Another breathtaking blue sky day! Today was Lagoonarium day! I wasn't sure what to expect, but must say I loved it!
Should have turned left from Robinson's Cove rather than right, but oh well. Took 50 minutes instead of 30. We found it, parked the car, and checked with the lady sitting in the hut by the parking lot. She explained the boat guide would come over and take us there and then we would pay once there (2900 XPF - $35 CAD). We crossed to the motu (island) where the Lagoonarium was and I was pleasantly surprised how nice it was. We were shown to our private hut for the duration of the stay - nice and shaded and cool. We then paid and were also shown where we could get water, coffee, or hot chocolate (kind of odd!).
And then off we went to snorkel the Jardin de Coral (Coral Garden). The wind was blowing hard to you really had to hang on to the ropes that guided you around - it was quite vast, taking you almost out to the reef's edge where it dropped off and the big waves were breaking - you could feel yourself being pushed by the surf.
It was amazing - so many fish and we saw a couple rays along the way. Then J spotted a shark... she told me later that she beat a quick retreat to land after that. I lost sight of here for a bit so headed back to shore to find her. Found her safe at the hut. We were both a bit cut up (her leg and my hand) and bleeding, but that didn't seem to stop us from climbing back in the water with sharks LOL
So we went to a sandy area where the guide had told us earlier they do the feedings at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. J hopped in and the rays came. And the sharks came. We were both spooked for a bit, but after I decided to catch some underwater shots and the rays came right up to me, we felt way more comfortable. Just hung on the ropes and watched the rays swimming about.
More people had shown up by then (only maybe 8 other people) and the guy came to feed the fish. HOLY. Fish pandemonium! And sharks (black tip sharks that we learned were more afraid of us than we were of them) and 4 rays (all female). The guy would throw the food out and it was fish madness. The rays would try to climb up you like a dog... too cute! They felt amazing - so soft and slippery!
The guy then took us out on the ropes and did a feeding out in the coral - there were about 6 black tip sharks (like a foot from my face!!) and rays swimming around us... and a TON of fish!!! Blue fish, yellow fish, big fish, little fish... oh and saw a huge eel slithering from rock to rock. The coral here was more attractive and vivid than our beach reef at Robinson's Cove.
After about 4 hours and feeling suitable burnt - sun and wind, and hungry (you can take food, but we didn't), we had our guide take us back to mainland.
Very very cool - would do it again. Definitely need better snorkel gear though. With it being so windy, the chop is high and my mask kept fogging up, but it did alright :)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Is too much sun possible?
Yes.
After the ATV tour yesterday it was an afternoon of snorkeling, followed by another trip to the grocery store. It's a bit more expensive here for groceries, but not exorbitant. We've spent about $400 CAD on food so far and I doubt we'll spend much more. All the water we drink is bottled and we also use it for any of our cooking. I have been whipping up creative drinks with mango vodka and the local fruits here. Yummy :)
Today was a quiet day - another blue sky day. Enjoyed a morning snorkel and reading a book on the beach (which has led to a wee bit of sunburn!). More snorkeling in the afternoon - a nap on the deck and now it is almost dinner time. J picked up some scallops and mussels for dinner! Guess I'll have to work on a new drink for this evening!
Not sure what tomorrow will hold - we've both been very tired. The heat is a bit overwhelming, especially when coming from winter temperatures. It is going to be such a shock to the system when we get home. But it's been so nice, so very very nice, just to do as we please and relax.
My favourite time is the morning - coffee and a croissant followed by watching the water change colours as the sunlight hits it... then around 8 a.m. the reef is in all her glory and a great time for a swim or snorkel. It's amazing the amount and different types of fish. Used my underwater camera yesterday and today - hopefully the pictures turn out okay.
Well, time to make something cool and refreshing and prepare to watch the sun go down in about an hour :) Life is so rough!!
After the ATV tour yesterday it was an afternoon of snorkeling, followed by another trip to the grocery store. It's a bit more expensive here for groceries, but not exorbitant. We've spent about $400 CAD on food so far and I doubt we'll spend much more. All the water we drink is bottled and we also use it for any of our cooking. I have been whipping up creative drinks with mango vodka and the local fruits here. Yummy :)
Today was a quiet day - another blue sky day. Enjoyed a morning snorkel and reading a book on the beach (which has led to a wee bit of sunburn!). More snorkeling in the afternoon - a nap on the deck and now it is almost dinner time. J picked up some scallops and mussels for dinner! Guess I'll have to work on a new drink for this evening!
