis for dinner, but we ended up being too late to make reservations for tonight (of course!). We settled for the casual restaurant here over the Polynesian dinner luau, and had a decent meal (even if the best thing was the sashimi/tuna tartar app). It was a good first day exploring, and now we have a great idea of what the rest of the week will look like: scuba, St. Regis, a sunset, and slouching for a day. :)
We stopped at a couple of black pearl places – they are nice, but certainly not cheap! We made the trip into the main town to check out the shops and then doubled back – it wasn’t a very far trip, about 10 miles round trip, and we stopped to check out the scenery quite a few times, which helped to break it up. The island is as amazing as Moorea – it seems a little nicer, more cleaned up, and not as populated. There were shacks up here and there, but even they looked pretty decent and reminded T.J. of cheap shore house rentals. The beach and the water were, like usual, amazing. At the end of the one harbor just before we reached the main village of Vaitape, the water got muddier and it wasn’t nearly as nice, but for the most part it was crystal clear water and white sand. The town itself was more or less a tourist trap that had a few local stores. We got a few little things, and a couple of bottles of wine and a couple of loaves of bread (which will go great with the cheese we stole from the breakfast buffet) for the week, and headed back the way we came. We stopped at several dive places to see if we could get Jen a deeper dive than the original place was offering, but we just had really bad timing and everything was closed or had just left for a dive when we got there.
We stopped at “Bloody Mary’s”, an American-ish bar that was pretty cool. We had heard mixed reviews about the place, and probably should have spent more time there, cause it seemed like a place that would be right up our alley. Overpriced for sure and touristy, but then again, what’s not here. The atmosphere was really cool – they had a “shoe check” because the ground was all sand. There was a cool tiki-type bar and lots of tables in the restaurant with an overall island tiki theme. Jen went to the bathroom and told TJ how cool it was, so he went in to check the mens room which was equally as fun. The sinks were actually mini waterfalls and the bathrooms were eclectically decorated. We debated eating at Bloody Mary’s, but both of us agreed we wanted something more “authentic” than burgers and wings. After a few drinks, we got back on the bikes and found the one pearl farm on Bora Bora island, and took the 15 minute tour to see how the pearls were cultivated. Then TJ bought Jen her wedding present from the pearl shop. :)
Back on the bikes, the place we wanted to stop for lunch was, of course, closed when we got there, so we ended up finding some little shack on a public beach and had a decent meal there. It started raining while we were eating, so that helped to cool the air a bit but kept us off the bikes for an extra 20 minutes. Once we got on the bikes and got moving, we were pretty surprised to discover the IC Moana was right around the corner from where we were. So we returned the bikes, and had about 40 minutes to wait for the next water taxi. We got some towels and then headed for the pool at the IC Moana, a neat little two-level thing that had a small waterfall and a sand lower level. It was nice to lounge a bit after going going going all day long.
We got back to the Thalasso at happy hour time, but opted to skip it to hang out at the bungalow. We opened a bottle of wine and saw a semi-sunset over the mountain. After another fun swim in the water, we got dressed in hopes of getting to the St. Regis for dinner, but we ended up being too late to make reservations for tonight (of course!). We settled for the casual restaurant here over the Polynesian dinner luau, and had a decent meal (even if the best thing was the sashimi/tuna tartar app). It was a good first day exploring, and now we have a great idea of what the rest of the week will look like: scuba, St. Regis, a sunset, and slouching for a day. :)
...And Hello Bora Bora
Time to travel!! We got up early and finished packing; T.J. also snuck down to the beach and out to one of the remote bungalows to toss in a couple of “message in a bottle” wine bottles, with a stamped envelope asking whomever found it to mail it to us with who they were, when they found it, etc… Here’s hoping the bottles get caught up in a current that takes them someplace far, and doesn’t just push them back to shore. We were up early yet again, and pretty much packed and ready to go by 7am or so. We tried using our last little bit of internet time to send out the summary email but it wasn’t going through, and we decided to just wait until we got to Bora Bora (note: somehow though the nhl.com web page got refreshed with the Flyers scores, although T.J. didn’t see this until late Sunday afternoon… bring on the Penguins/Rangers!!) We headed to the airport and got there with plenty of time to spare (for once) so settled into a little game of 500 Rummy. The airport isn’t exactly what you would call “modern”, we have the pictures to prove it.
