Moorea, Tahiti

It’s Moorea day. This Island and/or Bora Bora are claimed to be worlds prettiest island. This must mean how they look from the sea. This island is straight up and down. There are peaks and spikes everywhere. Everything is green, green. Even the parts of the mountains that go straight up and down are covered in green. There are several large bays that are big enough and deep enough for the cruise ship to go. The entire island is only about 36 miles around.

We took a tour around the island. Our guide was a delightful Polynesian girl that was always giggling. The most important thing we learned was what they used before toilet paper was brought to the island. I forget the name of the tree, but it has very large leaves. One side of the leaf is remarkably soft and the other side is shiny and feels like wax paper. These leafs are also used for making dresses. So any time you feel the need, just find a broad wearing a dress and tear off a few leafs and do your thing. The leafs are also handy for wrapping fish and leftovers. These Polynesians are said to be a very friendly and happy people. I’m sure these leaves are the reason why.

Next we were shown their telegraph tree. It was a tall tree with many angles to it’s exterior, rather then round like most of the trees we usually see. Lying next to the tree was a beach ball sized bolder. The cute little guide picked up the bolder and started pounding on the tree and it sounded like a kettle drum. Obviously, even more important then the other stuff we learned, was not to mess with the cute little Polynesian girl. I couldn’t even lift the bolder let alone beat on the tree continually.

There is little habitation on this island compared to Tahiti. The single road is one lane and lots of fun in a large bus. We did several switch backs that were really U turns and the bus had to back up and go forward several times to make the turn. Of course there was no problem should the driver miss. It was only a thousand feet or so to the bottom if we fell off. And we did. No we didn’t.

We went to a look out point way up in the mountains, around a couple of gorgeous bays and a shopping center. Shopping center here means any place where there are 2 or more stores that sell jewelry or other junk you don’t need. Here the big thing was black pearls. Another thing I really do not need.

While it was all very nice, there was none of the beautiful landscaping we see at resorts in the U.S. or Caribbean. The nicest of areas did not compare with the better homes and resorts in the U.S. or Caribbean. This was far more wild and untouched.

The final tender back to the ship was at 4:30 PM. We however, were on Poly time. It’s a lot like Mexican time. So we made it back to the dock promptly at about 5:10 PM. Funny thing, the ship had not left.

When the ship did leave, the captain took the ship around the bay, did a U turn and went out along the coast. As we came to the next bay we entered that one also. There was a private yacht, about 200 feet long, doing the same thing just ahead of us. As we got to the end of the bay this yacht turned sideways right in front of us, making it difficult for us to get by. Must have been French. We went by anyhow cutting it very close to the yacht. As we tried to leave the dummies were still blocking the way even though the captain blew the horn. Our ship moves sideways very well and we went around again and then sat there and blocked any possible way for the yacht to leave. Exactly what I would have done just before ramming them. Then after ticking them off for awhile we went on our merry way. To the dinning room actually.

No Pearl Sherm Out.

(Posted on behalf of Sherman Rootberg)