dontplayahate: Bora Bora: Lagoon Tour

Anyone who knows me can tell. I'm not a fan of arranged activities. Travel agencies, tour guides, hiking guides, packages, all inclusive. It's not for me. So at the beginning, I didn't quite like the idea of doing a lagoon tour.

Polynesia is, however, the first place that breaks all my logic, because:

- Locals are the only ones who know the sea (i.e. where the sharks & the rays hang out)

- Boat is the only way to reach the nicest snorkeling spots & beaches (specially in the atolls)

- Locals are the only ones entitled to become skipper, because nobody reads the sea and its tricky currents (with all that coral) like them.

Yeah. I surrendered. And it turned out to be the best day in the whole trip. Because I made my dream of swimming with sharks (both black-tip reef shark of about 1.5m and lemon sharks of 3m) and stinger rays (which come to be pet), enjoy Polynesian food & experience the local arts, both when it comes to music (via ukelele) as well as on coconut palm leave threading (to make dishes or handbags). We made friends with some Mexicans in honeymoon.

Boy, it was an awesome day.

Here, our captain, bringing us to the lovely sharks!!

Yeah! Here they are <3 p="">

Then, we drove around some of the most luxurious hotels on earth. IMO. Look at the size of the bungalow, it has like 3 floors or something.

Soon after, we arrived to Motu Tapu, where we would enjoy a super nice Polynesian lunch. Prepared by our Captain. Who happened to be an awesome chef & artistic photographer.

Robinson mode, ON.

We went from manta feeding, to tourist feeding. Here some pineapple, taro, poisson cru (mahi-mahi with coconut milk & veggies), roasted local pork, boiled taro (sweet potato kind of) & banana jelly.

It was really good. Specially when served on those very traditional plates, that he made in a blink.

As our Japanese friends put it "I enjoyed too much"

The roof in all the bungalows of Polynesia is also made with palm leaves. Amazingly resistant and waterproof, it lasts for about 3 years. Limitless respect for Polynesian culture. Carrying their coconuts & using them as prime nutritional source, beauty base & construction material.

It even rained for a while, but nobody really cared. We enjoyed a pareo show of 1000 ways to wear a pareo (both for men & lady) order the roof.

The bathroom had sand floor. Very harmonized with the environment.

Jungle here.

Jungle there - here I come.

My vacations in Polynesia consisted of:
- A lot of time in the water
- Chasing all kinds of crabs
- Opening coconuts

Here one of our friends is also "enjoying too much" of that sweet cookie. At least, until the ants realized where I had moved them and run back to it. Damn ants. They throw acid on the crab's eyes to eventually eat them. They may be small, but as a mass, they become strong.

So we kept walking around the tiny island.

And found a lovely hut.

If I could sit here and write. Probably this would be a lot more interesting to read. Or I'd just drop the idea, to focus on fishing or just lazing in the sun.