Day 55: Bora Bora Two

I was moving a bit more slowly this morning (gosh, I wonder why?!?), but made it to the Club Restaurant to join G (already out and about) for breakfast shortly after 7:30am. It was fun to see the Club Bar and the dining room totally decorated for Halloween, and I was immediately reminded that, last year, we had also been on the Pacific Princess for Halloween, and were on the island of Huahine that day. But instead of a Huahine Halloween, this year we have a Bora Bora Halloween. Honestly, either one is just fine by me.

The Club Bar again was the repository for an entire collection of Jack o'Lanterns, intricately carved and artfully arranged by ice carver/ fruit and vegetable carver Samuel from the Philippines. We continue to be so impressed by his work!  Waiter Ricky had headed up the team of six waiters in charge of decorating the Club Restaurant; and it was filled with black and orange balloons, lots of spider webs and spiders and Halloween garlands. What a lot of work!

The crew immediately started asking us if we would be wearing Halloween costumes during the evening (as they would be), and, of course, we brought nothing with us (packing for three months in various climates required all the creativity we could muster), but, after all the men he's seen wearing pareos in French Polynesia, G decided he would wear my black and white pareo to dinner, and I thought I just might be able to buy another pareo (that's a joke!) somewhere today in Bora Bora and wear that. 

Between you and I, G had been dying to find a way to wear shorts in the dining room for dinner ever since, last cruise, this young, shapely woman was allowed in for dinner with short short cut offs and a bare midriff. G has been teasing Maitre d'Oscar and the headwaiters about how shorts are not allowed at dinner...unless one happens to be a 21 year old female. He walks up to the entrance of the Club Restaurant with his slacks rolled up to the knees and everyone gets a laugh out of that. Here was his opportunity...he would dress as a French Polynesian guy tonight, but instead of a pareo over a G-string, he'd wear one over shorts and a tank top. 

By 10:30am, we had our Halloween costume plans in place and had done some hand laundry from yesterday's outing. I had noticed that the floatation strap on my new waterproof camera was threatening to slip off the camera (which would be disastrous when snorkeling in 50 feet deep water), and G took some time to address that issue, utilizing the tiny screwdriver he packs to fix glasses.  It was funny yesterday...three of us on the same boat on Patrick's tour had the same camera in the same color, all purchased at Sam's Club. It's a great camera, but we will return ours for a new one when we get home only because of the strap issue. 

G headed to a hot tub, and I headed to Deck 4 in the Reception Hall (atrium) to try to upload some photos. I am getting seriously behind with that, which presents not just a problem with getting caught up but in keeping the various photos straight in my camera roll on my iPad, especially as they are imported from my iPhone, my Fuji XP-80 camera, and G's iPhone and appear out of order. Was that snorkel site in Moorea or Bora Bora or Rangiroa?  Do Bora Bora stingrays look different than their Moorea cousins?  You can see my dilemma.

I sat right under a router and managed to upload a few pics from the Moorea Lagoonarium trip, one at a time, and used 25 minutes of WiFi just doing that. I simply don't have that kind of Internet time on the ship. Photos, except for one or two, are going to have to wait until we return to Papeete. We have plans all day tomorrow in Raiatea, and WiFi at any price does not exist on the tender dock on Huahine, Rangiroa and Moorea. 

We grabbed a quick lunch and then took a tender to Bora Bora, with only one plan for the day:  to return to Matira Beach but also walk beyond it to the Intercontinental and Sofitel Resorts (the only major resorts on mainland Bora Bora) to check out the current year prices of their day passes. All of these day passes include a three course lunch:  the Intercontinental day pass ($65pp) does not include the pool or watersports equipment; the Sofitel mainland resort day pass ($50pp) includes both; and the Sofitel special motu resort day pass ($95pp) includes the boat transfers to/from the motu, a more private beach and a coral gardens snorkel opportunity. We may do one of these next cruise. 

