Islands – Easter Island – Sunrise and Sunset

2014.3.19Easter Island’s time zone must be set weirdly. The sun rises at 8:30am and sets at 8:30pm. Even consider it’s daylight saving time, I’ve never seen a sunrise in this late hours.

Get up at 6:30am, I was on my way to Ahu Tongariki to see the sunrise. The road winds along the island the southern coast line. I was all by myself on the road. It’s dark with a little fog. I did at one moment feel lonely and a bit of scary. I didn’t driver very fast. For almost an hour, we first saw a sign of Rano Raraku. Drove another 5 minutes, I saw a score of cars parked at the left of the road. This must be it.

Ahu Tongariki is across the road by the ocean. It’s still dark and I had to use the flashlight to see the ground. There were already 20 to 30 people on the site but they were quiet. Watching these moais closely, their face were still yet to be seen, but their size made a grand presence. I couldn’t help feeling amazed standing in front of these huge statues.

As more people were moving in, the horizon started turning red. The sun rose behind Ahu Tongariki over the sea. Ahu Tongariki contains 15 moais. Each one of them has different size and unique facial expression.

Ahu Tongariki at sunrise, Easter Island
Ahu Tongariki at sunrise, Easter Island

The sky was painted in pink color as the sun rose. Where we stood is the ceremonial site of Ahu Tongariki. It’s a largely flat plain between here and Rano Raraku, the original birth place of all moais. The unique shape of the crater provides a nice backdrop of the surrounding landscape.

Overlook Rano Raraku (quarry) from Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island
Overlook Rano Raraku (quarry) from Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island
360 degree panorama of Ahu Tongariki and Rano Raraku
360 degree panorama of Ahu Tongariki and Rano Raraku

Unfortunately, the sun didn’t disperse the cloud at the horizon. I was not able to get the signature picture that the sunlight piercing through between statues. As people started leaving after 8:30am, horses moved in. They might be raised by a middle-aged man nearby and later I heard him speaking fluent Japanese with two young girls. The restoration of Ahu Tongariki was originally initiated by a Japan team in 1992.

Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island
Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island

I returned to my car at 9am. The jeep was surrounded by several horses. One of them seemed to have developed fantasies to the jeep and kept rubbing and pushing against the door.

Near Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island
Near Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island

On my way back, I took a detour to Rano Raraku to check if I could purchase the National Park ticket over there. National Park ticket is required to enter Rano Raraku and Orongo, but is only sold at the airport and Rano Kau. Rano Kau opens at 9am, so you can just come here after watching sunrise at Ahu Tongariki. However, it seems that it’s often cloudy in the morning in this area.

Rano Raraku (quarry), Easter Island
Rano Raraku (quarry), Easter Island

I met my wife at the hotel. We went to have a breakfast at a small cafe next to the hotel by Av. Atamu Tekena. A very friendly dog usually hangs out in the cafe. The cafe serves fresh tea and sandwiches.

A cafe next to the lodge Cabañas Koro Nui by Av. Atamu Tekena, Easter Island
A cafe next to the lodge Cabañas Koro Nui by Av. Atamu Tekena, Easter Island

We had a short walk around Hanga Roa’s only main street, Av. Atamu Tekena. There is a market along the street every morning. The street used to be called Av. Policapro Toro, which is after a Chilean Naval officer who took Easter Island under Chile’s territory. Now that name was given to the street by the ocean. The main street was renamed to Av. Atamu Tekena in 1998, after a 19th-century Rapa Nui hero. The indigenous Rapa Nui, 1500 people out of total population of 5000, are seeking island’s independence from Chile in recent years. We saw one slogan painted on the wall advocating “decolonization” near the town.

Hanga Roa\'s market, Easter Island
Hanga Roa\'s market, Easter Island
Hanga Roa\'s market, Easter Island
Hanga Roa\'s market, Easter Island
Hanga Roa\'s market, Easter Island
Hanga Roa\'s market, Easter Island

We went to Rano Kau again at about noon. We purchased the National Park ticket at the ranger station. It’s $60 per person for foreigners.

The crater lake is about 1 mile wide on top of Rano Kau. It’s one of only three natural source of fresh water in the island. Standing by its rim, the view is incredible. The lake is 600 feet below the rim and only 10 feet deep. Its surface is covered by cattail plants, similar to the species in the floating islands of Lake Titicaca, which we unfortunately didn’t get chance to go in our Peru trip. I feel the patchy pattern of the plants, especially viewed from the top, is surreal. The outer cliff of the crater is steep. The sea have already started eroding into the wall. There is a gap or “bite” called Kari Kari on the southern rim. One can overlook the deep blue sea through the gap. The nearest inhabited land is more than 1000 miles away.

Crater lake of Rano Kau, Easter Island
Crater lake of Rano Kau, Easter Island
Crater lake of Rano Kau, Easter Island
Crater lake of Rano Kau, Easter Island

On the narrow part of the western edge of the crater, the Rapa Nui built the ceremonial village, Orongo, comprised by 54 stone houses and many rock arts sites. Orongo is important in that it marks the turning point of the Rapa Nui’s civilization where the old culture and religion of building huge statues was abandoned, maybe because of the degradation of natural resources in the island, and the emerge of the new birdman cult that worships Make-Make god. This transition took place at the end of the 16th century.

Southwest to Orongo out in the sea, there are three islets, called respectively Motu Nui, Motu Iti and the sea stack Motu Kau Kau in the front. Being the largest of three, Motu Nui is an essential location for the birdman cult. Every spring, people from different tribes gathered at Orongo. The summit of the event is the bird man competition. Representatives from each tribe went down the cliffs, swam to Motu Nui and waited there for days to get the first eggs of Sooty tern, then they swam back and climbed up the cliffs and presented the egg to the judges at Orongo. The last competition took place around 1867.