Not sure what tomorrow will hold - we've both been very tired. The heat is a bit overwhelming, especially when coming from winter temperatures. It is going to be such a shock to the system when we get home. But it's been so nice, so very very nice, just to do as we please and relax.
My favourite time is the morning - coffee and a croissant followed by watching the water change colours as the sunlight hits it... then around 8 a.m. the reef is in all her glory and a great time for a swim or snorkel. It's amazing the amount and different types of fish. Used my underwater camera yesterday and today - hopefully the pictures turn out okay.
Well, time to make something cool and refreshing and prepare to watch the sun go down in about an hour :) Life is so rough!!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Moorea Monday
Quelle jour!
Another blue sky start to the day, but didn't roll myself out of bed until at least 5:30 today :) Coffee and croissant on the deck watching the shadows of the mountains behind me move across the mountains in front of me as the sun made her journey up. Ah bliss.
Today was ATV day! I'll post up some pictures on Picasa either now or later - there's an updated link, which I'll try to put here before I post this.
https://picasaweb.google.com/109051659105102698012/Moorea201102?authkey=Gv1sRgCO3gyomQkIPrQQ
Too much fun! I may not be able to move my thumb tomorrow or my entire upper body, but totally worth it.
We were picked up at 8:10 a.m. and met our guide Manuel and there were 3 couples - 1 couple from Canada and the other 2 from USA. J and I were the only ones going solo - on the ATV's and in life :D
After a quick lesson - here's how you start, stop. brake, and turn... we were off! We started into a valley, where I promptly turned left instead of right and ended up stuck on a hillside. Ah well... after that though it was through the pineapple and fruit fields - across rivers (FUN) - up the side of a mountain until we came to a jam/juice place where we stopped to sample some local fare. YUM. Had freshly squeezed pineapple juice - soooooo good. Then bought some pineapple vanilla jam and off we went... up up up up to Belvedre Lookout - amazing view of the two bays and the mountain in the middle.
Manuel told us the story of how Moorea was once completely round and was like a donut - the outer edges the reef, the inner part the valleys and mountains, but then half the island disappeared into the sea, flooding 2 of the valleys and leaving the shape Moorea is in today. Apparently Moorea is sinking 1 cm per year and in about 500,000 years, there will be nothing but a half moon shape and a little island in the curve of the half moon. You can tell older islands from newer as the newer ones have the magnificent mountains and high ridges - the older ones have disappeared so much under the ocean there is not much left of them - like Bora Bora.
Manuel came to Moorea seven years ago on vacation and never left. I can understand why.
So at the point of him telling us this story, we were sitting at the centre of the volcano. Cool.
We continued along and back down the mountain - let me tell you, going up on an ATV is way easier than going down. But zooming through rivers is the BEST!
We then headed for Magic Mountain - omg. Up, up, up, up, up, up (and I'll I could think about was - holy crap we have to go down this??). We crossed a very narrow peak and did our final ascent. From there we walked about to the very very top of the peak. We could look across the bay and see our villa! But WOW, what an amazing view!!!!! I can't even remember taking pictures as I was so in awe. Hopefully I did!
But we all made it down safely (and slowly!). Amazing. And did I mention FREAKIN HOT. Holy - as soon as we got back to Villa Cook, I was in my bathing suit and snorkeling! More about that later as it appears I have a good connection now and want to post up before I pass out :D Little tired tonight!
Another blue sky start to the day, but didn't roll myself out of bed until at least 5:30 today :) Coffee and croissant on the deck watching the shadows of the mountains behind me move across the mountains in front of me as the sun made her journey up. Ah bliss.
Today was ATV day! I'll post up some pictures on Picasa either now or later - there's an updated link, which I'll try to put here before I post this.
https://picasaweb.google.com/109051659105102698012/Moorea201102?authkey=Gv1sRgCO3gyomQkIPrQQ
Too much fun! I may not be able to move my thumb tomorrow or my entire upper body, but totally worth it.
We were picked up at 8:10 a.m. and met our guide Manuel and there were 3 couples - 1 couple from Canada and the other 2 from USA. J and I were the only ones going solo - on the ATV's and in life :D
After a quick lesson - here's how you start, stop. brake, and turn... we were off! We started into a valley, where I promptly turned left instead of right and ended up stuck on a hillside. Ah well... after that though it was through the pineapple and fruit fields - across rivers (FUN) - up the side of a mountain until we came to a jam/juice place where we stopped to sample some local fare. YUM. Had freshly squeezed pineapple juice - soooooo good. Then bought some pineapple vanilla jam and off we went... up up up up to Belvedre Lookout - amazing view of the two bays and the mountain in the middle.