Once we got on and got airborne we had a quick stop to make in Huanine before heading to Bora Bora. We’re actually glad we got to stop there, even if we didn’t make it off the plane, as it was one of the places we wanted to go as a third island. It looked beautiful from the air, and was bigger than we had anticipated. Our next trip I guess… We finally get back up in the air and were only airborne for maybe 15 minutes before we started to descend to Bora Bora. We got a pretty good view of the island and the surround motus (our hotel is on a motu) on the way in, and yea, it was as amazing as people had described. The airport itself is pretty cool – it’s on a mutu also, so once “inside” you get your bags and then you hop on a boat to wherever your hotel or destination is. Baggage claim is about 10 feet away from crystal blue water… pretty cool.
We got on the Intercontinental’s boat and headed through the lagoon for a 15 minute trip to the IC Thelasso, passing the Four Seasons, the St. Regis, and the Meredian on the way, all with amazing overwater bungalows. Checking in was pretty much a breeze; we had paid for the “Ambassador’s club” which got you a free upgrade, so we went from the basic OW bungalow to their middle-level ones that had a view of the lagoon and island of Bora Bora instead of a beach/lagoon view. Considering we got upgraded at both IC hotels, it was a great $150 to spend. The room wasn’t quite ready yet, so we hit the casual restaurant for some lunch and a drink. After lounging at the pool (another amazing view) for about 5 minutes, they came and picked us up and brought us to our room. The staff here has been exceptional; everyone has been beyond friendly and helpful and they/the entire place has that extra special touch of the little things done right. When we walked into the room (well, “room” is a misnomer, since the bungalow is 1,000 sq. ft.) we were both amazed at… the entire package. The rooms were fantastic, huge, with spa-type showers, walk in closets, modern amenities, and a huge king bed that had a plate glass window at its foot overlooking the entire lagoon and island of Bora Bora. There was a big deck (which got plenty of shade!!) and then a SECOND lower deck that let you into the lagoon. T.J. has already scoped out the best places to high dive from… :) The entire setup is first class all the way, and the little things really do make a difference. The A/C isn’t fuel-generated – it comes from 40 degree seawater they pump in from 900 ft. (or meters) deep. The A/C turns off if you open up the windows. There’s a clear glass coffee table that lets you see right into the water below the bungalow. It’s just amazing.
We finally got to go for a swim, which was needed since we’d been traveling in the tropical warmth all day. Jen got her first-ever “get thrown in” by T.J., and it was a little easier to take than getting tossed in the Somers Point Bay (which will happen at some point too…) :) The water here is a little more cloudy than it was in Moorea, possibly b/c the bottom is all sand and doesn’t have the amount of coral that Moorea had, and maybe because there is a decent amount of boat traffic on the lagoon that moves the water and the sand below it. It’s still an unreal shade of aqua blue, and although the snorkeling isn’t as good as Moorea, it’s great to hop in and swim around. We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, getting stuff unpacked, reading, and taking lots of pictures of the scenery. It was tough to leave the room, but we heard there was a happy hour special at the South Beach-ish bar here at the hotel called Bubbles, so *of course* we had to check that out. Turns out their specialty drinks are 2 for 1 for an hour, so something tells me that wasn’t our last trip to Bubbles.
To get from the IC to the main island, there’s a water taxi that runs, for the most part, every hour back and forth from the two IC hotels. After a slight schedule misread, we were able to get it over to the other IC property (the Moana) and then walked about 10 minutes to Le Bounty, which was recommended by several people. It was a neat little place (not on the water though) that served up some good mahi for T.J. and veal for Jen. The food was very good and reasonably priced. We had time to kill so we decided to stop at a little beachfront place for dessert and some wine. (the name is escaping us right now) Jen had coconut crème brulee that was REALLY good, and we shared another bottle of wine before calling it a night and heading back to the Moana for the boat ride home. When we got back the staff had turned down our bed, left a little muffin for us, and put a picture of us from when we first arrived on our pillow. Another great little touch. We opened the windows and sliding doors and let the breeze come through and then hit the pillows hard. A great first day in paradise, part II.
Once we got on and got airborne we had a quick stop to make in Huanine before heading to Bora Bora. We’re actually glad we got to stop there, even if we didn’t make it off the plane, as it was one of the places we wanted to go as a third island. It looked beautiful from the air, and was bigger than we had anticipated. Our next trip I guess… We finally get back up in the air and were only airborne for maybe 15 minutes before we started to descend to Bora Bora. We got a pretty good view of the island and the surround motus (our hotel is on a motu) on the way in, and yea, it was as amazing as people had described. The airport itself is pretty cool – it’s on a mutu also, so once “inside” you get your bags and then you hop on a boat to wherever your hotel or destination is. Baggage claim is about 10 feet away from crystal blue water… pretty cool.
