RAIATEA TO BORA BORA 

LIFE ON BOARD:  By Sunday evening we were well rested and ready to “party;” and you will notice that at our age “party” is in quotes.  We started the evening at a cocktail party, hosted by the Captain, and then moved on to the steakhouse for lobster bisque accompanied by a wonderful Albarino. We then enjoyed prime rib with a decent Chilean Cabernet.  We dined with a very nice couple from New York who are on their 71st cruise.  Made us feel like amateurs.  Clearly they are not poor, but we were interested in that they stay in the same level of stateroom as we do.  After dinner we all went to a native folklore show.  A group of men played drums and ukuleles while exceedingly overweight women danced and tried in vain to look sexy. 

BORA BORA:  Monday morning we were up at the crack of dawn to watch the sail into beautiful Bora Bora.  We had a quick breakfast in order to catch the first tender ashore.  There we met up with our driver/guide and six others for a 4 x 4 tour of the island.  We piled into the back of a small truck where we sat on benches.  The tour was advertised as one that would take us where other tours wouldn’t go.  This meant driving up incredibly steep rutted tracks in order to find spectacular views.  At one point we went up to see some WWII cannons and the road up was 42 degrees.  We were all convinced the truck would flip over backwards.  Other, less scary sights were things like the house that Marlon Brando built in the 70’s and is now available for weekly rental. 

Our Polynesian driver/guide is a native of Bora Bora and had interesting stories to tell.  Despite being French speaking and having a French passport he is quite anti French.  He claimed that most of the natives on Bora Bora are quietly anti French.  These attitudes are historical and survive from early nasty treatment of the natives by the colonials. 

Surprisingly attitudes toward Americans are much more positive.  This stems from WWII when 6000 American GIs were stationed on Bora Bora from 1942-1945.  The Americans left behind the first and only ring road around the island, the first airport in the Pacific and hundreds of pregnant women and children.  I think our guide’s grandfather was a GI. 

In the evening we were joined for dinner by a couple well into their 80’s.  Both recently widowed they live in an assisted facility somewhere in Minnesota and their budding relationship has clearly advanced to the point where they can share a room while sailing across the South Pacific. 

After dinner we were entertained by a magician who was subbing for an ill pianist.  The magic tricks were a huge step up from the folklore show. 

SERVICE ON BOARD:   While we never eat dinner at the buffet, preferring either the main dining room or one of the specialty restaurants, we usually have breakfast and lunch at the buffet.  As soon as we walk in to the buffet, one of the senior staff spots Betty’s leg brace and summons a staff person to follow her through the buffet.  Betty selects what she wants and then is ushered to a table.  The staff person then waits for the food to be prepared and brings it to the table. 

SEA DAY:   After a excellent meal on Tuesday night at Jacques, the onboard French restaurant, we saw a good stage production of 50's music.  We woke on Wednesday morning to a day a sea.  We decided to skip the trivia, jewellry demonstrations and other crap for a day of intellectual enlightenment.

We started by attending a biologist's lecture on the sex life of sponges and jellyfish.  To our great surprise the woman was extremely funny and that put us in a good mood for attending the first in a series of lectures on Polynesia, given by a Scot who has lived for the past 18 years on Easter Island.  

After lunch we went to a lecture given by a retired USAF Col. and former U2 pilot.  I must confess that I was much less up-to-date on American military history than almost anyone else in the audience (at least as judged by listening to the sophisticated questions).

As soon as I get this posted we will attend a piano recital which is squeezed in just before dinner by the guy who had to cancel the other night.