Matira Beach

The Bora Bora mountains look different from ever angle

The Sofitel Bora Bora 

Lots of outrigger activity today

It was hot by that time, and very sunny, and walking between these resorts on the southern tip of Bora Bora was getting tedious. G flagged down a taxi and we rode back to the tender pier in style, arriving back on the ship at 4pm. I helped G get dressed in his costume (including a floral crown on his head!) and I wore the new pareo I'd just bought on the tender pier for $10.  I have to admit...he attracted far more attention than I did!  After a quick Elite Lounge visit, we were off to dinner to test the 'shorts are okay for dinner in the dining room if part of a Halloween costume' theory. Oh yeah, shorts were mild compared to what Maitre d' Oscar, the headwaiters and the waitstaff were wearing. Most of them had purchased their outfits (and blood and gore makeup) in Honolulu in September and were well prepared for the holiday. 

With waiter Melvin

With head waiter Antonio

With maitre d' Oscar

Even G's Coke was decorated!

Tonight at 8:30pm was the final performance by the production show cast we've gotten to know so well, Do You Wanna Dance, one of our favorites and one where the dancers really shine. We were there in front row seats, enjoying every minute of it, and, afterward, as Cruise Director Sammie was making her close out, she called back Company Performance Manager / Dancer / Entertainment Staffer Alex for special accolades. We were still in the Cabaret Lounge when we could hear the cast behind the curtain in tears, as they will be going their separate ways after this cruise. We will miss them!!

There was a then big Halloween party in the Pacific Lounge, but we are having to miss it. We are on day 7 of 9 port days in a row, and have two all-day excursions planned for the next two days in Raiatea and Huahine. Just two more days and we'll have a much-needed day at sea. We can do this...but only if sleep remains a higher priority than partying. ;-). We sail at 11pm tonight (I think...does it matter?) and once again will go in circles until we arrive in nearby Raiatea early tomorrow morning. 

Day 54: Bora Bora One

I know I've said several times lately that we had had the best day EVER, but I was wrong every time, because, without a doubt, TODAY was the best day ever!

Picture it (Suzan and Greg)...Sun glistening on the crystalline blue water of the world famous Bora Bora lagoon. Bora Bora Patrick. Sweet champagne. Stingrays, black tip sharks and tropical fish galore. Bora Bora Patick. A motu next door to the Four Seasons. Sweet champagne. Suckling pig and poi eaten off of woven palm plates. Fire baton twirling. Bora Bora Patrick. A final stop on white sand in thigh deep water to finish off the champagne, with the gorgeous mountains of Bora Bora behind us. Bora Bora Patrick. He's an icon for a reason. And it really was the BEST day ever. 

However, it started in the way that so many days have started recently, with the light coming in our porthole and both of us awake long before 6am. We started the day with coffee from the Panorama Buffet and then joined the legions of fellow passengers who are FODs (Friends of Douglas) on Deck 11 forward, where we were able to see five Leeward Society Islands at one time:  Bora Bora, Raiatea, Taha'a, Maupiti and Tupai. It was exciting to watch another splendid day on the Bora Bora lagoon unfold before us as we cruised through Teavanui Pass. Weather-wise, the day was picture perfect...sunny, blue skies and minimal wind. The lagoon surface was mirror-smooth. 

Well...yay!!

We ate a quick breakfast on the terrace behind the Panorama Buffet and then took the third tender to the island. We were met by Patrick's daughter Vaitiare, who, until September, was living in Los Angeles. Patrick had hoped last year that she'd return to become involved in his business (called Maohi Nui), and she has. There were three boats (motorized outrigger canoes) with 12-passengers each going out today. Patrick was in a Coast Guard-type (the French equivalent) safety class this week, but stopped by to meet us all and kick off the excursion. It was fun to spend the day with so many people from the Cruise Critic roll calls for this cruise, a few of whom had been following my blog and knew as well as I do what we've been up to lately.  

We were with boat captain Ari'i today, whose father was American and who had lived in California for awhile (and so spoke perfect English), but Maretto from last year was on another boat. As we left the Vaitape tender dock area, we immediately saw several (upwards of ten) dolphins right in front of our boat. We circled around and they stayed with us for awhile, just a hint of what was in store for us. 