View from Orongo, Motu Nui, with the smaller Motu Iti and the sea stack of Motu Kau Kau, Easter Island
View from Orongo, Motu Nui, with the smaller Motu Iti and the sea stack of Motu Kau Kau, Easter Island

The trail loop around the village. We spent about an hour at Orongo.

Orongo, Easter Island
Orongo, Easter Island
Houses in Orongo, Easter Island
Houses in Orongo, Easter Island

Back to the town, it took us sometime to locate the post office. It’s a small, unnoticeable house by the fire station. We got our passport stamped.

The Post Office of Hanga Roa, Easter Island
The Post Office of Hanga Roa, Easter Island

We went to the museum at the north end of the town. I had this impression since my childhood, Easter Island is a remote island with a lot of statues built by aliens. The first part is correct, the second part is certainly fantasization. It’s known that all these hundreds of statues were built by the indigenous Rapa Nui between 1200 and 1500. According to the record of first western visitors to the island in 1722, moais were not religious objects, so most scholars believe today they represent the Rapa Nui’s ancestors. What is unknown are exactly why they were built and how they were transported and erected.

What is more interesting to me is that, as an isolated island with human settlement, Easter Island provides a meaningful model to study human society evolution. I can’t help extending the model to the entire human race and its development on the earth. Unfortunately, the outcome is quite pessimistic. Easter Island experienced rapid growth after the initial settlement between 700 to 1100 A.D. (some study indicates that the settlement happened in an even later date.) The population reached 15,000. However, uncontrolled exploitation of the natural resource, partly because of the construction of the huge moai, greatly degraded the environment. Extreme deforestation killed almost every species of trees and land birds, destabilized the already fragile ecosystems. The civil war broke out. Tribes started fighting for the diminishing resources. At the time when the first European came to the island, the population has decreased to 2000 to 3000 within a hundred years.

As the Rapa Nui adapted the new cultures, bird man cult, to deal with their living conditions, the confrontation between old and new civilizations further devastated the island. Disease and slavery brought the native population down to only 100. No one was able to understand the rongorongo script, and oral tradition transferred from one generation to another was disrupted, the island’s cultural knowledge has been lost.

The story is sad, but our trip has to go on. We returned to Restaurant Haka Honu to have our lunch at 3:30pm.

Restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island
Restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island

We had some rest at the lodge, then went out bought some bottled water, Agua sin gas, at the grocery store. The price is 700 peso, about $1.2 per bottle.

A grocery store in Hanga Roa, Easter Island
A grocery store in Hanga Roa, Easter Island
Shops in Hanga Roa, Easter Island
Shops in Hanga Roa, Easter Island

It’s about 7pm. One hour and half to the sunset, the golden hour for photographing. We drove to the same road to Ahu Tongariki and made several stops at island’s southern coast. There are several ruins of Ahu or small sites of individual moai along the coast. Scholars believes moais were toppled down during the internal war between tribes, but some researches show that this only happened after the encounter of Europeans.

Overlook Rano Kau from the south coast of Easter Island
Overlook Rano Kau from the south coast of Easter Island
The south coast of Easter Island
The south coast of Easter Island
A small Ahu at the south coast of Easter Island
A small Ahu at the south coast of Easter Island

We headed back to Tahai at 8:15pm. Many people sitting on the grass waiting for the sunset. There were good amount of clouds on the horizon to allow the setting sun burned the clouds.

Ko Te Riku (with restored eyes) and Tahai at sunset, Easter Island
Ko Te Riku (with restored eyes) and Tahai at sunset, Easter Island
Ahu Tahai at sunset, Easter Island
Ahu Tahai at sunset, Easter Island

We had the dinner at Au bout du Monde. We found the food to be mediocre.

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Islands – Easter Island – The Moai

2014.3.18There is only one flight a week between Papeete and Easter Island. Operated by LAN, the flight leaves Easter Island to Papeete on Monday and returns to Easter Island on early Tuesday morning. When we planed our trip, all the coach seats were gone, so we had to book the business class. A couple of minutes on the plane, the flight attendant started bringing drinks and snacks. After the plane took off, we lay down the seat and soon fell into sleep. We had a long day.

Business Class meal, from Papeete to Easter Island
Business Class meal, from Papeete to Easter Island

The flight time from Papeete to Easter Island is about 5 hours. Because there is 5 hours time difference, we landed at 12:30pm. It’s bit of cloudy and breezy, not very hot.

Arriving Easter Island
Arriving Easter Island
The airport, Easter Island
The airport, Easter Island

We booked our stay at Cabanas Koro Nui. Our hostess, Nicole, and her boyfriend met us at the airport and put flower leis on us. She asked us if we had brought the National Park ticket. There is a both in the airport near the exit selling the ticket. We didn’t know that and we were not allowed to go back in. Nicole told us we could buy the tickets at Rano Kau as well, it’s just more convenient to get them at the airport.

Hanga Roa is the only town in Easter Island. Turning left out of the airport and turning right at the main road, for 10 minutes, we arrived at our hotel. The hotel is also Nicole’s home. She just lives in the room next to the guest house. The guest house is a two-level bungalow that probably has only two rooms. What we got was the smaller room at the first floor. The room is small and clean. It has a bath room and a kitchen. In our whole 3-day stay, we didn’t feel A/C was needed. If it’s hot, we could just open the sliding door. The natural breeze carried by the island soon cooled the room down. The weather was quite comfortable.

