Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Raiatea

It seems so strange to already be in a port after just setting sail. I guess we’ve become accustomed to being at sea a few days. This morning we arrived in Raiatea, another of the Society Islands. There were many excursions going out, but we oped to do our own thing. The scenery here is of course gorgeous, however, much of it begins to look the same. 
Motu
I think we were really spoiled by being on Moorea (it really is a hidden gem). We still managed to wake up early and our breakfast was delivered around 7:00.

Love having breakfast in our suite.
We are anchored off of Raiatea, so we must take a tender into the dock. Since Mom was still recovering from a little too much sun on Tuesday, she stayed on the verandah and read her Nook. 
One of the tenders as it approached. 
I went in and explored the little town where locals were selling shell necklaces, pareos, and fresh fruit. I found two beautiful necklaces for us – and I was able to use up some of the left over Polynesian Francs. I also found a Polynesian style dress for Mom since we are having a special evening event on Thursday in Bora Bora. There wasn’t much else to see unless you ventured by “Le Truck” (local bus) to one of the beaches. 
Le Truck
One of the many huts selling crafts.
View looking down the dock.
I came back around noon and we went up to the pool deck to grab a light lunch. The pool area looked so inviting that we stayed there most of the afternoon. Later we went to hear a lecture on the upcoming port of Bora Bora. It was very informative and gave us an idea of what to expect. The island of Raiatea is extremely close, only about 30 km away. We went ahead and dressed for dinner and went to the Bar to have a cocktail and listen to a wonderful trio. 
Ready for dinner.
By 8:00 we were enjoying our dinner with 2 other couples, one from London and the other from Virginia. It was a wonderful evening sharing conversations with some of the fellow guests. We have been eating a lot of fruit and seafood and tonight was no different – we had a wonderful swordfish entrée. After dinner we went up to the Panorama lounge and listened to a pianist before retiring for the day. We have found it difficult to stay up later and so fart tonight we made it up until 10:30, which is a new record. Tomorrow is Bora Bora!

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