Our first stop was outside the reef, very close to Teavanui Pass in about 30-50 feet of water, clear as air. Here, we swam with black tipped reef sharks and I was thrilled to see, deeper in the water, a large lemon shark and a smaller baby. They are more dangerous than the black tipped reef sharks but it doesn't make any difference because they tend to stay well away from snorkelers on the surface. 

Next we crossed back in the lagoon to an area with about waist-deep water where there were several stingrays. These were chummed with fish parts, one of G's favorite activities, and there were a few reef sharks trying to get in on the action, too. One of the stingrays, called Caroline (I think. Or Charlotte or Catherine or some name that starts with a C) is pregnant. Ari'i said he can tell because she is lumpy on her back. Stingrays usually have two or three babies, each about 6" long, and once they are born, they are on their own. 

We reboarded the boat and sped across the Bora Bora lagoon, with everyone (especially those of us wearing polarized sunglasses) repeatedly remarking about the water's 50 shades of blue. I don't think it's ever been prettier. Our third and last snorkel stop was at the Coral Gardens, beyond Matira Point on the southern end of the island. This was in about 15 feet of water, with large coral heads and thousands of fish and (my favorite at this site) hundreds of colorful clams. They remind me so much of belaying rope. On the ocean floor, someone had piled coral and ocean detritus in the shape of a large heart, and an 'I (heart) Bora' (the repetitive Bora was MIA).

At both this site and the shark site, G didn't snorkel but instead floated on his Swimways lounger. He was thrilled to sit on the bow of the boat between sites, and Ari'i put him to work hoisting and throwing the anchor at each site. He was a good First Mate (just call him Gilligan...the G still works!) ;-) We pulled into shore after that third site and picked up Patrick, who had finished his class for the day (or else played hooky...I'm not sure). 

G, working on anchor management ;-)

We were entertained by Patrick playing the ukulele and singing, accompanied by Ari'i as we passed the gorgeous (and expensive) resorts on motus on the eastern side of Bora Bora: the Sofitel, the Le Meridian, the St. Regis and the Four Seasons, with their collective hundreds of overwater bungalows costing $1500+ per night. Oh, we will miss having the opportunity to visit this beautiful island on the Pacific Princess at a fraction of the cost!

Patrick's family motu is 24 acres right next to the Four Seasons (I can only imagine what it's worth). Like last year. Patick uncovered the oven in the ground in which lava rocks were heated for two hours and then a split suckling pig cooked for three hours. Breadfruit, poi, plantain and tapioca root was also baked in the oven, while tuna and mahi mahi were grilled and spinach and chicken served too. We ate with our fingers off woven palm frond plates covered with large leaves and sat at a picnic table in the water drinking champagne and enjoying the amazing view of the Bora Bora mountains. Pinch me, please!

Everyone who works with Patrick is just as welcoming and gracious as he is, and cups were constantly refilled with champagne. After we had eaten, Patrick stripped off his pareo and tied back his hair and performed an energetic and dangerous fire baton routine that included passing the lighted baton under his legs and balancing it on his feet. Ouch!  Patrick had said last year that he was getting too old to do this, but he must be doing a lot of cardio because his routine this time was longer and even more complex. 

Maretto being Maretto

All too soon it was time to leave the motu, but Patick had another surprise in store. On the western side of Bora Bora, the three boats stopped and we swam in about thigh deep water and drank yet another large bottle of champagne as we took in the view. I don't think I'll ever forget that moment. 

Champagne with a view

Then it really was the end, and we were delivered back to the tender dock sometime after 3pm, most of us a little tipsy. The funniest thing was that, before we'd left the ship this morning, G had said he wanted to go back over to the island after we were cleaned up after Patrick's tour, perhaps to go to Bloody Marys. I had to remind him that this was Patrick's tour we were doing, and we'd be in no condition to do anything but perhaps go to dinner after spending the morning on the water and the afternoon drinking. 

We showered and made it to the Elite Lounge a little after 5pm, not to drink, of course, but it was Stilton night, after all, and between that and the view of Bora Bora we just had to go. G ate just two courses at dinner and left to go to the 7pm show; I stayed behind to eat more ;-) and talk with Peggy and David and Justin from Australia who had been on the excursion with us today. Waiter Melvin was concerned about G skipping his usual ice cream deasert, and so had four scoops sent to our cabin at 8pm. We are so spoiled!