Manuel told us the story of how Moorea was once completely round and was like a donut - the outer edges the reef, the inner part the valleys and mountains, but then half the island disappeared into the sea, flooding 2 of the valleys and leaving the shape Moorea is in today. Apparently Moorea is sinking 1 cm per year and in about 500,000 years, there will be nothing but a half moon shape and a little island in the curve of the half moon. You can tell older islands from newer as the newer ones have the magnificent mountains and high ridges - the older ones have disappeared so much under the ocean there is not much left of them - like Bora Bora.
Manuel came to Moorea seven years ago on vacation and never left. I can understand why.
So at the point of him telling us this story, we were sitting at the centre of the volcano. Cool.
We continued along and back down the mountain - let me tell you, going up on an ATV is way easier than going down. But zooming through rivers is the BEST!
We then headed for Magic Mountain - omg. Up, up, up, up, up, up (and I'll I could think about was - holy crap we have to go down this??). We crossed a very narrow peak and did our final ascent. From there we walked about to the very very top of the peak. We could look across the bay and see our villa! But WOW, what an amazing view!!!!! I can't even remember taking pictures as I was so in awe. Hopefully I did!
But we all made it down safely (and slowly!). Amazing. And did I mention FREAKIN HOT. Holy - as soon as we got back to Villa Cook, I was in my bathing suit and snorkeling! More about that later as it appears I have a good connection now and want to post up before I pass out :D Little tired tonight!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Photos on Picasa
I uploaded some photos to Picasa... not sure if this will work, but here goes!
Took almost 2 hours to upload 13 pictures!
https://picasaweb.google.com/109051659105102698012/Moorea201102?locked=true&feat=email
Definitely seems the internet is faster in the evenings!
Took almost 2 hours to upload 13 pictures!
https://picasaweb.google.com/109051659105102698012/Moorea201102?locked=true&feat=email
Definitely seems the internet is faster in the evenings!
Villa Cook
All settled in and had a great snorkel - went over the reef!! Saw an amazing school of stripped yellow and black fish. J saw some cool white fish but I didn't notice them. Saw more fish over here and now that the reef has been crossed, am sure to see many more!
Villa Cook is older than Villa Wallis. Older furnishings, but more open and airy. Both are so different it's hard to compare. Except Villa Cook does have a wrap around deck (2-sides) and the hammock and lounge chairs are more comfortable. Perhaps not as cozy and private as Villa Wallis, but the 2 separate bedrooms and outdoor bathroom showers are pretty cool!
Made lunch and enjoyed a Tahiti Treat while making it - my own version :D 2 fingers of Tahitian Rum, 2 fingers of juice, and a cup of fruity ice cream. YUM.
Relaxing now and letting lunch settle before hitting the water again - and maybe a run to the store for some more food!
Have twice now been freaked out by geckos - one in my my shower and then one that leapt out of a cupboard when I opened it. Screamed and J laughed her ass off at me. Also laughed at me again when she said "what's that behind you?" when we were out snorkeling. Swallowed half the ocean in my panic.
And yeah, I've been pretty much been living in my bathing suits since arriving. Today has been cooler than yesterday - but could just be that Villa Cook is more exposed to the wind than Villa Wallis.
That was 6 hours ago and now the sun is just setting and time to put some steaks on the bbq! And maybe just maybe get a picture posted up on the blog tonight!
Villa Cook is older than Villa Wallis. Older furnishings, but more open and airy. Both are so different it's hard to compare. Except Villa Cook does have a wrap around deck (2-sides) and the hammock and lounge chairs are more comfortable. Perhaps not as cozy and private as Villa Wallis, but the 2 separate bedrooms and outdoor bathroom showers are pretty cool!
Made lunch and enjoyed a Tahiti Treat while making it - my own version :D 2 fingers of Tahitian Rum, 2 fingers of juice, and a cup of fruity ice cream. YUM.
Relaxing now and letting lunch settle before hitting the water again - and maybe a run to the store for some more food!
