Holiday Cruise - FINAL POST

Greetings from Huahine,

This is a yet another gorgeous island in the French Polynesians.  It is quite amazing how lush and dense the flora of these islands are.  From the water side coconut palms to the tall, graceful canopy trees that shelter the jungle floor, the deep greens of the landscape with the occasional outcropping of dark red cliffs is awe-inspiring.

We did not get off the ship at Huahine, opting instead for a leisurely day sitting on our balcony and packing for our travels home.  Originally we had one more tour of snorkeling with the sharks and manta rays and browsing the coral reefs and mingling with the reef fish, but we had already named them all and fed most of them.

We have had such a marvelously relaxing and fun holiday.  The food has been the best we have ever experienced.  The people we have met have been lovely and we hope to keep in touch with many of them.  The places we have visited, many of which we have seen before but many which proved to be exciting new discoveries, have been a real treat.  For me, one of the constant highlights is that I get to visit this part of God’s creation with my partner of 51 years and best friend, Vicki.  It would not be the same without her.

So in sixteen hours we will be back in Texas and home on Possum Kingdom Lake, another one of our favorite spots in the world.  So until next time, we hope you have all enjoyed traveling along with us and we send our love to you along with all of God’s Blessings for a Happy 2020!

Jud and Vicki

Holiday Cruise XVII

So we are finally off the ship. It was an amazing cruise and I hope all of you who have been following along enjoyed sharing our adventure.  I will send a final post on Huahine next time but for now I wanted to share this.  We are staying in Papeete because we could not get a flight out (I booked this back in March) the day we left the ship.  So we are staying two and a half nights (later) and flying out on a 11:59PM Quantas Airlines flight, operated by Tahiti Airlines, who delegated it to Tahiti Nui bi-plane service.  I guess if they fly out one minute to MIDNIGHT, people won't notice that it is the darkest hour.  

We are staying at a resort that is five minutes from the airport, the Intercontinental Tahiti.  I was thinkin' it's gonna be maybe an upgraded airport hotel.  Oh Contrare Mon Ami.  Below are two views off the lobby over the pool and the rest are views taken from our very "private" balcony. How many people get to watch the sunset over that scene from a lounge chair.  This is the reason we feel so blessed and fortunate to have been given the opportunity to experience this part of the world in all of its beauty and wonder.  We hope you have enjoyed coming along.

God Bless you all,

Jud and Vicki

Holiday Cruise XVI and a half

Here are some more photos of Raiatea.  Check out that water color.  Amazing.  Jud and Vicki

Holiday Cruise XVI

Greetings from Raiatea,

Some people think this is one of the most beautiful of all the Society Islands and a strong case can be made.  It is the second largest island in French Polynesia and is approximately 120 miles northwest of Tahiti.  I know we were gobstruck by the water which so incredibly gorgeous, as you will see below.

 

We took a catamaran tour to the sister island of Taaha, visited a Pearl Farm and a Vanilla Plantation and stopped at a small private Motu (small island) for a fruit snack and some wading in the crystal clear waters.

For the Polynesian “Maohi”, ancestor of today’s Tahitian, Raiatea was known as the “Sacred Havai’i” and was the center of royalty, religion, culture and history.  This center is complemented by a wealth of archaeological sites, tropical scenery and reef fringed lagoons.

Remember to check “OLDER POST” so you don’t miss anything as I will send photos in two separate posts .

Until next time, God Bless you all.

Jud and Vicki

Holiday Cruise XV 1/2

More Photos from Bora Bora.

We stopped at a private Motu for a fabulous Tahitian lunch, fed hundreds of fish swimming at our feet and large manta rays who loved the plantins and beef tips.  Next up Raiatea.  Stay tuned.

Jud and Vicki

PS - Oh, the first picture is of our captain, Ramon, and the other photo is just another passenger, Cindy, on our tour who is a law student at the University of Washington.  Nice young lady.

Holiday Cruise XV

Greetings from Bora Bora,

This is our second visit to Bora Bora on this voyage and it was well worth a second look.  The weather, while still not ideal, was much better and it reinforced to us why this is one of the most beautiful of all the Society Islands.

 

We overnighted in this port, allowing us to go on a six-hour-long catamaran ride and snorkeling tour where we visited the Coral Gardens, a vast area of gorgeous coral reef.  The fish were more amazing than any we have seen on such an adventure.  We swam with the black-tipped reef sharks, which were bigger than any we have seen at 5’ to 7’ in length and more plentiful.  You can see them in a brief feeding frenzy when our captain threw chum overboard.  Awesome.  The manta rays were huge and friendly as well.

The water was warm, clear and the colors were surreal.  I hope you enjoy the photos which I will share in two different posts.  Keep checking back.

We are off to Raiatea next, but that will be in a subsequent post I will offer up later today.  Remember to check “OLDER POSTS” so you don’t miss any of the beauty of this part of God’s creation.

Until next time, God Bless you all.

Jud and Vicki