The guest house is called bungalow because it sits in a good-sized garden with plenty of trees and flowers. It’s beautiful and quite. The hotel’s location is ideal too. In fact, it’s in the spot center of the town. Walking 30 feet through a low fence door, it’s the main road. Market, cafe, ATM and the beach are all at the walking distance.

Cabañas Koro Nui, Easter Island
Cabañas Koro Nui, Easter Island
Cabañas Koro Nui, Easter Island
Cabañas Koro Nui, Easter Island

Once we settled, I went out to rent a car right away. There are two car rental offices just two minutes walk from where we lived. I rented a Suzuki Jimny, good enough for 2 persons driving on the regular road. The price is about $65 a day.

Because of the time difference, we didn’t feel hungry until 3pm. Nicole pointed us several restaurants. Out of our hotel and turned left, for only 100 feet, we were on the road by the sea. Turned left again and kept on driving another 100 ft, there is a restaurant called Haka Honu. It’s next to a bank branch office and we got some cash from there. The restaurant’s open terrace offers a nice view of the sea and a small port, port O’tai. It’s a popular location for surfing as well. Right outside the restaurant, there is a lovely moai.

The north port of Hanga Roa, Easter Island
The north port of Hanga Roa, Easter Island
A moai next to restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island
A moai next to restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island
A rural house near restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island
A rural house near restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island

The atmosphere is casual and relaxing, ideal for a quick lunch, and the food is delicious too, with large portions. We actually came back again the next day.

Restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island
Restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island
Restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island
Restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island
Restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island
Restaurant Haka Honu, Easter Island

We went to Rano Kau after the lunch, before the main road ends at the airport, we turned left and drove along the road. At the foot of the hill, there is a ranger station. This is the only place where you can buy the national park ticket besides the both in the airport. The ticket is $60 per person, but the station was just closed at 4:30pm.

Kept on driving, we started climbing the hill. At about a quarter to the top, there is a place where the shoulder is wider so you can park the car by the road. Easter Island is in the triangle shape. Rano Kau is an extinct volcano located at the very southwest corner. From here you can see both the west and south side of the island.

Overlook the southeast side of the island from Rano Kau, Easter Island
Overlook the southeast side of the island from Rano Kau, Easter Island
Overlook the town and the island\'s west coast from Rano Kau, Easter Island
Overlook the town and the island\'s west coast from Rano Kau, Easter Island

There is a crater lake at top of Rano Kau. The view of the crater lake itself is surreal. I will show more pictures in the next blog. Next to the crater lake is a small museum, which is also the entrance to Orongo. Orongo is part of Rapa Nui National Park. The ticket is required to enter. However, the ranger was taking a nap in the station at the time of our visit. Ticket is more strictly checked at another major attraction of the island, Rano Raraku.

Near Orongo on Rano Kau, Easter Island
Near Orongo on Rano Kau, Easter Island
The orongo sign next to the crater lake on Rano Kau, Easter Island
The orongo sign next to the crater lake on Rano Kau, Easter Island

Standing outside of the museum by the rim of northern slope, it’s one of most breathtaking views I’ve ever seen. Easter Island is the most remote inhabited island in the world. Vast, lonely, the nature shows its power right before my eyes; at my back, it’s the mystic history of surviving story of human race. What a feeling!

Panorma view of the island and the sea from Rano Kau, Easter Island
Panorma view of the island and the sea from Rano Kau, Easter Island

We planned to visit Orongo the next day. Getting off the mountain, we were heading to Ahu Tahai. We saw several moais along the road by the sea, Av. Policapro Toro, not far from the town center. One of them even stands on the iron platform with restored eyes. Not sure if they are authentic or not.

Moais at the roadside near Hanga Roa, Easter Island
Moais at the roadside near Hanga Roa, Easter Island

Av. Policapro Toro merges back to Av. Atamu Tekena, the main street of Hanga Roa. Keep on driving for 200 feet, there is a hidden dirt road on the left. We parked the car at the road end and walk down to Tahai, one of major restored ceremonial sites of the island. The site can also be accessed from south through the cemetery, or from the north next to the museum.

It’s about 6:30pm local time. Just as we walked down the slope, it suddenly started raining. We tried to sit by a low wall to take it as the shelter from the rain, but it didn’t help much, so we decided run back to our car. Easter Island is not on the path of cyclones but rain always comes and goes. It never lasted for more than 15 minutes during our stay.

Ahu Tahai, Easter Island
Ahu Tahai, Easter Island

We drove north to the road by the museum. We tried to drive further north by the coast but the road soon was blocked by the gate. Vehicles are not allowed from here up to Ahu Tepeu, which seems to be reachable from Ahu Akivi.

It’s a good time to visit Ahu Akivi. There is only one road leaving the town, the one running parallel with the airport. The road is clearly marked. We turn slightly left to Rano Raraku and Anakena direction. For about 5 minutes, the road first splits at the right to Rano Raraku; continue driving for another couple of minutes, the road on the left leads to Puna Pau and Aku Akivi direction. This section of the island is covered by grassland, dotted with several small volcano hills. The road is paved in good condition. For another 10 minutes, we arrived at Ahu Akivi

Ahu Akivi contains seven statues of equal size. Almost all moais on the island are raised along the coast facing inland, Ahu Akivi is unique in that it’s the only major sites away from the coast with moais looking over the sea. The statues were built around the 1500s. According to the legend, these 7 statues are the Rapa Nui’s ancestors who originally located the island and settled here. Ahu Akivi is not as popular as other moai sites. We got almost only ourselves there with the beautiful sunlight rendering the surroundings in golden color.