Have twice now been freaked out by geckos - one in my my shower and then one that leapt out of a cupboard when I opened it. Screamed and J laughed her ass off at me. Also laughed at me again when she said "what's that behind you?" when we were out snorkeling. Swallowed half the ocean in my panic.
And yeah, I've been pretty much been living in my bathing suits since arriving. Today has been cooler than yesterday - but could just be that Villa Cook is more exposed to the wind than Villa Wallis.
That was 6 hours ago and now the sun is just setting and time to put some steaks on the bbq! And maybe just maybe get a picture posted up on the blog tonight!
Lazy Sunday....
Another day in paradise. Blue skies, lapping water, warm sand, and a boatload of mosquitos. I have a ton of bites! They are small suckers... don't really itch so much though.
Up at 5 a.m. - cup of coffee - chocolate croissant.
So the villa. We are in Villa Wallis now. It is all teak/dark mahogany wood with very "Polynesian" furniture (wicker/wood). I slept in the loft last night with the fan blowing on me. Was asleep before 8 p.m. Tonight we will likely start dinner as it's getting dark so we can enjoy the daylight as much as possible.
There is one road that circles all of Moorea - it is at the back of the villa. Not a lot of traffic and very private (gated community). You hardly notice the cars going by though as you have birds, roosters, water, and other sounds I've yet to figure out!
We also have "Pepsi" - Alix's dog and a pregnant cat (can't remember her name) as our adopted pets for the week. Alix is the caretaker here and also manages the tourist website for Tahiti Guide.
The water is very nice - not so warm it's not refreshing and not so cold that it's hard to get in. There are some spots where you will hit a cold area though! I saw a fin go by this morning - possibly a reef shark, but maybe a large fish! Have seen fish jumping this morning!
Well, better go for a swim and then get ready to move to Villa Cook!
Up at 5 a.m. - cup of coffee - chocolate croissant.
So the villa. We are in Villa Wallis now. It is all teak/dark mahogany wood with very "Polynesian" furniture (wicker/wood). I slept in the loft last night with the fan blowing on me. Was asleep before 8 p.m. Tonight we will likely start dinner as it's getting dark so we can enjoy the daylight as much as possible.
There is one road that circles all of Moorea - it is at the back of the villa. Not a lot of traffic and very private (gated community). You hardly notice the cars going by though as you have birds, roosters, water, and other sounds I've yet to figure out!
We also have "Pepsi" - Alix's dog and a pregnant cat (can't remember her name) as our adopted pets for the week. Alix is the caretaker here and also manages the tourist website for Tahiti Guide.
The water is very nice - not so warm it's not refreshing and not so cold that it's hard to get in. There are some spots where you will hit a cold area though! I saw a fin go by this morning - possibly a reef shark, but maybe a large fish! Have seen fish jumping this morning!
Well, better go for a swim and then get ready to move to Villa Cook!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
And let the dream begin
We are here!!!!!!
Already been swimming, snorkeling, and grocery shopping. Heaven doesn't begin to describe this place. You'll see some pictures in the blog taken today.
To back up a bit, waiting in LAX for 7 hours wasn't quite as bad as I thought. It actually went by pretty fast. Dinner, game of cards, standing in line, standing in line, sitting at the gate... then we were off at 11:40 p.m. last night. Air Tahiti Nui uses airbuses and quite comfortable - blanket, pillow, 2 meals, and a goodie bag (included ear plugs - didn't figure out why until I realized there were at least 4 babies on our flight and quite a few kids).
Anyway, landed in Papeete, Tahiti - pouring rain, but HUMID. Customs took about 45 minutes, then got some cash, then our luggage, then a taxi to the ferry to Moorea. Made it with ten minutes to spare! Super friendly people here!
Oh yeah, and I hadn't changed on the plane so still wearing long pants, t-shirt, and running shoes! J fell asleep on the ferry - probably a good thing as there were some pretty good swells and the ferry was rolling about. Apparently Saturday morning is one of the busiest ferry times as all the folks from Tahiti come to Moorea to enjoy the beaches.
We quickly found our driver and were on our way!
We also then found out they would have the villa ready by noon and omg we were so grateful - we were exhausted, sweaty, and did I mention exhausted??! So we did a loop of the island and got our groceries. And you want to talk about friendly, we didn't have a 100 XPF coin for the shopping cart so some guy just loaded the coin in and gave us a cart!!
