Polynesian Adventure, Day 8 or is it 9??

March 8, Friday - Sunny early, with some clouds building through the day and rain showers off in the distance, but not on us.

Since we left on February 29, this must be Day 9.  It should be easy - it's one day more than the date.  

Yesterday, after 5 pm, the ship pulled up anchor and motored from Huahine to Bora Bora, reaching our destination by late evening.  EP and I went up to watch the departure from inside the lagoon of Huahine, into open ocean.  The run to Bora Bora was not as long as several of the upcoming legs.  Here are a few photos of this departure.

The vegetation is very thick and consistently green, with the umbrella-like Acacia trees standing out.

A few sheer rock faces break up the carpet of green.

The cut in the reef appears to have been dredged and the water color changes to a deeper blue, as we pass out of the atoll.

Last night, we had dinner in the fanciest restaurant (of three on board), which required dressing up to "Country Club Casual" (no t-shirts, shorts, etc.).  The meal was excellent and the wait staff very attentive.  Wine flowed freely and  BS, CP and I ended the meal with 20-year old Port.  There are 6-8 courses (appetizers, soups, salads, intermezzo, main, lighter fare, vegetarian, and always available), of which most of our party chooses 4 with dessert.  The portion size is adjusted to the geriatric crowd, and everything is fresh and beautifully presented.

Afternoon drinks on the 8th deck by the pool

LS dressed for dinner......with dad.

EP, ET and I attended a Tahitian dance performance last night.  Man, can the women wiggle their hips.  There three guys in the company (it is called Les Gauguines) who danced the hocka, similar to the Maori welcoming ritual, with lots of grunts and yells, leg slapping and other arm movements, fierce-looking poses, and a few open mouths/tongues out.  The women were more graceful, with sinuous hand, arm and feet movements, and more melodic singing.

Today, we were up early again, had breakfast in our cabin, and went on another excursion, this one went to the lagoon of Bora Bora to swim/snorkel with black-tip reef sharks and sting rays, and to view the other undersea life.

PT on the motorized catamaran, attempting to photograph sting rays......

EP, BS, LS, SS and CP on the way out to the first snorkeling site.

LS after an hour of snorkeling.

There were 8 other boats of various sizes on the first location.

This is a sting ray - note the long, thin black tail.

A shark is the brownish shape in the upper half, right side of photo.

Ditto above.

Telephoto of a sting ray - about one-half of its body takes up the entire photo.

A shark - note the black tip on fin (center right).

The second stop on the excursion was at a deeper part of the lagoon with the same fish, healthier coral and neon colored anemones (we think, they were all closed up in what looked like the lips of clam).  Motoring back to main dock, we got to see some other sites - the Conrad Bora Bora Resort (over water bungalows), the dramatic mountains of the central island, and the intense blue water.

Conrad Bora Bora Resort, one of four large hotel complexes on the island.

A very rich Royal Blue.

The afternoon was spent lounging, napping, reading, and hanging out, mostly individually.  I enjoyed the pint-sized pool on deck 8, in the shade with a beer.  The waiters are very attentive and all food and drinks are included in the price of the cruise.  It has been very luxurious and without complaint thus far.

Dinner was again at L'Etoile, the gracious restaurant.