Ahu Akivi, Easter Island
Ahu Akivi, Easter Island
A closer look of Ahu Akivi, Easter Island
A closer look of Ahu Akivi, Easter Island
Ahu Akivi, Easter Island
Ahu Akivi, Easter Island
Near Ahu Akivi, Easter Island
Near Ahu Akivi, Easter Island

We left the site at 8pm and tried explore further to the coast. The road is unpaved with many potholes. We soon gave up. We returned back to Tahai at 8:30pm. It’s the most popular place to watch the sunset, but the cloud was too thick. No sunset to be seen.

We had our dinner at Te Moana. It’s located at the back of the port. The best feature it has is the large open platform facing the ocean. The dishes are with large portion and very delicious too. Recommended!

Restaurant Te Moana, Easter Island
Restaurant Te Moana, Easter Island
Ceviche, Restaurant Te Moana, Easter Island
Ceviche, Restaurant Te Moana, Easter Island

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Islands – Bora Bora – Main Island

2014.3.17It’s our last day at French Polynesia. The typhoon was finally moved away. We were struggling between the Shark and Ray feeding tour around the lagoon and going to the main island, eventually we figured it’s possible to do both in one day.

We booked the Shark and Ray feeding tour in the morning. It’s a half-day tour, which doesn’t include lunch at motu. The cost is 11,500 XPF ($125) per person. The tour started at 9am. There were two other couples on the boat. Our guides are from a family. Once the boat left the resort and reached the middle of the lagoon, two young guide started playing local instruments and singing local songs.

Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora
Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora

The boat circled the main island in clockwise direction. At the southern end of the island, we made the first stop to swim with sharks. The water is shallow here. Sharks were easily visible.

Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora
Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora
Swimming with sharks, Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora
Swimming with sharks, Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora
Tartoos on a local tour guide, Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora
Tartoos on a local tour guide, Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora

Sailing for another quarter of a circle, the second stop was snorkeling over the coral garden. The water color contrasts clearly in this part of the lagoon.

Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora
Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora
The largest overwater bungalows, Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora
The largest overwater bungalows, Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora

The last stop we made is the most interesting one, to feed rays. The water is so shallow that one can stand in the water. The guide held small fishes to attract rays to come around him, then he guided them to us. These rays knew there were easy food waiting for them. They were so eager and felt we were on their way so sometimes they were like trying to push us away from the behind. Occasional I could touch their mouth as they swam to me, it felt like they were biting my fingers gently.

Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora
Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora

Between these stops, two young guides kept singing and talking jokes to make sure we were entertained. They also pointed to us the luxury resorts on the motu and attractions on the main island from time to time.

A dock on Bora Bora\'s main island, Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora
A dock on Bora Bora\'s main island, Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora
Old hotels on Bora Bora\'s main island, Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora
Old hotels on Bora Bora\'s main island, Shark and Ray feeding tour, Bora Bora

We returned to the resort at about 12:20pm. The next boat shuttle to Vaitape would leave at 1pm. We had 40 minutes to take shower, pack our stuff and check out. The shuttle’s round trip charge was about 2500 XPF ($28) per person. Vaitape is on the other side of the island. The boat ride is about 35 minutes.

Vaitape is the capital city of Bora Bora. The boat dropped us at the port and confirmed with everyone on the pick-up time. The port is the center of this small town. A flee market is next to the port. Mostly selling local textile and small wood or stone sculptures. At the north side, there is a grocery store on the other side of the road.

Aloe Cafe, Vaitape, Bora Bora
Aloe Cafe, Vaitape, Bora Bora
Fruit cart in Viatape, Bora Bora
Fruit cart in Viatape, Bora Bora

There are about 20 stores spreading around the port. Most of them are pearl shops and souvenir stores. My wife bought a bracelet at Bora Home. We like their selections of arts and jewelry.

Pearl and souvenir shops in Viatape, Bora Bora
Pearl and souvenir shops in Viatape, Bora Bora
Cats at Viatape, Bora Bora
Cats at Viatape, Bora Bora

It’s sunny for the whole afternoon. The boat picked us up at 4:30pm. When we returned to the resort, the boat that would transfer us to the airport were already waiting for us. Although the weather was not cooperating, our experience in Bora Bora was pleasant. Le Méridien’s service was very good too. Whenever a ride was needed, especially in the rainy days, we just called the front desk and they would send a cart to get us right away. Of course, it’s also an expensive experience. The boat transfer between the resort and the airport was 8500 XPF ($94) per person.

Bora Bora Airport
Bora Bora Airport

Our flight to the Easter Island was at 2am. We waited for 6 hours at Tahiti’s airport. Luckily, a cafe right next to the airport entrance opens 24 hours a day. We met an elder couple who were on our flight from Moorea to Bora Bora two days ago. They were on their way returning to the States. There were surprised that we were going to the Easter Island, “Is it somewhere people normal go?”. No, it’s not. That’s why we were going.

After 12am, we were allowed to check in and enter the departure hall. Compared to the simplicity of outside, the departure hall is more modern and comfortable. There are many couches.

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Islands – Bora Bora – Le Méridien

2014.3.16The storm calmed down in the morning, but the heavy cloud was still hanging low. This is a long exposure shot taken from Le Méridien’s beach.

View of Mount Otemanu and overwater bungalows of Le Méridien Bora Bora
View of Mount Otemanu and overwater bungalows of Le Méridien Bora Bora

Breakfast buffet was held Le Tipanie restaurant. Rain started suddenly during the breakfast. Guests by the water had to move their tables hurriedly. Bora Bora are always connected with blue sky, white beach and palm trees, but this is what we saw in Bora Bora.