We got on the Intercontinental’s boat and headed through the lagoon for a 15 minute trip to the IC Thelasso, passing the Four Seasons, the St. Regis, and the Meredian on the way, all with amazing overwater bungalows. Checking in was pretty much a breeze; we had paid for the “Ambassador’s club” which got you a free upgrade, so we went from the basic OW bungalow to their middle-level ones that had a view of the lagoon and island of Bora Bora instead of a beach/lagoon view. Considering we got upgraded at both IC hotels, it was a great $150 to spend. The room wasn’t quite ready yet, so we hit the casual restaurant for some lunch and a drink. After lounging at the pool (another amazing view) for about 5 minutes, they came and picked us up and brought us to our room. The staff here has been exceptional; everyone has been beyond friendly and helpful and they/the entire place has that extra special touch of the little things done right. When we walked into the room (well, “room” is a misnomer, since the bungalow is 1,000 sq. ft.) we were both amazed at… the entire package. The rooms were fantastic, huge, with spa-type showers, walk in closets, modern amenities, and a huge king bed that had a plate glass window at its foot overlooking the entire lagoon and island of Bora Bora. There was a big deck (which got plenty of shade!!) and then a SECOND lower deck that let you into the lagoon. T.J. has already scoped out the best places to high dive from… :) The entire setup is first class all the way, and the little things really do make a difference. The A/C isn’t fuel-generated – it comes from 40 degree seawater they pump in from 900 ft. (or meters) deep. The A/C turns off if you open up the windows. There’s a clear glass coffee table that lets you see right into the water below the bungalow. It’s just amazing.
We finally got to go for a swim, which was needed since we’d been traveling in the tropical warmth all day. Jen got her first-ever “get thrown in” by T.J., and it was a little easier to take than getting tossed in the Somers Point Bay (which will happen at some point too…) :) The water here is a little more cloudy than it was in Moorea, possibly b/c the bottom is all sand and doesn’t have the amount of coral that Moorea had, and maybe because there is a decent amount of boat traffic on the lagoon that moves the water and the sand below it. It’s still an unreal shade of aqua blue, and although the snorkeling isn’t as good as Moorea, it’s great to hop in and swim around. We relaxed for the rest of the afternoon, getting stuff unpacked, reading, and taking lots of pictures of the scenery. It was tough to leave the room, but we heard there was a happy hour special at the South Beach-ish bar here at the hotel called Bubbles, so *of course* we had to check that out. Turns out their specialty drinks are 2 for 1 for an hour, so something tells me that wasn’t our last trip to Bubbles.
To get from the IC to the main island, there’s a water taxi that runs, for the most part, every hour back and forth from the two IC hotels. After a slight schedule misread, we were able to get it over to the other IC property (the Moana) and then walked about 10 minutes to Le Bounty, which was recommended by several people. It was a neat little place (not on the water though) that served up some good mahi for T.J. and veal for Jen. The food was very good and reasonably priced. We had time to kill so we decided to stop at a little beachfront place for dessert and some wine. (the name is escaping us right now) Jen had coconut crème brulee that was REALLY good, and we shared another bottle of wine before calling it a night and heading back to the Moana for the boat ride home. When we got back the staff had turned down our bed, left a little muffin for us, and put a picture of us from when we first arrived on our pillow. Another great little touch. We opened the windows and sliding doors and let the breeze come through and then hit the pillows hard. A great first day in paradise, part II.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
A Farewell To Moorea...
Today TJ woke up before 6am and woke up Jen so we could go and catch a sunrise for the first time. Our little island was still sleeping and it was really fun to be able to scurry around ourselves without another soul around (except the rehabilitating sea turtles). We decided to go for a big breakfast today since it was going to be such a busy and exciting day, so we hit the restaurant for a meal around after coming back to the room to nap at 6:30am. Yes, a nap when we’re usually still asleep. After breakfast we had a few minutes to read and relax, then it was off to the dive boat for jen’s first big experience in the ocean! We got out to a small reef close to the shore, and Jen got to do the big step off a boat and into the salt water for the first time – all captured on camera! T.J. stayed aboard the boat while Jen did her underwater skills and then got to do some diving around. She saw a small shark (a preview of things to come) and a whole school of eagle rays flapping above her (contrary to popular belief they were not shouting “E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!” as they swam by). According to her, it was a great experience, even if she thought they might sting her. Luckily the instructor wrote on his underwater board that they wouldn’t sting and that they were just graceful. T.J. hopped in for a dip and was in the water when Jen and her instructor were coming back, so he got a couple of good pictures. Jen came back onto the boat and was really excited, happy, and thoroughly having enjoyed herself in the water. We soaked up some of the scenery from a couple of hundred yards out from the shore and just to the side of the Bay (the O-Bay, not Cook’s) where there was a cruise ship anchored up. Those poor people won’t get to experience the Moorea we have.