By 9pm I am finishing this post and will be asleep as soon as I publish it. G spoke with Captains Circle host Tracy this morning about our Internet situation and she had it straightened out and had left a message for us by 10am this morning. I logged in for just a minute when we returned today and saw that I've received the 250 minutes we're entitled to on this 10-night cruise, so I have high hopes I'll get this published tonight. As for photos...I have a LOT to share, both from today and the Lagoonarium on Moorea. I will try to get them uploaded in the next few days and will let you know when I do. 

Day 53: Papeete Two

I am referring to these two days in a row in one port the way that the crew does: today was our second day in Papeete, known as Papeete Two which will be immediately followed by Bora Bora One and then Bora Bora Two. Overnights in port...it's not just the crew that likes it. We do too!  It allows us to use the Pacific Princess as a hotel when we're cruising in a very expensive part of the world.

Wouldn't you know it...G was up ridiculously early this morning, before 5:30am. I've always said that, when we cruise for long periods of time, I most miss people and high speed Internet, in an order I won't admit to (besides, high speed internet makes it easy to stay in touch with people). But I have to amend that now; I also miss sleeping past 7am. A lot. 

I didn't jump right out of bed when G left the cabin, but I did take the time to finish my blog post from last night. I guess I do spend at least an hour preparing my posts each night, because it was 6:45am by the time I finished it. I don't usually pay attention to how long it takes me to document each day; I just type until I run out of things to say (which sometimes happens quickly, but mostly doesn't). ;-) I logged in to WiFi for the first time this cruise and was surprised to see that I was considered a returning user (not a new user) and that I had 13 minutes of WiFi remaining. Usually everything resets at noon on turnaround days. I used those minutes to publish my blog post and then checked emails, depleting my remaining minutes. 

G had already had an omelette in the Panorama Buffet but had a fruit plate with me in the Club Restaurant. I added scrambled egg beaters and called that breakfast; I knew there would be lots of opportunities to eat today. G was already able to inform me, over breakfast, that he was unable to sign up for Internet for this cruise. I tried and had the same result:  I was considered a returning user and was not offered the usual 250 free internet minutes we get each 10-night cruise for being Elite. This perturbed G enough (he was not able to get check our Nest thermostat for two days in a row) that he went to see the Internet manager. Apparently, the manager doesn't know how to reset our accounts, but someone is arriving the next two days who does. Hopefully. 

The Nest thing was heavy enough on G's mind that we walked off the ship to use some of the ManaSPOT WiFi minutes we have remaining from the packages we had purchased when staying at the Hotel Tiare Tahiti. And, happily, once we had decent WiFi, there was no longer a Nest issue. Internet is an ongoing struggle on the Pacific Princess in French Polynesia. I've had issues with Hotmail and iMessage just since we reboarded the Pacific Princess on October 18. 

After some time spent checking accounts and paying bills, we returned to the ship where that pile of damp swimwear from yesterday hadn't magically disappeared overnight. I gathered it up, and added the embellished long sleeved T-shirts I wear sometimes at dinner and our Tilley hats and went to the passenger laundry on Deck 7 to do a load of delicates (remembering to add detergent this time. Go me!) These are things that I don't want dried in a dryer, so I returned with a pile of damp, but clean smelling clothes and proceeded to hang them from everywhere I could in the cabin to dry. It was breezy today in Papeete and things would have dried outside in a heartbeat; where's a sailboat railing when I need one?

G napped while I was doing laundry duty, so I took advantage of that time to get the glitter polish off my toes for the first time since we left home. That is a job for a blow torch...or pure acetone on cotton pads covered for five minutes with aluminum foil. I had been thinking ahead, and got some foil from headwaiter Josko this morning at breakfast. Finished with these mundane tasks, I read until G awakened and we went to the Panorama Buffet for lunch. Papeete looked so pretty from ten decks above the water, bright and sunny, and the steep mountains overlooking the city were verdantly green. It's easy to forget, when I'm dealing with crosswalks and traffic and French ambulance sirens, that Tahiti is actually no slouch, even when compared to its prettier Society Island sisters. 

