BORA BORA, TAHITI

                         Small but Gorgeous Island
       It was a beautiful sunny day as we approached Bora Bora. I was taking pictures just as the sun was peeking over the low part of the island.

      Bora Bora means first born and in this part of the world is pronounced Pora Pora as there is no ‘B’ sound in Polynesian. Capt. Cook sighted Bora Bora in 1769 on his first voyage. Bora Bora refused to accept French sovereignty when Tahiti became a protectorate in 1842 and remained independent until France annexed it in 1888. Her last queen died on Tahiti in 1932.

     The main island is 6 X 3 miles and is surrounded by coral islets. Two smaller islands are separated on the west by a channel. The east side of the island is barren. The fertile west side’s main crops are vanilla and copra. Tourism is also a major industry. The population is 4500.

     The interior of the island has slopes, hills, cliffs, and U shaped mountains with deep gorges that are covered with native vegetation. Captain Cook named the islands the Society because of their close proximity to each other. It is home to 400 species of native flowering plants including more than a dozen orchid varieties.

      On the island we had our first ride in the colorful les truck for 22 mile ride around the island. Our les truck was even decorated with live hibiscus and the poles of the open air vehicle were wrapped with palm fronds accented with torch ginger. The island is incredibly beautiful. Every turn in the road afforded us a photo op. The flora was abundant and colorful, truly a picture I doubt any artist could ever capture.

      Our local guide/driver told us, “The island has one physician, one pharmacy, and one hospital—clinic really as it is only able to handle minor problems.”

     As on the island of Tahiti the population inhabits the perimeter of the island with the little houses for their French bread at roadside. The bread baked by Tahitians is delivered by Chinese---real community spirit.

     We made many stops along the way not only for photos but also to learn about the culture. We ate tiny thumb size bananas, which were very sweet and sampled fresh taro and poke, an island tapioca and papaya pudding. There are no public cemeteries. Relatives are buried in yards.

There are more than 40 coral slabs from ancient open-air temples called marae. These temples were built by Bora Bora’s ancient native population. The turtle stone, a petroglyph representing several turtles, is another ancient relic. We  had fun feeding some big hermit crabs.

During World War II Bora Bora was home to 6000 men stationed at naval and air bases. The word tabu originated when some of the men left behind about 200 blue/green eyed blond babies.

Near the base is a reef where an abundance of friendly and curious moray eels live. There are certain areas where the eels are hand fed regularly. Tahiti has no dangerous animals, no snakes or scorpions. The most pesky insect is the mosquito.

We saw the hotel cabana where Jack Nicholson stayed when he was in the islands and the huge house Marlon Brando built for his Tahitian wife. The manicured yard was beautiful but very American rather than ‘island’. The view was magnificent.

In 1991 a cyclone destroyed the Club Med plus a few other structures. Club Med rebuilt. The southeast side of the island has beautiful long white beaches. Bora Bora is truly picturesque.

TAHITI, the ISLAND

     The airport in Fasa is 6 kilometers from Papeete which  means basket of water. Tahiti is 2790 miles from Honolulu and 4000 miles from Los Angles. The island  is the largest of the 118 islands and atolls making up the Society Islands. The fourteen islands have a land mass of 636 square miles. Tahiti’s land mass is 402 square miles. Tahiti is both the country and an island and the island is 35 miles long, shaped like an hourglass with two distinct and extinct volcanoes connected by a narrow isthmus.

     Tahiti is part of French Polynesia (meaning many islands). The island’s population is 130,000 and the population of all of French Polynesia is 230,000. Papeete is the main shipping and distribution center of Tahiti. The port facilities were expanded in the 1960’s. Between 1962-64 nearly 35 acres of land was reclaimed at the northern end of the harbor and is now an industrial and military area.   

      Polynesia geographically is the largest of the Pacific’s culture areas and distances between island groups is great. Polynesia lies mostly below the equator and includes the Hawaiian, Cook, Society, and Easter Islands as well as Samoa, Tonga, and the Marquesas. Fiji is borderline between Polynesia and Melanesia.

      Moorea, 16 miles across the bay, has a land mass of 50 square miles. Nine of the Tahiti’s islands are volcanic and five are atolls. Mt. Orohena towers 7321 feet above sea level and is Tahiti’s highest point. Mt.Tohivea on Moorea is 3975 feet.

      Papeete’s streets were crowded with sport cars, motor bikes and the island’s cheap, public, picturesque transport, les truck.

      Many of the Society Islands as well as Rarotonga in the Cook Islands are high volcanic islands. Volcanic islands are usually surrounded by fringing reefs varying from a few to several hundred yards from the shoreline. These areas most often offer good fishing and the fringing reefs are essentials for the formation of coral atolls.