We got back on dry land, and grabbed some lunch right here – the only day we’ll have more than one meal here, which is a good thing for our finances. Split some good rice and OK sushi, then relaxed a bit back at the room before our first tandem dive. Jen got in a quick nap and T.J. started getting out stuff ready to get packed up – a bittersweet thing, since it means we’re leaving one of the best places either one of us have ever been to (and signifies we’re halfway done the honeymoon) but the anticipation of getting to Bora Bora, described by several people we know as the most beautiful place on Earth, makes it a little easier to swallow. We got back to the dive shop, loaded T.J.’s gear on the boat, and headed out. This time we went out past the breakers, into a reef similar to the morning dive, maybe a tad deeper. Jen finished up her exercises and then we had 40 minutes to dive!! Although Jen almost never made it into the water, considering there were about a half-dozen black tip sharks swimming all around the boat!! These 4 footers were harmless though – our guide actually threw some sardines overboard to get them around us so they would swim with us. Jen was unwittingly brave – not sure this is what she would have picked for her first dive, but with 6 other divers around she couldn’t back out now! She did a great job, and the guide fed the fish and sharks all around us for half the dive. There were hundreds of fish swimming all around us, of every color imaginable. We bought the overpriced DVD of the dive because, well, you can never have a moment like that again, but luckily we can relive it now. The dive was great, we were under for over 40 minutes and went down to 40-50 feet, and T.J. got to explore a bit while Jen was doing some of the instructor stuff. Jen really enjoyed it, and T.J. was pretty happy that she didn’t just “like” it but really enjoyed herself and would totally be up for doing it again – although no one expects her to become some crazy diver gal. :) We got off the boat and watched the DVD that we eventually bought, and then relaxed on the deck with a bottle of wine before heading down to the beach to catch our final Moorean sunset. :( It wasn’t one of those bright-colors-throughout-the-sky ones, but the colors concentrated themselves right around the epicenter of the setting sun.
For dinner we caught the IC’s Polynesian Seafood Beach Night show. It was OK – take the Mai Kai and actually put it in Moorea and you have the same thing. The food was OK, it was probably the “least good” of our meals (since we really didn’t have anything “bad”) but there was enough of it to send us both home content. The show was decent, the food was decent, and we both felt like we had to do one of those authentic Polynesian shows, even if it appeared as though the participants were still learning this stuff themselves. Oh well – it was still fun, and was a nice and relaxing last night here. We’re both sad to leave, Moorea really felt like “our” island since it was so much fun, filled with great times, amazing sites, fantastic meals, and an ambiance that was so incredibly unique. And it was our first honeymoon stop, so it will forever be our first honeymoon memories. We’re just hoping that everything we’ve heard about Bora Bora is true, that it is the most beautiful place on earth and that we did this in the right order. Thanks Moorea – we’ll be back someday!
We got back on dry land, and grabbed some lunch right here – the only day we’ll have more than one meal here, which is a good thing for our finances. Split some good rice and OK sushi, then relaxed a bit back at the room before our first tandem dive. Jen got in a quick nap and T.J. started getting out stuff ready to get packed up – a bittersweet thing, since it means we’re leaving one of the best places either one of us have ever been to (and signifies we’re halfway done the honeymoon) but the anticipation of getting to Bora Bora, described by several people we know as the most beautiful place on Earth, makes it a little easier to swallow. We got back to the dive shop, loaded T.J.’s gear on the boat, and headed out. This time we went out past the breakers, into a reef similar to the morning dive, maybe a tad deeper. Jen finished up her exercises and then we had 40 minutes to dive!! Although Jen almost never made it into the water, considering there were about a half-dozen black tip sharks swimming all around the boat!! These 4 footers were harmless though – our guide actually threw some sardines overboard to get them around us so they would swim with us. Jen was unwittingly brave – not sure this is what she would have picked for her first dive, but with 6 other divers around she couldn’t back out now! She did a great job, and the guide fed the fish and sharks all around us for half the dive. There were hundreds of fish swimming all around us, of every color imaginable. We bought the overpriced DVD of the dive because, well, you can never have a moment like that again, but luckily we can relive it now. The dive was great, we were under for over 40 minutes and went down to 40-50 feet, and T.J. got to explore a bit while Jen was doing some of the instructor stuff. Jen really enjoyed it, and T.J. was pretty happy that she didn’t just “like” it but really enjoyed herself and would totally be up for doing it again – although no one expects her to become some crazy diver gal. :) We got off the boat and watched the DVD that we eventually bought, and then relaxed on the deck with a bottle of wine before heading down to the beach to catch our final Moorean sunset. :( It wasn’t one of those bright-colors-throughout-the-sky ones, but the colors concentrated themselves right around the epicenter of the setting sun.