We got back off the ship after lunch and took a walk along the waterfront past the yacht harbor to the Jardins de Paofai and then crossed Pomare Boulevard on our return for a quick frozen yogurt and to say Bonjour! to our friends at the Hotel Tiare Tahiti. We were back on the Pacific Princess and dressed for dinner before muster drill at 4:15pm. (we don't have to attend again on this cruise!), and so spent the time on the terrace behind the Panorama Buffet. After it was complete, we moved to the pool deck for the champagne waterfall and introduction of the ship's senior officers during a beautiful sailaway from Papeete with the sun setting over Moorea in the distance. Gorgeous!

We still have our table for two next to a window, and enjoyed meeting our new 'next door' table mates at the next table. One of my favorite parts of doing several cruises back to back instead of one long cruise is all the energy and excitement that new passengers bring on board. It re-energizes us, too. 

We attended just the singers and dancers and cruise director portions of the Welcome Aboard show after dinner but left before impressionist Sean O'Shea started his performance. We had just seen it a few days ago, and wanted to get our things packed up for our day on Bora Bora tomorrow. The alarm is set (6am), the swimwear is clean and dry and the sunscreen is packed. Here we go again...

Day 52: Papeete Turnaround

I had set the alarm for 5:15am (oh my, we have a lot of early wake ups on this cruise), but got up at 4:55am to use the bathroom and when I stepped back into the cabin, G was up and the ceiling lights were on. No going back to sleep after that!  He took care of morning ablutions and went to the Panorama Buffet; I did the same and met him there by 5:30am. Groan!  But it was kind of like at home when we have to arrive at the airport at 4am to catch an early flight...we feel like we're the only ones up in the entire city until we see that the airport is already packed with people. So it was with the Panorama Buffet at 5:30am. Turnaround days in Papeete start early and end late (especially for the crew!)

The sun was rising behind the island of Tahiti as we docked in Papeete. When the ship was cleared by the local authorities at 7am, G ran over to the ferry dock to verify the schedules. We had checked online yesterday but one repository of current Papeete to Moorea ferry information does not exist; there are two ferries and old ferry schedules for both pepper the Internet. 

It was hard to say goodbye to so many new friends that we met on board this cruise, and we saw many of them this morning in the buffet. We especially love meeting the honeymoon couples (and not all of them are young kids). While we all look to those seniors married for many years for inspiration, the newlyweds also remind us of what love was like in those early days (so very, very long ago!). They are so cute!

Nearly everyone faces a long flight- or two or three- to get home, although several people are extending their vacation with stays on Tahiti or Moorea or Bora Bora. G commented to me that this was our first 'easy' turnaround in French Polynesia this year. Although our first turnaround in Hawaii certainly required no effort on our part, since then, every ten days we've been faced with disembarking or embarking and/or flying somewhere. Today we could just play!!  And, boy, did we!!

We were loaded down with G's wetsuit and both of our snorkels, masks and fins, towels and enough sun screen to sit on the sun itself, and walked off the ship and over to the ferry terminal about 7:45am. We rode the 8:10am Terevau ferry over to Moorea with fellow passengers Scott and Lynn, who were flying home that night but wanted just one more day on Moorea. They rode with G on the bow of the ferry and actually saw two whales (!) but I sat inside with all our gear. It is way too windy on the bow to be controlling bags of things. The ride to Moorea takes about 25-30 minutes, and once in Vaiare, where the ferry terminal is located, G and I looked for the Moorea Lagoonarium shuttle van that we had read meets the ferries, but didn't see it anywhere. In the interest of time, we just caught a taxi for 1500 XPF instead. 