      Shallow, clear, warm salt water allow both coral and calcareous algae to thrive and eventually build a reef. The coral can reach extreme depths. In the 1950’s holes were drilled to a depth of 4222 and 4600 feet through the coral on Enewetak in the northern Marshall Islands.

      Tahiti’s islands are divided into two groups; the five windward islands include Tahiti and Moorea, the nine leeward islands include Bora Bora. French Polynesia is the farthest East of all the South Pacific Islands. The climate is warm all year and being consistent makes it an anytime paradise.

      Indigenous Polynesians represent 70% of the population, those of French extraction 15%, mixed Polynesians and French 8%, and Chinese 7%. One half of the population is Protestant. The French are mostly Catholic. Education is compulsory until age 14 and is free in small neighborhood government schools.

      The main islands of Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora have one road around the perimeter of the island. There are no roads over the mountains. The thatched roofs last about 8-10 years. I noted many metal roofs which of course last much longer. The houses were small and almost without exception on the mountain side of the road. The road tends to follow the coastline and there is very little land between the road and the water. The houses are often strung out side by side in a single row, and not clustered together, as again there is not a lot of land at the base of the mountains. The mail boxes along the side of the road are for the daily delivery of French bread, not mail. The north shore has a cold current, therefore very little coral and is good surfing with good waves. Small concrete markers are every kilometer along the road and the number indicates  how many kilometers it is from the court house in town, making finding addresses easy.

TAHITI HISTORY

       In 1767 Samuel Wallis discovered Tahiti and claimed it for England. The next year, unaware of Wall Louis-Antoine de Bougainville claimed Tahiti for France. For years Tahiti remained a pawn in the struggle for power in the Pacific between these two countries.  Captain Cook visited the islands in 1769, 1773, 1774, and 1777. He charted and wrote about the islands.

      By the early 1800’s Tahiti enjoyed an active trade in salt pork, copra, pearls, and sandalwood. By the end of the nineteen century all islands currently making up French Polynesia had been annexed by France and was governed by her until 1957 when it became a territorire d’ outré-mer with a governor in Papeete, and a council and territorial assembly elected in five constituencies.

      In 1977 France granted partial internal self-government. Now French Polynesia is an autonomous Territory of the French Republic having two elected members in the French National Assembly, one in the Senate, and one representative in the European Parliament.

      The French government appoints a High Commissioner who takes care of matters relating to the Territory defense, foreign policy, law and order, and communications. The president of the Territorial Government is elected by the 41 member Territorial Assembly. He has control of international affairs as it affects French Polynesia.

      The Territorial Assembly has financial autonomy and legislative authority within the Territory. Local government is conducted by municipalities

      Between 1975-1989 the French conducted 110 underground nuclear tests in the Territory. Because of great worldwide controversy and protests, the French declared in 1992 all testing be suspended. Due to the loss of jobs and the effect on the local economy France compensated the Territory with 7 billion francs.

      In 1993 the Territorial Assembly formulated an economic, social, and cultural plan to diversify the economy, thus reducing its dependence on France. France gave 26 billion francs for the implementation of these plans over a five-year period.

      Until 1960 the main economy was agricultural. The nuclear testing changed that. Tourism became an important industry. The workforce has been drawn away from agriculture and fishing to work in a variety of service jobs, an industry which employs 70% of the working population.

      Coconut in the form of coconut oil is a major export. The vanilla industry is declining. Coffee, vegetables and fruit are grown for domestic consumption, as are cattle, horses, pigs, goats, and sheep. Needless to say construction is a booming industry. Cultured black pearls are a big export item. The territory is increasingly dependent on imports, 50% of which come from France.

COSTA RICAN TRIVIA

A typical Costa Rican breakfast includes rice, black beans, scrambled eggs, and toast or tortillas as well as wonderful fresh squeezed fruit juices.

The national drink is Guaro, a rum made from sugar cane. It is marketed as Guaro Cacique. It was available at lunch one day for us to try. It was a little sweeter than the sugarcane drink I had in Cuba a few years later.

Cassava is a root, I suspect related to the potato family, and is a starchy vegetable. The top foliage grows about five feet tall. We had it during our stay diced in a salad, and also cut in 2-inch chunks mixed with other vegetables. At first I thought it was cooked celery when served that way.  It is a staple of the local diet.

The national tree of Costa Rica is the Guanacaste. Guanacaste means elephant ear and the seeds of the tree are big and look like an elephant’s ear.

Twice I’ve seen and stopped to see the tree where typically iguanas sleep and sun themselves           . They ignore the tourists who stop to look at them. We’re talking about pretty big animals here not little lizards. It is quite a surprise to see but I do not recall exactly where it is, although I have a great vision in my head of the tree and its unassuming surroundings.  