For dinner we caught the IC’s Polynesian Seafood Beach Night show. It was OK – take the Mai Kai and actually put it in Moorea and you have the same thing. The food was OK, it was probably the “least good” of our meals (since we really didn’t have anything “bad”) but there was enough of it to send us both home content. The show was decent, the food was decent, and we both felt like we had to do one of those authentic Polynesian shows, even if it appeared as though the participants were still learning this stuff themselves. Oh well – it was still fun, and was a nice and relaxing last night here. We’re both sad to leave, Moorea really felt like “our” island since it was so much fun, filled with great times, amazing sites, fantastic meals, and an ambiance that was so incredibly unique. And it was our first honeymoon stop, so it will forever be our first honeymoon memories. We’re just hoping that everything we’ve heard about Bora Bora is true, that it is the most beautiful place on earth and that we did this in the right order. Thanks Moorea – we’ll be back someday!
Friday, May 2, 2008
A Tahitian Birthday
Today is TJ’s birthday so Jen is going to give him the day off and do the journal entry for today. :) So today started with a yummy breakfast of chambert cheese and bread and fresh pineapple (that TJ carved with his pocket knife) and bananas….really good! Then we went for a swim in the lagoon outside of our deck and (after convincing TJ to leave his bathing suit on) Jen let him dive off of the deck into the water. Jen joined him and we floated around a bit in the water just lounging and watching the sun finish coming up and this little island waking up.
We got out of the lagoon and relaxed on our deck for a bit (Jen kept studying for the dive test); then we headed over to the spa for our 10am appointments. We started with a rinse off in the outdoor shower that was made of bamboo and had flowers and shell beads everywhere – we are definitely going to try to recreate this as an outdoor shower at our house (if/when we get one!) The shower was awesome then we headed into the room where we were having our couples massage for 50 minutes (TJ sprung for the extra 10 minutes, and we were so thankful after the massage that we got that!) it was a little different only because there are no bathrobes, just small pieces of sheet like material that we wrap around ourselves and tie…TJ was a bit apprehensive at first, but he got his working! :)
Our massages were awesome – at first I thought it was a bit strange that there was none of that fake music being piped in, then I realized that the windows were open and the sounds of the birds and other natural activity were better than any relaxation CD could be. After 50 glorious minutes, we then floated (it felt like at least) to a private jacuzzi that was full of minerals and oils and we sat in there for another 20 minutes, letting the jacuzzi jets work out any tension that was left in us – which was basically none at this point! The back wall of the Jacuzzi room was open and we just stared out at beautiful scenery and the mountain ahead and all the tropical flowers. It was incredible.
After the bath – we were hungry and had 2 hours until Jen had to be at the pool to dive. We inquired about a snack shop we had seen and heard great things about, but we knew it was too far to walk to be back in time and the trolley didn’t run for another half hour. The concierge felt bad for us so allowed us to rent bicycles 2-4-1 and we pedaled off to eat at the snack shop, Snack Mansion, I think it was called (this was the sign Jen knocked over our first day). Well, as TJ correctly pointed out, these bikes will never be in the tour de france, they were old and rusty and very difficult to maneuver up the steep hills, but we got to the snack shop eventually, a bit hot and sweaty, but we didn’t really notice because we were still so relaxed from the spa.
Food, as always it seems here, was SO good – TJ had ginger honey chicken and Jen had homemade tagleries (pasta) carbonara, in cream sauce with bacon – REALLY good! Only thing that kind of sucked was that the restaurant just opened so it didn’t have a liquor license yet – so TJ had to wait a bit longer for his first cocktail to celebrate his birthday.
After lunch, we hoped back on the bikes and headed home, making the prerequisite stop to by more bananas. We got back to the hotel and jumped in our lagoon to cool down and relax a bit. By then, it was 2pm and Jen headed off to the dive shop for her first lesson. TJ headed to the pool (where Jen would eventually be) and was able to get his first birthday cocktail. :) Yeah! :) Although we did have a causality - Jen "blew our her flip flop"...