Moorea island is stunning. I can't say I was impressed by Tahiti, but we only did drive from the airport to the ferry - it was a bit run down, so am very glad we're on Moorea :) It's not like Hawaii - there aren't a lot of blatant resorts and wealth - kind of have to take a chance on roadside stands and cafes - just don't know what you'll find!
Oh and it took a bit to actually get on the internet - first off, the power converter we had didn't work... and then couldn't connect to wi-fi. Both problems solved now, so I'm going to stop now and get back into the water!
May or may not get pictures posted up as the internet here is very very slow!
Back now from another snorkel adventure - almost went over the reef! Still a bit chicken! But did see quite a few fish :) Sun is setting right now (6:33 p.m.). Had a great dinner with champagne Denis (owner of Robinson's Cove villas), left for us :) Feeling very mellow. Probably be asleep before 8 p.m.!!!
Oh and the weather turned out great - went up to about 29 degrees with sunshine. Brief rainstorm just after our last snorkel of the day and now clear skies. Can't wait for the stars!!
Already been swimming, snorkeling, and grocery shopping. Heaven doesn't begin to describe this place. You'll see some pictures in the blog taken today.
To back up a bit, waiting in LAX for 7 hours wasn't quite as bad as I thought. It actually went by pretty fast. Dinner, game of cards, standing in line, standing in line, sitting at the gate... then we were off at 11:40 p.m. last night. Air Tahiti Nui uses airbuses and quite comfortable - blanket, pillow, 2 meals, and a goodie bag (included ear plugs - didn't figure out why until I realized there were at least 4 babies on our flight and quite a few kids).
Anyway, landed in Papeete, Tahiti - pouring rain, but HUMID. Customs took about 45 minutes, then got some cash, then our luggage, then a taxi to the ferry to Moorea. Made it with ten minutes to spare! Super friendly people here!
Oh yeah, and I hadn't changed on the plane so still wearing long pants, t-shirt, and running shoes! J fell asleep on the ferry - probably a good thing as there were some pretty good swells and the ferry was rolling about. Apparently Saturday morning is one of the busiest ferry times as all the folks from Tahiti come to Moorea to enjoy the beaches.
We quickly found our driver and were on our way!
We also then found out they would have the villa ready by noon and omg we were so grateful - we were exhausted, sweaty, and did I mention exhausted??! So we did a loop of the island and got our groceries. And you want to talk about friendly, we didn't have a 100 XPF coin for the shopping cart so some guy just loaded the coin in and gave us a cart!!
Moorea island is stunning. I can't say I was impressed by Tahiti, but we only did drive from the airport to the ferry - it was a bit run down, so am very glad we're on Moorea :) It's not like Hawaii - there aren't a lot of blatant resorts and wealth - kind of have to take a chance on roadside stands and cafes - just don't know what you'll find!
Oh and it took a bit to actually get on the internet - first off, the power converter we had didn't work... and then couldn't connect to wi-fi. Both problems solved now, so I'm going to stop now and get back into the water!
May or may not get pictures posted up as the internet here is very very slow!
Back now from another snorkel adventure - almost went over the reef! Still a bit chicken! But did see quite a few fish :) Sun is setting right now (6:33 p.m.). Had a great dinner with champagne Denis (owner of Robinson's Cove villas), left for us :) Feeling very mellow. Probably be asleep before 8 p.m.!!!
Oh and the weather turned out great - went up to about 29 degrees with sunshine. Brief rainstorm just after our last snorkel of the day and now clear skies. Can't wait for the stars!!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Let the 19 hours begin...
Never in my life have I travelled 19 hours to go anywhere. 6 hours have passed and I'm tired! Mind you, did leave at 10:30 a.m. this morning and now almost 7 p.m. Flight to Papeete, Tahiti doesn't leave until 11:40 p.m. Then it's 8.5 hours until we land. Then another couple hours until we arrive on Moorea.
Flight from YVR to LAX was uneventful. Saw Mt Saint Helens and took a couple pictures from the plane. I remember I was living in Creston, BC at the time it erupted and the next day everything was covered in ash.
Anyway, this might be the last Internet access until Saturday sometime, so thought I'd post up something. Boring, perhaps, but shows I'm alive. But super tired!
Flight from YVR to LAX was uneventful. Saw Mt Saint Helens and took a couple pictures from the plane. I remember I was living in Creston, BC at the time it erupted and the next day everything was covered in ash.
Anyway, this might be the last Internet access until Saturday sometime, so thought I'd post up something. Boring, perhaps, but shows I'm alive. But super tired!
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