Beautiful Bora Bora, anything but boring.

 

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Spent 5 days in Bora Bora French Polynesia with my bride last month.  Trip of a lifetime for sure.  Landed at that runway in the foreground of the photo below, built by the Seabees at the outset of our involvement in WWII.  My Grandfather rejoined the Navy immediately following the attack on Pearl Harbor.  This was the day after his eldest son (14yo) was unsuccessfully strafed on Lanikai Beach near Kaneohe Bay where my mother's family lived.  She was born in Honolulu in Oct of that year.  I don't know for sure that my grandfather was part of that effort on BB, but it's quite likely as he was part of the Seabees and did help build runways across the Pacific.  This wasn't an attack base, but a logistics hub.  You can read more about its history here but here's the executive summary:

On December 7th, 1941, the Japanese Navy attacked the US Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and the United States entered the Second World War. The US Navy needed a refueling depot between Australia (the last bastion of resistance to the Japanese offensive), and the Panama canal. The strategic position of Bora Bora, the deep water bay at Faanui and the fact that it had only one easy to control pass, made it the ideal candidate. So in 1942, the Americans launched Operation Bobcat, and 3,500 US military personnel arrived in Bora Bora.   Source

Frederick Millett Photo Source

My grandfather's Seabee battalion.  He's in front of the door with the garrison cap.

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This photograph shows four Vought OS-2 Kingfishers of Scouting Squadron 2 (VS-2) on Bora Bora. A Quonset hut is visible behind the line of trees and camouflage netting. Bora Bora, whose conditions were primitive in the extreme, was one of the Navy’s first logistical lessons in early 1942. It would not be its last (NHHC, UA 460.08)

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Apparently these* are all over the island, but they require a rugged hike and my wife was wearing sandals on our one trip to that side.  

Stayed at the St. Regis resort.  The finest hotel in the finest location we've ever visited.  

Even the butter was high end.

The resort is as high end, shi-shi, and as gloriously pretentious as one could imagine- butler service, huge overwater bungalow, complimentary champagne, a concierge that will go to the ends of the earth for you, gourmet meals, golf-cart rides to dinner if desired, or just ride the bikes that each room has.  However, that all comes with a price.  Fortunately, past spending covered it with credit card points...lots and lots of credit card points.  If you want to see the resort, check out "Couples Retreat" which was a 2009 comedy filmed there.  It's on 24/7 at the resort.  Good cast full of funny people.  

I'm worried I've helped her grow accustomed to some indulgences that are not always reachable on my salary!  Just kidding, she's a grateful trooper.

Just after Sunset at the Bora Bora Yacht Club

                        Sunrise that day.  Had to get up early, but I was still on west coast time.

The pearl my wife dove for.

The pearl dive was fun, but a bit contrived.  The oysters are farmed elsewhere and put on the boat.  After the class about pearl farming, we all got on the boat to head out to the dive spot.  The tour guide then dives in, ties the strand of oysters to a line underwater.  Then each tourist dives in to bring up a strand.  Then each picks one oyster and hopes for the best**.  We head back to the beach for the big reveal.  My wife's pearl was the best of the day and is apparently worth far more than the price of admission..  We'll probably put it on a pendant.

Overwater Bungalows

Mt. Otemanu.  Ireland had every shade of green.  BB has every shade of blue.

Some delicious rum concoction. 

Some have dubbed it Bora Boring, but not for us. It really was the best week EVER! Snorkeled, jet skied, dove for pearls and oysters, rented a scooter and rode around the island, finished that day off with a happy hour sunset and dinner at the Bora Bora yacht Club. Swam with and pet both sharks & sting rays, saw a very friendly Napoleon fish in the "lagoonarium" at the resort and a turtle and sting ray from our dock. We paddle-boarded, relaxed at the pool, ate some delicious food, mainly seafood! Had some awesome and expensive cocktails, and had the trip of a lifetime.

It's beautiful and we'd love to go back, but the earth is very big and the locations to visit are probably too plentiful. If you can swing it (Costco has deals), I highly recommend it.

Now to start planning whatever comes next!

*Apparently not a single gun was fired in anger.

**If no pearl was found, they get to pick another oyster off the strand until one is found.