Jen eventually arrived at the pool – her instructor and SCUBA gear in tow. The pool was probably the most crowded it has been since we got here, so TJ was a bit apprehensive for Jen, especially considering there were lots of kids jumping in the pool right where Jen was being trained. Jen told him after the dive that her first few minutes down there she absolutely hated and was trying to figure out how to get out of the remaining sessions and not let TJ down too much. But by the end, once she was more comfortable with the underwater breathing (there was only 1 panic attack that the instructor handled right away) and the little kids stopped jumping on top of her, she was actually looking forward to diving in the ocean, especially because TJ was going to dive with her.
After the dive, we went back to our lagoon and TJ swam a bit and Jen gave TJ his birthday cards – Happy Birthday to my HUSBAND!!! :) We then headed out to sunset at the beach and grabbed some wine and pistachios and copped a squat in perfect view of the sun. As if a gift to TJ, the clouds were a bit higher tonight and we were able to see the sun dip into the water for a gorgeous sunset. It (and the wine) must have slightly intoxicated us because as we finally got up to go back to our room to get ready for dinner at Aito’s (restaurant we read about and heard good things about) we decided to check in at the front desk to see when the shuttle was coming to get us – we couldn’t remember if it was 7:30 or 8pm. Good thing we checked because the shuttle was already there and was supposed to leave at 6pm…it was 5:55pm…YIKES! Two other couples were waiting, so we ran to the room, quickly showered and made it back to the lobby at 6:07pm and headed to Aito’s.
Restaurant was really eclectic, and it had a curvy palm tree that reminded us of the tree TJ proposed by, so we quickly grabed a table for 2 right next to it on the beach. There was a band playing that we thought was a mix between Michael McCloud, irish folksongs and island music. We ended up buying a CD, and they were quite entertaining. We had an appetizer of shrimp in spicy butter and a yummy bottle of white wine. For TJ’s birthday dinner, he had lobster cooked natural style w/drawn butter and Jen asked for a recommendation and was told the best meal was God Salmon in Sea Urchin Sauce. If it hadn’t been recommended, Jen never would have ordered it, but we are so glad she did because it was delicious! It started to rain a bit, so we had our second bottle of wine and dessert (crepe with 3 types of ice cream and chocolate and whip cream) on the deck where the band was playing. Jen had whispered to the lead singer that it was TJ’s birthday, so they sang to him and the restaurant joined in. Then we headed home, saw a pirate looking ship in Cook’s Bay (AAARRRRRR) and right before we hit the sack, we were able to see the Southern Cross again. Happy Birthday, Baby!! :)
(note from T.J. - I highly recommend Tahiti for your birthday. Forget watches, socks, and ice cream cake, and just book a couple of tickets on Air Tahiti Nui.)
We got out of the lagoon and relaxed on our deck for a bit (Jen kept studying for the dive test); then we headed over to the spa for our 10am appointments. We started with a rinse off in the outdoor shower that was made of bamboo and had flowers and shell beads everywhere – we are definitely going to try to recreate this as an outdoor shower at our house (if/when we get one!) The shower was awesome then we headed into the room where we were having our couples massage for 50 minutes (TJ sprung for the extra 10 minutes, and we were so thankful after the massage that we got that!) it was a little different only because there are no bathrobes, just small pieces of sheet like material that we wrap around ourselves and tie…TJ was a bit apprehensive at first, but he got his working! :)
Our massages were awesome – at first I thought it was a bit strange that there was none of that fake music being piped in, then I realized that the windows were open and the sounds of the birds and other natural activity were better than any relaxation CD could be. After 50 glorious minutes, we then floated (it felt like at least) to a private jacuzzi that was full of minerals and oils and we sat in there for another 20 minutes, letting the jacuzzi jets work out any tension that was left in us – which was basically none at this point! The back wall of the Jacuzzi room was open and we just stared out at beautiful scenery and the mountain ahead and all the tropical flowers. It was incredible.
After the bath – we were hungry and had 2 hours until Jen had to be at the pool to dive. We inquired about a snack shop we had seen and heard great things about, but we knew it was too far to walk to be back in time and the trolley didn’t run for another half hour. The concierge felt bad for us so allowed us to rent bicycles 2-4-1 and we pedaled off to eat at the snack shop, Snack Mansion, I think it was called (this was the sign Jen knocked over our first day). Well, as TJ correctly pointed out, these bikes will never be in the tour de france, they were old and rusty and very difficult to maneuver up the steep hills, but we got to the snack shop eventually, a bit hot and sweaty, but we didn’t really notice because we were still so relaxed from the spa.
