Washington DC - PHOTOS OF THE DAY (5)

Photos from our final day down to DC.....

The White House

The Korean Memorial - pretty amazing reflection in the wall.....

Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial

A great view of the Washinton Monument

Washington DC - PHOTOS OF THE DAY (4)

We had a gorgeous, sunny day for our visit to the zoo and Arlington National Cemetery....

Orangutan crossing the 'O' Line at the Zoo

Official wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The flag was at half mast for  the burials that would take
place that day.  The views of DC were amazing!

The grave site of John F. Kennedy

Washington DC - PHOTOS OF THE DAY (3)

Photos from a top the old post office in Washington DC and the National Art Museum.....

The view of the Jefferson Memorial, Washington Monument, and Lincoln Memorial

State of the Art TVs

The Navy Memorial Museum

Washington DC - PHOTOS OF THE DAY (2)

Photos of Mount Vernon - George and Martha Washington's beautiful estate on the Potomic....

Mount Vernon Estate

Tomb of George and Martha Washington

A tree planted by George Washington

Air and Space Museum - Dulles Annex

Washington DC - PHOTOS OF THE DAY (1)

Photos of the day from Washington DC....

The Washington Monument from the Lincoln Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

The Washington Monument from the World War II Memorial

Jefferson Memorial

BORA BORA– Day Twelve, March 2, 2005

Bora Bora is a magical place!  Green volcanic peaks are surrounded by a ribbon of reef and the most amazing blue and turquoise waters and white sand beaches.  Bora Bora was an American naval base from 1942 to 1946.  You can still see WWII huts, piers, bunkers and canyons that remain.  Most archeological remnants were destroyed early on by English missionaries.   

Bora Bora

Hermit Crab Races

Our visit to Bora Bora was the perfect way to end our vacation.  We planned such a fun, leisure day and this port was a highlight!  It was a beautiful, sunny day!  We rented a small 6 horsepower boat from Top Dive for the 4 of us. We had a great day cruising around the blue water. 

The Aquarium

We headed out to the Sofitel Motu and then to the Aquarium. The Aquarium is a shallow area in the middle of this crystal clear blue patch of water.  We snorkeled with tons of rays and saw a black tip shark. On our way across the water, we saw two eagle rays mating. They were flapping at the surface. It was very cool!

Eagle Rays

Welcome to Bloody Mary's

We stopped at the World Famous Bloody Mary’s for drinks and pictures. We beached our boat and walked across the street. Be sure to stop here when you visit Bora Bora and have a drink or two at the Tupa Bar!  Don’t miss the Men’s Bathroom; it’s truly one of a kind! 

Famous visitors!

Leave your shoes here!  - The sink in the women's bathroom!

Cheers!

We also stopped at Matira Beach (next to the Bora Bora Beach Resort) to snorkel. It was easy getting around in the small boat and beaching it when we needed too. The shopping right off the tender is pretty good – if you are looking for inexpensive jewelry and trinkets. They also take US dollars.

Matira Beach

This was a truly amazing vacation, and I hope to go back for some sun and relaxation someday.  There is something very calming about the blue waters and brilliant sunshine!  

An amazing end to one of the best tropical vacations!

Twilight!

This was the moon at the deck party in Raiatea!

RAIATEA– Day Eleven, March 1, 2005

Raiatea is the most sacred of all the Society Islands.  Legend says that Oro, the God of war and fertility was born atop Mount Temahani on the northern end of Raiatea.  Raiatea is the second largest island in French Polynesia and the second largest port (next to Papeete).  Nestled within the same lagoon as Raiatea and encircle by the same reef is Tahaa. 80% of the vanilla produced in French Polynesia is made in Tahaa. 

Cruising!

On the morning of March 1^st, we sailed through the amazing clear, blue waters, around Tahaa to Raiatea.  We docked in Raiatea – which made it nice for coming and going. We arranged the Tahaa Drift Snorkel through Princess. They use Marie and Tony Tucker of West Coast Charters (www.raiatea-tours.com) . They were great! They took us by boat to the lagoon between Le Tahaa (at the Tahaa Pearl Beach Resort) and a smaller motu.  We walked up through the brush of the small motu and drift snorkeled through the pass.  It was extremely shallow.  The colors and clarity of the water made you forget how close you were to scraping your knees on the coral.  We walked up and snorkeled the pass several times.

Tahaa Pearl Beach Resort

We anchored at the Tahaa Pearl Beach Resort. It is a very expensive resort, often visited by famous celebrities.  Tom Cruise had just been there!  If you have time, visit the bar for a drink.   Marie and Tony served us fruit and juice after our snorkel.

We walked up the motu on the right and drift snorkeled back through the pass!

After our snorkel trip, we shopped right there at the dock in Raiatea. There are lots of little jewelry pieces and trinkets to find – they take US dollars. There is also a bar right there where you can sit and have a Hinano! 

Princess welcomed some of the Tahitian dancers to the ship and they performed for the passengers in the Cabaret Lounge. The littlest kids were very cute.

The dancers also sold hand make flowered head dresses ($5 each) for the island party later that night.

Because we arrived in  port at noon that day, we did not set sail again until 3am the next morning.  We did the night dive through Princess from 7-9 p.m. They used Hemisphere Sub. It was my first night dive and a good experience, but not my favorite type of dive.  It was a little uncomfortable not having the day light shine through the water to help you see.   We did have flashlights, but it was not the same.  We went off the end of the pier at the Raiatea Pearl Beach Resort. There is a wreck less than 75ft. below the surface - Nearby is a merchant ship that sank in 1900. We saw shrimp and an eel.

At the island party later in the evening, more adults performed a Polynesian dance show. There was also an ice carving demonstration, champagne fountain, and late night buffet with amazing food displays. People danced (mostly the crew) until just after midnight.  

RANGIROA – Day Ten, Feb. 28, 2005

Rangiroa is the largest atoll of the Tuamotus and the second biggest in the world.  An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef or a string of closely spaced small coral islands, enclosing or nearly enclosing a shallow lagoon. The island attracts tourists and divers from all over.  Most of the income to the atoll comes from visitors and pearl production. 

Tiputa Pass

We scheduled a dive with Six Passengers Diving, arranged through the cruise ship.  We only did a one tank dive, so we had time to explore the land.  They offer a great drift dive, but this particular day, the current was going the other way.  We dove just outside Tiputa Pass. We saw an eel, tons of fish and beautiful coral, and a huge manta ray. The water was amazingly clear and blue!

White sand beach near the Kia Ora Hotel

The beach is a 5 minute walk from the tender. Many people hung out at the beach all day – sun and snorkeling. In the afternoon, we took the free shuttle to the Pearl Farm (http://www.gauguinspearl.com/).  It was very interesting and recommended if you have never heard the story of pearl farming.

Pearl Farm

This was an amazing and beautiful place.  There were palms trees everywhere, and the crystal clear blue water was like no place else!