Breakfast at Le Méridien Bora Bora
Breakfast at Le Méridien Bora Bora

Le Méridien was renovated in 2011. Directly facing Mount Otemanu, the resort has the best view in the island to view Bora Bora’s signature shaped mountain and the lagoon from the beach or from your private patio. The interior is modern and the overwater bungalow has bigger size glass floor than Pearl Resort in Moorea.

Inside the overwater bungalow in Le Méridien Bora Bora
Inside the overwater bungalow in Le Méridien Bora Bora
Inside the overwater bungalow in Le Méridien Bora Bora
Inside the overwater bungalow in Le Méridien Bora Bora

The resort is actively involved in sea turtle protection effort. Bora Bora’s turtle center is located in the resort’s private lagoon. From one side of the pool, you can walk down a couple of stairs and watch the turtles at water level. There were about 15 turtles in the pool. Some of them flew around freely, but others stayed at the corner without making any move for hours.

The Turtle Sanctuary in Le Méridien Bora Bora
The Turtle Sanctuary in Le Méridien Bora Bora

At noon time, it seemed the tropical cyclone finally moved out of the region. The cloud was lighter. It’s soon getting hot with flushes of sunlight started breaking through. We had no plan in the afternoon. On the TV, CNN was reporting repeatedly on the disappearance of MH370 and the progress of Crimea’s referendum; the resort’s channel played Bruno Mars’ “Marry You” endlessly. Besides lying in the room, we also swam in Le Méridien’s inner lagoon.

Lunch at Le Méridien Bora Bora
Lunch at Le Méridien Bora Bora
View of Mount Otemanu from Le Méridien Bora Bora
View of Mount Otemanu from Le Méridien Bora Bora

Night starts to fall. I took some pictures with long exposure to smooth out the sea. Even the sky was covered by the cloud, the contrast between the gray sky and turquoise lagoon was still very striking.

Overwater bungalows of Le Méridien Bora Bora
Overwater bungalows of Le Méridien Bora Bora

More pictures after night fully settled in. Bora Bora was more like the paradise at the time.

Night view of overwater bungalows of Le Méridien Bora Bora again Mount Otemanu
Night view of overwater bungalows of Le Méridien Bora Bora again Mount Otemanu
Night view of overwater bungalows of Le Méridien Bora Bora
Night view of overwater bungalows of Le Méridien Bora Bora
Night view of Le Méridien Bora Bora
Night view of Le Méridien Bora Bora

The dinner served buffet on Sunday. It’s about $100 per person.

Dinner buffet at Le Méridien Bora Bora
Dinner buffet at Le Méridien Bora Bora
Dinner buffet at Le Méridien Bora Bora
Dinner buffet at Le Méridien Bora Bora
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Islands – From Moorea to Bora Bora

2014.3.15We are supposed to leave Moorea at 11:45am to Bora Bora. In the morning, we were worried if we could leave the island on that day, especially after seeing this during breakfast.

Rain stopped after the breakfast. We were told the flight had not been cancelled. At 9:30, a shuttle bus sent us to the airport. Moorea’s airport is small. There were about 30 to 40 passengers on the flight. All of us waited at the airport hall.

Moorea Airport
Moorea Airport

The rain was still on and off but not heavy. At 11am, we were told the flight would be delayed for an hour. Everyone got a coupon for a free drink.

A cat at Moorea Airport
A cat at Moorea Airport

At 12pm, the plane finally arrived. It’s flight from Tahiti. We watched the passenger getting off the plane and walking through the gate. They all looked fine. After all, it’s a only 10-minute flight from Tahiti to Moorea. It would take 45 minutes to get to Bora Bora. We all preyed that the weather wouldn’t become worse in the next hour.

Passengers anxiously waiting for the plane at Moorea Airport
Passengers anxiously waiting for the plane at Moorea Airport

The flight was smooth, only a little bumpy at the end. You should try to take the seat at the left side to be able to overlook the view of iconic overwater bungalows stretching into the turquoise lagoon like tentacles as the plane descending to the Bora Bora Airport.

Overlook Bora Bora\'s lagoon from the airplane
Overlook Bora Bora\'s lagoon from the airplane

Bora Bora Airport is built on a Motu. It seemed even smaller than Moorea’s airport. We were the last ones got off the plane. We let our hotel, Le Meridien, know our arriving date and flight in advance. As we walked out of the gate, the staff from the hotel were waiting for us. They put flower leis on both of us and led us to the boat. There maybe only a few planes leave and land here everyday, but people work very efficiently. We identified our bags and got on the boat. In less than 20 minutes, boats from different hotels all took their guests and gone. (There are free boats to take guests to the town on the island as well.)

Boats welcome guests at Bora Bora Airport
Boats welcome guests at Bora Bora Airport

This is it, Bora Bora, the ultimate fantasy and wonderland. As Polynesian music played on the boat and weather was at its best in a few days, we even saw some sunsine, everyone’s spirit got lit up.

It took about half an hour boat ride to get to the hotel. We got our room after checking in. It’s over water but not far from the beach. Look out from our deck, what a view! Bora Bora definitely lives up to the reputation. It would be perfect if only the sky was not that cloudy.

Panoramic view of Mount Otemanu and Le Méridien Bora Bora
Panoramic view of Mount Otemanu and Le Méridien Bora Bora
The signature view of Mount Otemanu, Bora Bora
The signature view of Mount Otemanu, Bora Bora

After settled in the room, we returned to the lobby to look for something to eat. As we were walking around the central area, the storm hit again. Miki Miki Bar and Restaurant Le Te Ava both face the lagoon and Mount Otemanu by the beach. They were literally damped by the rain and wind. We were really lucky to have this two-hour window of relatively good weather to get here.