Food, as always it seems here, was SO good – TJ had ginger honey chicken and Jen had homemade tagleries (pasta) carbonara, in cream sauce with bacon – REALLY good! Only thing that kind of sucked was that the restaurant just opened so it didn’t have a liquor license yet – so TJ had to wait a bit longer for his first cocktail to celebrate his birthday.
After lunch, we hoped back on the bikes and headed home, making the prerequisite stop to by more bananas. We got back to the hotel and jumped in our lagoon to cool down and relax a bit. By then, it was 2pm and Jen headed off to the dive shop for her first lesson. TJ headed to the pool (where Jen would eventually be) and was able to get his first birthday cocktail. :) Yeah! :) Although we did have a causality - Jen "blew our her flip flop"...
Jen eventually arrived at the pool – her instructor and SCUBA gear in tow. The pool was probably the most crowded it has been since we got here, so TJ was a bit apprehensive for Jen, especially considering there were lots of kids jumping in the pool right where Jen was being trained. Jen told him after the dive that her first few minutes down there she absolutely hated and was trying to figure out how to get out of the remaining sessions and not let TJ down too much. But by the end, once she was more comfortable with the underwater breathing (there was only 1 panic attack that the instructor handled right away) and the little kids stopped jumping on top of her, she was actually looking forward to diving in the ocean, especially because TJ was going to dive with her.
After the dive, we went back to our lagoon and TJ swam a bit and Jen gave TJ his birthday cards – Happy Birthday to my HUSBAND!!! :) We then headed out to sunset at the beach and grabbed some wine and pistachios and copped a squat in perfect view of the sun. As if a gift to TJ, the clouds were a bit higher tonight and we were able to see the sun dip into the water for a gorgeous sunset. It (and the wine) must have slightly intoxicated us because as we finally got up to go back to our room to get ready for dinner at Aito’s (restaurant we read about and heard good things about) we decided to check in at the front desk to see when the shuttle was coming to get us – we couldn’t remember if it was 7:30 or 8pm. Good thing we checked because the shuttle was already there and was supposed to leave at 6pm…it was 5:55pm…YIKES! Two other couples were waiting, so we ran to the room, quickly showered and made it back to the lobby at 6:07pm and headed to Aito’s.
Restaurant was really eclectic, and it had a curvy palm tree that reminded us of the tree TJ proposed by, so we quickly grabed a table for 2 right next to it on the beach. There was a band playing that we thought was a mix between Michael McCloud, irish folksongs and island music. We ended up buying a CD, and they were quite entertaining. We had an appetizer of shrimp in spicy butter and a yummy bottle of white wine. For TJ’s birthday dinner, he had lobster cooked natural style w/drawn butter and Jen asked for a recommendation and was told the best meal was God Salmon in Sea Urchin Sauce. If it hadn’t been recommended, Jen never would have ordered it, but we are so glad she did because it was delicious! It started to rain a bit, so we had our second bottle of wine and dessert (crepe with 3 types of ice cream and chocolate and whip cream) on the deck where the band was playing. Jen had whispered to the lead singer that it was TJ’s birthday, so they sang to him and the restaurant joined in. Then we headed home, saw a pirate looking ship in Cook’s Bay (AAARRRRRR) and right before we hit the sack, we were able to see the Southern Cross again. Happy Birthday, Baby!! :)
(note from T.J. - I highly recommend Tahiti for your birthday. Forget watches, socks, and ice cream cake, and just book a couple of tickets on Air Tahiti Nui.)
Thursday, May 1, 2008
The First "Not The Best Day Ever"
Well today was the first day Jen didn’t say “This was the best day ever!!” It started out slowly; we walked to a crepe place for breakfast just down the road. The proprietor was a rugged and very stinky Parisian named Jean Michel, he had a very interesting setup with what we think was his entire living arrangement serving as his creperie establishment. It was made up of a pontoon boat that was converted into a tiki bar; we ate on his lawn furniture that was made out of tree trunks. The food was pretty good, and he sat with us afterwards and gave us some of his travel stories, which were quite interesting. He was in serious need of a shower though. Afterwards, we went over what our plan was going to be – scuba and swimming with the dolphins today, this boat tour of the island with a buffet lunch Friday, and spa on Saturday. As it turns out, the IC had other plans. First, we found out that the scuba had to be Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, because they were booked at the other times. Worse, Jen actually had to do homework!! “Just the first three chapters and the videos with them” the lady at the front desk said. As it turns out, the first three chapters covered 175 pages and Jen was not skimming over anything that could affect her coming back to the surface in one piece! So she was not really that happy about having to do comprehensive reading and watching an instructional video on the honeymoon… She did eventually get through it, and as we found out later there’s no test for the first three chapters, so that alleviated some of her anxiety.