Papeete ferry terminal

Leaving Tahiti in our wake

Coming in to Vaiare Bay, Moorea

The ferry enters Vaiare Bay through Vaiare Pass, one of 12 passes through the reef surrounding Moorea

We have been reading online about Moorea's Lagoonarium for two winters, but it had never worked out for us to get there. It's the second highest rated thing to do on Moorea on Trip Advisor, and people do rave about it, but it is in a most inconvenient location on the island for cruise ship passengers. While cruise ships anchor in either Opunohu Bay or Cooks Bay on the northern coast of the island, the Lagoonarium is located south of the tender dock at Vaiare. Taxis are very expensive on Moorea and getting one from a cruise ship tender dock to the Lagoonarium, though possible, would take a lot of time and money. It's easier to do the Lagoonarium while staying on Moorea or as a day trip from Papeete. We had wanted to do this while staying in Papeete between Rarotonga and reboarding the Pacific Princess but the weather didn't cooperate. Today's weather was sunny and calm and couldn't have been better. 

We were dropped off by our taxi driver at a dirt and gravel parking lot with a one room building on it, and that is where we bought the tickets for the day. The price was 32000 XPF, just under US $31 per person, and only cash was accepted. With the U.S.$ continuing to strengthen, I am getting a better exchange rate every time I get cash. If you're coming to French Polynesia from the U.S., definitely don't pay for things in US $ !! We waited just 5 minutes or so for a motorized outrigger canoe to pull up, and walked through about one foot deep water to board it. Our pilot was Wilfred, who runs the Lagoonarium and was our host for the day, and also one of the nicest guys around. 

Lagoonarium motu as seen from mainland Moorea

As much as I had read and heard about the Lagoonarium, I could not picture it in my mind. I knew it was located on a small motu off the eastern coast of Moorea, and that the strong current required that snorkelers hold on to ropes to keep from being swept away. I knew there were fish feedings twice a day, so it wasn't entirely a naturally occurring population of fish, stingrays and black-tipped reef sharks.  But I guess I was picturing a fenced in aquatic population. And it's not like that at all. 

It was just under a five minute ride over to the motu, where the canoe pulled up against a dock. I was immediately stuck by how darling everything was...driftwood hand railings and shell curtains everywhere. Driftwood 'trees' were decorated with more shells, there was driftwood furniture and a series of little huts for shade. It was obvious that this place had once been a campground or hostel or something. Each hut had two elevated wood sleeping platforms with shelf storage above them, but mostly they offered shade and a place to change, if needed. Wilfred gave us a tour, showing us where the one bathroom and shower was located, and pointing out the little kitchen area where there was cold water and hot water for coffee, tea or hot chocolate. It was already a hot day, and I remember thinking that only the French would want a tiny cup of hot coffee on a hot day, but, boy, did I change my mind later!

Tahiti in the distance

Wilfred settled us in a hut that we had to share later in the day, but that had been the reason we'd got there so early. Later arrivals don't get the use of the huts, which are important to have a place to store stuff and also for shade, because there is none on the motu. We were shown how to navigate the snorkel course; it was an entire maze of ropes and buoys and we could explore the outer perimeter or cut across the middle using the shorter path. Our only cautionary instructions?  Wilfred asked if we were strong swimmers (G told him I was a fish and Wilfred corrected him. "She's a mermaid"). And he asked that we stay within his vision if we took the kayaks out. In 20 seconds I was in that water and taking the longest route around the coral gardens. 

I was immediately reminded that the current is strong...I lost myself in chasing some huge fish and had to swim my way back to the rope, which wasn't easy without fins (I had brought them but didn't figure I needed them with the rope to hold on to). I didn't do that again, but became very adept at holding on to the rope by wrapping my legs around it, giving me freedom of movement. I knew I was getting tiny scrapes and scratches from it, but didn't care. I was in snorkel heaven!

The coral around the Lagoonarium is in the best shape of any I've seen since Klein Bonaire in the Caribbean. In fact, it's even better than there. The difference is that, by installing the rope system, Wilfred has insured that the coral doesn't get trampled. It's a pet peeve of mine that people who can't swim feel they can use coral to stand on while snorkeling. No!!!  While it's inevitable to rarely brush up against coral, especially in a current, any contact damages it for years. This coral was beautifully healthy and colorful. 