Stormy weather at Bora Bora
Stormy weather at Bora Bora

The storm lasted about 20 minutes. The rain lightened but never really stopped. The staff had to put everything messed up by the storm together. We had a simple lunch at the bar. After that, we caught up with our emails and played a couple of sets of pool games. Hotels on Bora Bora’s Motu are not connected by road. Not many places you could go in this weather.

Garden of Le Meridien Bora Bora
Garden of Le Meridien Bora Bora

We had our dinner at Le Meridien’s Le Tipanie restaurant. Le Te Ava, normally open for dinner, was closed due to the weather. The food is delicious, looked elegant and expensive, $100 per person is normal.

Dinner at Le Meridien Bora Bora
Dinner at Le Meridien Bora Bora
Dinner at Le Meridien Bora Bora
Dinner at Le Meridien Bora Bora

The storm got severer at night. The overwater bungalows are supported by 4 poles. Every time a big wave hit them, I felt the room was shaking. I really worried that the bungalow could be toppled by the wave. It later turned out my worry was not baseless. Some bungalows in another area of Bora Bora were indeed damaged by the storm at that night.

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Islands – Moorea – Circle the Island

2014.3.14Our schedule for the second day was to go to the lagoon excursion tour. Many operators offer the similar programs, which typically visit two bays, feed sharks and rays, snorkel and picnic on a Motu.

We booked the tour through Hiro’s Tours in advance. However, it’s raining heavily in the morning. The front desk told us there was a typhoon passing nearby and it would be with us for another 2 or 3 days!! The tour owner called us and let us know that the tour had to be cancelled. Although the operator associated with our hotel didn’t cancel their tour, we thought it might not worth going so we decided to rent a car to circle around the island.

Car rental with Avis can be arranged at hotel’s concierge desk. The rate is 7000 XPF for 8 hours. The car has to be returned before 5pm, so we actually only had about 6 hours left for the day. Avis’ office is near the ferry station. They sent a van to pick us up.

It’s a steady light rain as we got the car. Our first stop is Sofitel Hotel. Sofitel is known for having the longest beach on the island, but the best place to appreciate the view is to overlook the hotel at the vista point by the main road. Lines of over water bungalows floating over the crystal blue water, even the bad weather couldn’t conceal its beauty.

Panoramic view of Sofitel Moorea Resort
Panoramic view of Sofitel Moorea Resort

Our hotel, Pearl Resort, is in the walking distance of village Maharepa. We first stopped at a souvenir store and had some ice cream too. Passing the hotel, there is a small shopping center. There is a market, several bank ATMs, restaurants and souvenir stores, but the number of shops that are selling island specialty, black pearls, exceeds other kinds of business.

The Market near Pearl Resort, Moorea
The Market near Pearl Resort, Moorea
The Market near Pearl Resort, Moorea
The Market near Pearl Resort, Moorea
The Market near Pearl Resort, Moorea
The Market near Pearl Resort, Moorea

Located between Cook’s Bay and Opunohu Bay, Hilton Moorea Resort is not close to any shops or market, but in terms of service and snorkeling site, it’s deemed as the best hotel in the island. We found their garden was lovely.

Garden of Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa
Garden of Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa
Garden of Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa
Garden of Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa

It’s drizzling all the time. Here was spot near on top of Opunohu Bay. It would be very nice if weather had been good.

Near Opunohu Bay, Moorea
Near Opunohu Bay, Moorea

InterContinental is the biggest resort in Moorea. We almost walked around the entire resort to look for the Dolphin Center and Turtle Sanctuary. Both of them are at the east side of the resort. Dolphine Center was closed at the moment. We saw at least 3 dolphins crusting around the pool.

Inter-Continental Resort & Spa, Moorea
Inter-Continental Resort & Spa, Moorea
Inter-Continental Resort & Spa, Moorea
Inter-Continental Resort & Spa, Moorea

Across a bridge in a small private lagoon, it’s InterContinental’s Turtle Sanctuary. It’s actually a sea turtles clinic. While we were visiting, a staff was feeding an old green turtle who barely wanted to eat and a small hawkbill turtle who is active and full of curiosity.

Turtle Sanctuary, Inter-Continental Resort & Spa, Moorea
Turtle Sanctuary, Inter-Continental Resort & Spa, Moorea

It’s almost 3pm when we decided to sit down and have the lunch. Both the guide book and the staff in our hotel recommended Snack Mahana. It’s located about half a mile east to InterContinental Hotel just by the main road. The setup is at its basic and space is small, but the Polynesian food they offer is very tasty and delicious. Their back yard is next to the lagoon, but as it’s raining we had to sit next to the hut under the shield. Interestingly, The couple together with us on the ATV tour the earlier day was also having lunch there. The just came back a private lagoon tour.

Snack Mahana, Moorea
Snack Mahana, Moorea

It’s already 1 hour to 5pm after we finished the lunch. We kept on driving to the west side of the island a little bit, but as the rain was getting heavier, we decided to turn back. The storm was on full blast on our way back. The rain was pouring sometimes. We just made it to Avis Car Rental before 5pm.

Overwater bungalow in the heavy cloudy day, Moorea Pearl Resort
Overwater bungalow in the heavy cloudy day, Moorea Pearl Resort
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Islands – Moorea – ATV Tour

2014.3.13Moorea was settled by Polynesians about 1000 years ago. Although possessing stunning natural beauty and easy-accessibility to Tahati, it’s still relatively less known compared to Bora Bora. Only 20 minutes on the ferry, we were approaching Moorea island.