In the meantime, we booked a swim with the dolphins. Except after we did the math, we realized it was well over $700 USD for 30 minutes total with the dolphins. Jen did the comparison and realized how much fun she could have at the spa for that much dough, so T.J. went back and got us out of it. We’ll do the dolphin swim sometime this summer in the Keys for a lot less to make up for it. Then, T.J. went to schedule something for the spa for us for this afternoon, but they were all booked up both in the afternoon and all day Saturday (our second choice). Suppose we should have heeded the advice to book everything in advance. Oh well… what the hell. We are scheduled for Friday morning though, so it will be a good birthday present for T.J. And we found out that Friday’s dive will only be Jen in the pool to do her skills, so we won’t be out diving until Saturday morning, which makes Friday a pretty relaxing day. On the bright side we got all dinner reservations made – two restaurants we checked out on the scooter for Thursday and Friday, and the Polynesian Seafood BBQ and show here Saturday night.
Now that all the plans are set, Jen did a little more studying, and T.J. took a quick snorkel trip around the OW bungalows (even though the mask was partially broken). We made some drinks, showered up, and went down to the beach to watch the sunset. Again, the clouds hid the sun actually touching down below the horizon, but also again the sky was brilliant with colors; this time pale oranges and reds. Afterwards we set off to Te Honu Iti, a place we saw on Cook’s Bay we thought would be nice and that came recommended by both the front desk and the online site we got a lot of good recommendations from. Turns out the place was fabulous; as soon as we walked in, the smell was intoxicating. We got a great seat in the corner next to the rail overlooking the bay. Just below us there were fish, a couple of stingrays that kept passing by, and a big eel. The food was great; the mussels app was great with seasoning and sea salt (note – we’re trying this one at home), and T.J.’s seafood pasta was pretty damn good. However Jen’s sea scallops with rice and leeks in a buttery cream sauce was to die for, it rivaled the meal we had at Johnny’s yesterday (only a lot more expensive). And we can’t forget the bananas (which are the sweetest ever) flambaued in a cinnamon sugar butter – so good!! By the time we got home we were both tired, full, Jen was a little wine tipsy, and we stayed up long enough to look at the stars for about 2 minutes before calling it a night – our latest one here, at 10pm. Boy married life sure has changed us, huh???
In the meantime, we booked a swim with the dolphins. Except after we did the math, we realized it was well over $700 USD for 30 minutes total with the dolphins. Jen did the comparison and realized how much fun she could have at the spa for that much dough, so T.J. went back and got us out of it. We’ll do the dolphin swim sometime this summer in the Keys for a lot less to make up for it. Then, T.J. went to schedule something for the spa for us for this afternoon, but they were all booked up both in the afternoon and all day Saturday (our second choice). Suppose we should have heeded the advice to book everything in advance. Oh well… what the hell. We are scheduled for Friday morning though, so it will be a good birthday present for T.J. And we found out that Friday’s dive will only be Jen in the pool to do her skills, so we won’t be out diving until Saturday morning, which makes Friday a pretty relaxing day. On the bright side we got all dinner reservations made – two restaurants we checked out on the scooter for Thursday and Friday, and the Polynesian Seafood BBQ and show here Saturday night.
Now that all the plans are set, Jen did a little more studying, and T.J. took a quick snorkel trip around the OW bungalows (even though the mask was partially broken). We made some drinks, showered up, and went down to the beach to watch the sunset. Again, the clouds hid the sun actually touching down below the horizon, but also again the sky was brilliant with colors; this time pale oranges and reds. Afterwards we set off to Te Honu Iti, a place we saw on Cook’s Bay we thought would be nice and that came recommended by both the front desk and the online site we got a lot of good recommendations from. Turns out the place was fabulous; as soon as we walked in, the smell was intoxicating. We got a great seat in the corner next to the rail overlooking the bay. Just below us there were fish, a couple of stingrays that kept passing by, and a big eel. The food was great; the mussels app was great with seasoning and sea salt (note – we’re trying this one at home), and T.J.’s seafood pasta was pretty damn good. However Jen’s sea scallops with rice and leeks in a buttery cream sauce was to die for, it rivaled the meal we had at Johnny’s yesterday (only a lot more expensive). And we can’t forget the bananas (which are the sweetest ever) flambaued in a cinnamon sugar butter – so good!! By the time we got home we were both tired, full, Jen was a little wine tipsy, and we stayed up long enough to look at the stars for about 2 minutes before calling it a night – our latest one here, at 10pm. Boy married life sure has changed us, huh???
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