Day 259, Year 1: Here in Bora Bora
Date: Monday, July 3, 2006
Weather: Another Beautiful Sunny Day in Paradise
Location: Bora Bora (Society Islands, French Polynesia)

Here we are in Bora Bora. This is one of those places that we have thought of as a landmark destination and it is almost unbelievable to us that we are here. We are so thankful to be enjoying this part of the world with Lee and Mary Ellen. It really made the arrival here even more special.

We made plans last night to get me to the hospital for blood testing, to get the groceries bought, and to get the boat filled with water as soon as possible this morning. Around 0730 Lee and Mary Ellen went across the street from the dock to the hospital to get a wheelchair to transport me to the hospital. Mark wheeled me to the hospital and we tried our best to convey information to the staff, even though no one spoke English. All I needed was a blood test to make sure that the blood thinner the doctor in Papeete prescribed was doing its job. We felt like we got the message across, and then I told Mark to leave me and go back to the boat . The testing was done fairly quickly and then I waited in the outside ER waiting room to get the results. By 10:00 AM, I had the results and the go ahead to leave for Bora Bora. I will return to Raiatea next week for x-rays, but at least at this point, all is well.

While I was at the hospital, Lee and Mary Ellen did the grocery shopping and then Lee and Mark hauled water to fill the tanks. Yesterday when we arrived at the town dock in Uturoa, we were the only boat on the dock except for one other charter boat. By this morning, the dock was crowded with boats and there was no way to move close enough to the fresh water outlet to use a hose, so hauling water one jerry can at a time was the only option. By 1100 we were on our way out of Uturoa. We crossed the lagoon to Tahaa passing pearl farms on the way, and then exited the lagoon on the west side of Tahaa and headed for Bora Bora. By 4:30 PM we were at anchor in the southwest lagoon here in Bora Bora. The water is crystal clear and the view of the mountains is beautiful. As soon as we were anchored, Lee, Mary Ellen, and Mark were overboard swimming in the turquoise water.

We decided that we had to visit Bloody Mary’s tonight. This is a famous bar and restaurant very close to where we are anchored. They have a great place to dock, but unfortunately for me, the walk to the restaurant is a long one. I made it into the restaurant, but had to literally crawl up the steps to get inside. I’m sure many crawl out of the establishment, but I think I might be the first to crawl in. We all had a Bloody Mary and enjoyed talking with Kathy and Jerry from the sailing vessel Poo’ina Roa. We have heard them on the radio many times, but this was our first face to face meeting.

It was a good day and it is so exciting to be here in Bora Bora. We have a lot of exploring to do tomorrow and will report on that in tomorrow’s log.

060703 Day 259 Society Islands, Bora Bora–Raitea to Bora Bora