Tales from the South Pacific
Wednesday, May 25th - Bora Bora
Today was pretty relaxing... some snorkeling (right outside our bungalow... you can climb down to a deck and get right into the lagoon) and hanging out at the beach. The sun has been sneaking in and out during our entire vacation thus far... which is probably a good thing... since when it is out full force it is pretty much set to "broil."
After the beach, we decided to rent some bikes and explore. This was supposed to be a dry run to see whether we could endure biking the full 18-mile circuit around the island that we had penciled in for tomorrow. We ended up biking about 2-3 miles to the main town on Bora Bora - Vaitape. It was a pretty level road, so not too strenuous... though a bit hot under the afternoon sun... and I think we got more sun biking than we have had on any beach thus far.
While I was worried about my legs lasting the bike ride, it was more my butt and nether regions that felt it. I started thinking that maybe biking the entire island was NOT a good idea... round-trip we probably did about 5-6 miles... so it would be quite the challenge to multiply that out 3 times more. But it was fun to get out, get some exercise...and see the people and island without it whizzing by too fast.
Tonight we decided to try and escape the high hotel food prices and check out some local fare. Ben's Place seemed appealing since it was operated by a Polynesian husband and his American wife.
We were greeted by Ben... who quickly informed us that only pizza was being served for dinner despite a full list of items on the menu board. He did this in such a charming and honest manner that it was impossible not to respect this aspect of island life. He had a long, full day of cooking and given his energy level... pizza was the only option. We laughed at the thought that this would NEVER fly in the States! Imagine going to a restaurant and being told you can only order one thing off the menu!
Later, an older French couple came in... on should I say "on" ... Ben's place is pretty much a restaurant literally on the couple's front porch. Ben didn't give his initial warning about the limited menu... so the couple asked about other items, only to be told "only pizza tonight." Then, the asked how much it would cost... and Ben told them "Tell me what type of pizza you want, I give you price." Again something that would never fly in the States. They left and we had the roadside "cafe" with gorgeous views of the water all too ourselves!
The view from Ben's Place:
If Ben was not a character enough, American wife (named Robin, according to the travel guide books) was a real hoot as well. Definitely a "take no nonsense" lady! When the French couple left she was all "good... we don't need that type of people." I should say I do understand why that couple left... and I didn't think they were particularly rude about it... but then again, I don't speak French!
Both Ben and Robin were quite chatty with us. Ben telling us how tourism has dropped in Bora Bora from a peak of 220,000 visitors to the current 79,000 visitors per year... and he also told us a long, drawn-out story about 2 guys who fell in love on some South Pacific Island... become these great artists and were the toast of the town (or island, I guess!). I am guessing Ben pulls this story out when he has an all-male couple for dinner... but it was really nice to never have that be an "issue" during our entire trip. Robin told us how they recently adopted a child who was leaving under abusive conditions (mother was physically abusive, father was an alcoholic).
So it was quite the entertaining evening... really felt like we were spending quality-time with some locals... although they seemed to be some version of a squabbling, but loving, sitcom couple. Ben losing stuff, Robin telling him where to find it. Robin complaining he was a messy cook, Ben just quietly grumbling. And Robin had a tag line of her own... whenever we said stuff like "hope we are not putting you out" or "hope we are not keeping you"... Robin would chirp back with "No problem... we live here!"
Next Up: The Moon and Stars
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