Near Moorea ferry port
Near Moorea ferry port

It’s before 7am. We didn’t see any bus service after we got off the ferry. Bus service runs in sync with ferry’s schedule, but it’s said it only starts at 8am. We hailed a taxi after waited for 20 minutes. The driver asked for 2500 XPF ($28), not cheap but acceptable. It took us about half an hour to get to Pearl Resort. The driver pointed us several places and the market we could visit along the way.

We were welcomed with flowers and drinks at the resort’s lobby. It’s 8:30am, it took a while for us to get a room.

The lobby, Moorea Pearl Resort
The lobby, Moorea Pearl Resort
Infinity Pool, Moorea Pearl Resort
Infinity Pool, Moorea Pearl Resort

What we booked was a Premium Overwater Bungalow. The overwater bungalow of Pearl Resort is very close to the beach. The premium ones are at the sea side over deeper and clearer water. The inside is roomy.

Inner-view of the overwater bungalow, Moorea Pearl Resort
Inner-view of the overwater bungalow, Moorea Pearl Resort

The stairs on one side of the balcony lead to the lower deck, which has stairs directly into the lagoon. Both of us got down to the water. We saw many small fishes. Some of them were very colorful.

Overwater bungalow, Moorea Pearl Resort
Overwater bungalow, Moorea Pearl Resort

Snorkeling and kayak facilities are free to use. I did some Kayaking around the bungalows before leaving for the ATV tour.

We booked the ATV tour through ATV Moorea Tours. The rate is 21,000 XPF ($240) a bike for the Adventure Raid, and we got 15% discount as we paid in advance using Paypal. The lady from the office came to pick us up at 1pm. She is from France and had been living in Moorea for a couple of years. She told us that she liked Moorea over Bora Bora because Moorea still retained the country-side life style, while Bora Bora had been totally commercialized. One our way to the office, we picked up another young couple from Canada. They were here for their honeymoon.

At the office, everyone was given a helmet. We all looked a bit of funny now. The guide gave us a 5-minute instruction on how to operate the vehicle, and that’s it, we were on our way.

Moorea ATV Tour office
Moorea ATV Tour office

There were only our two couples on the tour. We drove back along the main road for several miles and turned off-road at the bottom of the Opunohu Bay to the inner island.

Moorea ATV Tour
Moorea ATV Tour

We first looped around a plantation of pineapples, coconuts and other tropical fruits. The guide was humorous and never forgot to explain all kinds of vegetation to us and stop for photo opportunities.

The guide explains vegetations, Moorea ATV Tour
The guide explains vegetations, Moorea ATV Tour
Moorea ATV Tour
Moorea ATV Tour

We made a stop at Agricultural College at Opunohu. It’s basically a hovel selling fruit products. We did some tasting of their fresh jams and icecream.

Agricultural College at Opunohu, Moorea ATV Tour
Agricultural College at Opunohu, Moorea ATV Tour

We kept driving up to the mountain. At the end of road, it’s Belvedere Lookout. It’s good place to overlook Moorea’s two almost symmetrical bays, Opunohu Bay and Cook’s Bay, at the same time.

Mt. Mouaroa, Moorea
Mt. Mouaroa, Moorea
Overlooking Opunohu Valley, Mt Rotui and Cook and Opunohu Bays from Belvedere Lookout, Moorea
Overlooking Opunohu Valley, Mt Rotui and Cook and Opunohu Bays from Belvedere Lookout, Moorea

The discover tour would stop here, but we’d continue on. We drove through streams and mud puddles and jumped over slopes. You don’t want to wear shirt in light color, ’cause they’d be covered by splashing mud. We stopped at another high land, where we could see clearly the surrounding mountains. They are the Moorea’s crater wall.

Moorea ATV Tour
Moorea ATV Tour
Moorea ATV Tour
Moorea ATV Tour
Moorea\'s volcanic crater and plantations, Moorea ATV Tour
Moorea\'s volcanic crater and plantations, Moorea ATV Tour

The last leg was to climb the “Magic Mountain”. I’d say that it’s a little scary and probably won’t be allowed in America. We drove the car up and down along a narrow lane on the steep slope without any protection but trees by the road side. The summit offers 360° panoramic view of Moorea’s northern shore. The view is supposedly to be wonderful, but it was a cloudy day and it’s dripping on top of the mountain. At least we could see the island is totally enclosed by the coral reef and lagoons. In fact, it’s almost the best weather we had in French Polynesia. We were lucky to book the ATV tour on our first day of arrival.

Overlook Opunohu Bay at Magic Mountain
Overlook Opunohu Bay at Magic Mountain

The same lady took us back to the hotel. I randomly took some pictures in the car.

Pao Pao at the bottom of Cook\'s Bay, Moorea
Pao Pao at the bottom of Cook\'s Bay, Moorea
Cook\'s Bay, Moorea
Cook\'s Bay, Moorea

We had dinner at Le Sud. Very plain setting and the food was unimaginative. Mosquitoes were quite active. You should consider wearing long pants or apply DEET if you don’t want to get bitten all over.

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North Bay Excursion

2014.5.24~26We decided to have a short excursion to the North Bay during the Memorial Weekend. Leaving home at 4pm, it’s almost 6pm when we got to Sonoma. Most shops had closed.

Sonoma Cheese Factory
Sonoma Cheese Factory
Sonoma Plaza
Sonoma Plaza

We had dinner at Della Santina’s. Although Yelp gives it 4-star rating, we found their food to be average.

Della Santina\'s, Sonoma
Della Santina\'s, Sonoma

The hotel we stayed, Embassy Suites at San Rafael, was only 30-minute drive away. The hotel is not luxury but spacious and comfortable. What surprised us is that this hotel features an in-door tropical garden and koi fish pond, very rare in hotels at this level; also the breakfast is included, very rare in hotels in American.

