by Carolyn
It was thankfully overcast for our drive around the island.
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| Last night's star gazing was on the top of that small island. |
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| American's fortified Bora Bora in WWII, but the action never made it this far south |
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| Can you spot the collection of bungalows across the water? |
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| Outrigger canoe racing is the most popular sport. This young boy was probably 10 years old. |
Some trivia:
10,000 residents, 12,000 tourists, 6,000 dogs.
Bora Bora had the first runway in French Polynesia
Bora Bora had electricity in 1948, before Tahiti in 1961
The fastest growing thing on the island are bungalows
Water comes from underground aquifers and desalination
Hello: “Ia Orana”. Thank you: “maururu”. Goodbye: "Nana"
Official language: French, but English is common. Natives also speak Tahitian.
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| A Pareu is made using thin cotton cloth (from China). It is twisted and dipped into different dyes. |
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| Somehow, it comes out looking beautiful, not a muddy mess. |
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| Linoleum cut into shapes (flowers, fish, etc.) is placed on the wet cloth. As it drys in the hot sun, faded impressions are left on the fabric. |
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| Finished products |
French Polynesia is comprised of 118 islands (67 of which are inhabited) in six separate archipelagos. It is an overseas collectivity of the Republic of France. The largest and most populated island is Tahiti with 67% of the total population. Papeete is the capital of French Polynesia.
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| Tahitian gardenia, national flower of French Polynesia |
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| Tahitian gardenia |
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| Breadfruit |
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| Wild yellow hibiscus... |
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| ...changes colors throughout the day and is red by nightfall |
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| Passion flower grows wild |
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| Pandanus tree: leaves used for roofing material and fruit for making a potent local moonshine |
I used the afternoon to practice doing nothing.