I lost myself in snorkeling until G floated by in a kayak asking how I was doing. When I looked up, I was shocked. I was at the furthest point of the rope course, just feet away from the waves crashing on the reef. I thought the current was getting stronger and stronger!  By then, I was pulling myself along the rope with two hands, with my camera slung around my wrist. I had never been that close to a reef before (because I wouldn't dare without the protection of something to hold on to), and it was quite a rush. After the waves crash on the reef and pass over it, there is a secondary, smaller wave that forms that was passing over me. So cool!

But the best was yet to come...out there, at the furthest corner of the rope course, right against the reef, I found clown fish. Nemo!!!!  There were at least four of them, in that same soft car wash coral I'd seen them in near the reef in Raiatea. I held on to the rope with my legs and watched them for a long time. They are so cute the way they hide in the waving coral, but then peep out. By themselves they made my day. 

By the time I returned to the motu, I had been in the water nearly two hours and was freezing. And that's when I figured out why Wilfred had hot beverages for us to drink. I sat in a plastic Adirondack chair next to G in the sun, fully covered, of course, drinking hot chocolate and warming up. 

While G did kayak a bit, much of the time he sat in an Adirondack chair with this as his view 

At 11:30am, Wilfred did the first of two fish feedings, and some people only get in the water to watch this (and some don't get in the water at all, but watch it right from shore). There were thousands of fish, and several stingrays and lots of sharks all getting in on the action. While you know that G is the stingray whisperer, I am all about the fish and sharks, but have to admit that seeing the stringrays swoop and dive in that deep, healthy coral was a beautiful sight. The feeding lasted until noon or so; and then I headed back out for another lengthy snorkel, and returned to the far corner to see "my" clown fish again. :-)

Wilfred's dogs liked to get in on the act...

...but when this one got tired of swimming, he hung out next to G

Smile!

It was the best snorkeling I've ever done and I would compare it favorably to the best dives I've ever done. I was one happy camper!

I returned to the motu again about 2:15pm. I was starting to wear down a little, battling that strong current for several hours. Wilfred did another fish feeding at 2:30pm, so I stayed in the water for that one, but around 3:30pm we asked him to take us back to the mainland. We knew the last Terevau ferry was at 4:40pm; but didn't know if we might have to wait for a taxi to take us to the ferry terminal in Vaiare. As it turned out, we didn't. The Lagoonarium shuttle was waiting to take us back for 800 XPF. That gave us almost an hour wait at the ferry terminal, but a rain shower passed over while we were waiting, and we stayed nice and try under the roof. We were starving, and bought a plastic sleeve of the freshest Moorea pineapple imaginable for 250 XPF and ate them to get us through to dinner. While bus terminals in the U.S. might offer candy bars and sodas, on Moorea we had a choice of mango or coconut or pineapple in narrow plastic bags. 

We mostly rode in the inside of the ferry returning to Papeete, so tired were we. And I have to admit that the beautiful Pacific Princess at dock in Papeete harbor was the very best thing we'd seen all day. It was only a five minute walk from the ferry back to the ship, and we re-boarded it 9 1/2 hours after we'd left that morning. After quick, but very hot showers, we went to the Club Restaurant (open seating the first night of the new cruise) and ate prime rib (G) and pasta with chicken (me) and drank merlot and had flourless chocolate cake for dessert. And, once we were full, we immediately realized how exhausted we were. 

We crashed in bed, and were asleep in seconds. It had been a fantastic, but long day, and G pointed out over dinner how often I've been saying "This was the best day EVER!!" lately. However, I will confess to having felt a tad melancholy (I was sooooo tired) on the ferry ride back to Papeete, but hadn't said a word about it. Only 35 more days on the Pacific Princess! (Only...I can see your eye rolling from here!) We are 52 days into this incredible adventure and I couldn't help but feel it was nearing the end. But G can read my thoughts, and at that same moment said, "Isn't it amazing? We've had 32 days on the Pacific Princess so far this season. We're not even half way through yet!  Just think about all we have to look forward to!"  

That's my guy!  And the fact that he can see the glass as more than half full when I see it as almost empty is why he's my guy!!

Life is soooooo good. :-)