Embassy Suites, San Rafael
Embassy Suites, San Rafael

I got up early the second day morning. Driving from the hotel to the Golden Gate Bridge took only 15 minutes. I wished to capture the view of the bridge emerging from the early morning cloud. Unfortunately, it’s usual clear day along the coast. It’s only a little hazy but no cloud at all. I still drove along the Conzelman Rd. to the highest view point. This place is just so popular that there is no parking space any time during the day. However this time, it’s too early for normal visitors.

View Golden Gate Bridge from Hawk Hill
View Golden Gate Bridge from Hawk Hill

What I didn’t know was, the road doesn’t stop at Hawk Hill view point. A one-way road led me down hill to the other side of the peninsula. Just a turn away, the busy city and tourist site gives its way to the peaceful view of countryside. I drove towards Point Bonita Lighthouse and had a short walk to the lighthouse. I couldn’t get access to it because it’s not open on the day, but the view of the tip of the peninsula is quite unusual. I can’t believe this is so close to where we live. The shape of the hill made me feel like in a computer game.

Point Bonita, Sausalito
Point Bonita, Sausalito
Near Point Bonita, Sausalito
Near Point Bonita, Sausalito

Our plan for the day was to go to Point Reyes. We went there 10 years ago in the winter. This time we’d walk some trails. Followed the direction of Google Map, we took Lucas Valley Rd to the west. The cell phone soon lost signal once we got into the mountains. We made a turn at Nicasio Valley Rd. to the wrong direction, and landed at Sir Francis Drake Blvd. We took a brief stop at the church by the intersection.

San Geronimo Community Presbyterian Church
San Geronimo Community Presbyterian Church

It’s about 11am when we reached Point Reyes Station. It’s sunny and warm. The Visitor Center’s parking lot were full. We first walked the Earthquake Trail, which is a half-mile loop. Bear Valley Trail is one of the most popular trails in Point Reyes. It starts at the visitor center and ends at the coast line of Drakes Bay. It’s about 9 miles round-trip. We walked about one mile down and returned.

Near the visitor center at Point Reyes Station
Near the visitor center at Point Reyes Station
Bear Valley Trail, Point Reyes
Bear Valley Trail, Point Reyes

Olema is along Route 1, only half a mile south to the visitor center. We had the lunch at the Farm House Restaurant.

Farm House Restaurant, Olema
Farm House Restaurant, Olema

After lunch, we drove along Pierce Point Road to the northern part of the park. We came here 10 years ago and saw a lot of Elks around the Tomales Point Trailhead. We didn’t see any this time. Maybe there were pushed to further north because there were so many visitors.

We walked down McClures Beach Trail to the beach. It’s windy but warm. The valley was covered by many wildflowers.

Wild Flowers on McClures Beach Trail, Point Reyes
Wild Flowers on McClures Beach Trail, Point Reyes
McClures Beach, Point Reyes
McClures Beach, Point Reyes

Returned to Tomales Point Trailhead, we started hiking to the north. Tomales Point Trail is about 10-mile round trip that leads to the Tomales Point. The trail of the first a couple of miles is almost flat and very easy to walk. The wildflowers are blooming along the trail. In terms of the size and variety of flowers, it’s not as good as Mt. Rainier, but close.

Tomales Point Trailhead, Point Reyes
Tomales Point Trailhead, Point Reyes
Wild Flowers along Tomales Point Trail, Point Reyes
Wild Flowers along Tomales Point Trail, Point Reyes
Look back at McClures Beach from Tomales Point Trailhead, Point Reyes
Look back at McClures Beach from Tomales Point Trailhead, Point Reyes
Overlook Tomales Point, Point Reyes
Overlook Tomales Point, Point Reyes

We walked about 1 mile and returned to our car. It took about 1 hour to get back to the hotel. Only 20 minutes away from San Francisco, we wanted to have dinner at a good Chinese restaurant in the city. Chili House seemed to be a good option. They claim the chef has served two Chinese presidents. We waited until 8:30pm to avoid traffic and crowd. The food is OK, we were not super impressed, but the good thing is they were not too salty.

川流不息 - Chili House, San Francisco
川流不息 - Chili House, San Francisco

The last day morning, after checking out of the hotel, we drove over to China Camp State Park. The park is located at San Rafael. It offers both hill side hiking options and open view of San Rafael Bay.

China Camp State Park, San Rafael
China Camp State Park, San Rafael
San Rafael
San Rafael

Driving south on 101 for 5 miles, we took another diversion to exit at Tiburon Blvd. (Route 131) towards the bay. Town of Tiburon is directly facing Sausalito across Richardson Bay. There is a long boardwalk along the coastline. The view of the bay and the Golden Gate Bridge was wonderful. We have never been to Tiburon before but it could very much be our next excursion destination.

Overlook Richardson Bay and Golden Gate Bridge from Tiburon\'s Boardwalk
Overlook Richardson Bay and Golden Gate Bridge from Tiburon\'s Boardwalk
Richardson Bay and the boardwalk, Tiburon
Richardson Bay and the boardwalk, Tiburon
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You’ve Got Mail in Retrospect

Some movies just got unbelievable amount of air time in cable TV. The Shawshank Redemption, A Few Good Man. You will be surprised if you don’t see them at least once a week. You’ve Got Mail is another one. It’s a 1998 movie. It’s interesting to see how fast that technology has been evolving and changed our lives in this 16 years. Not only the day that meeting strangers in email has been long gone, but many bookstore chains themselves have gone out of business, the rest are struggling too. Maybe one day, small book shops focusing on vertical market will become a more attractive model again.

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