Leaf cutter ants are a lot of fun to watch. I’ve seen them several times in rain forests and am always mesmerized by them. The leaf pieces are much bigger than the little ants.  There was always a long trail of them. They carry the leaves to the nest, chew them up, but do not eat them. The chewed mess is medium for fungus to grow and they do eat the fungus.

It is not easy to remove dried mud after a mud bath. It takes some pretty hard scrubbing and one definitely needs help with the back. But your skin sure feels good when you are once again clean!

I spotted the following on a tee shirt in Costa Rica

            Only after the last tree has been cut         

            Only after the last river has been poisoned

            Only after the last fish has been caught         

            Only then will you find money cannot be eaten.

                                                                 Cree Indians, Canada

How often do you get a chance to drive through the country’s only tunnel and a bit later cross over the Continental Divide?  Can do it in Costa Rica. 

OR: take a hike in the rain forest after lunch? A pleasant respite at mid day! We were cautioned to stay on the path and offered walking sticks for the nice walk. We spotted an animal about the size of a small dog and were told it was an agouti.

The only mishap on my second visit to Costa Rica was the loss of an ear ring I had taken off and placed on a towel when I went in the pool at one of the hotels. Getting out of the pool without my glasses on I unthinking grabbed the towel and one ear ring tumbled to the ground through the deck planking. Lost forever but it was only a piece of travel costume jewelry so no need for tears. All good jewelry always stays home!

Costa Rican Historial Nature Sites

                                              COSTA RICA

        Every trip brings new adventures and even though it might be a second to trip to an area I can always learn and see something new, as was the case when I took my grandchildren to Costa Rica.

      The city of San Jose, established in 1737, is the capital of Costa Rica. Little of the colonial period survives today. Located in the fertile Central Valley, at 3-4000 feet above sea level, the climate is mild and spring-like all year. The city developed and grew around the coffee bean.  Avenues run east to west, and streets (calle) run north to south.          The large crowded city has all the problems that large cities with dense populations bring.  The city infrastructure is in disrepair in many places. Holes in sidewalks can be deep and are uncovered. One really must watch where he steps. Gutters are very deep and wide. It would be a tough city for anyone handicapped.    

      Costa Rica has seven provinces. One percent of the population is Indian. The culture on the Caribbean coast is quite different from the rest of the country as it has a greater African and Jamaican influence. There is no welfare system, nor nursing homes as families take care of their own. Only six of the 150 volcanoes are active.  Guanacaste is a large shade tree as well as an area/state in the country.

 We  walked across a 300-foot long swinging bridge spanning a flowing jungle river. The hiking trails were on the opposite side, however, we found the gate locked.

      On the way to the Carara Biological Reserve we crossed a river known for its crocodiles, and we saw several. The area is a nesting area for the scarlet macaw. We saw two flying. During the drive  we viewed the pretty Pacific coastline and the many African palm plantations. Our destination was Manuel Antonio National Park.

      There seemed to be several beaches that ran together. We hiked over a rocky dirt road for about twenty minutes to get to the beach. The sand was fine, light in color with specs of black. The clear warm water was turquoise blue and calm.  After a couple of hours suddenly a group of monkeys appeared at beach level. Several were carrying a baby on her back. They were playful and entertained us for some time. One woman sunning on the beach was surprised when a monkey approached her towel and stole a cracker from her package before scampering off to eat it. I think they were squirrel monkeys that are found in the lower tree areas and travel in groups, where the capuchins prefer the higher parts of the trees.

     The park and beach area, covering 1700 acres, is a critical habitat for many migratory birds from the UC and Canada. The area includes four beaches, which seemed to run all together, rainforest, islands, and bird sanctuaries

     On the walk from the beach, we took a smooth sandy path where we saw several different iguanas, a couple sloths, a pig, a deer, a new fawn and a raccoon.

     We had a wonderful few days in Tortoguero National Park which is accessible only by boat. There are no roads to or in the area. Tortoguero means region of turtles and it home to and the most important sponning and nesting grounds in the western hemisphere  for the endangered green turtle. The area is home to 111 species of reptiles, 60 species mammals, 309 birds and 57 amphibians.

     Our quarters were rustic and comfortable. The village has no roads, cars, sidewalks or shopping areas. For the nature lover it is well worth a visit for  at least a couple of days.

A little white water rating. At the Sarapiqui River a young gal instructed us on safety precautions in case anyone fell out of the raft. Then she fitted us to life jackets and helmets

After navigating several class II and III rapids, we stopped at a small beach pull out area where we climbed a small cliff and jumped off into the water to float back down river to the rafts. This was extremely hard for this old water safety and swim instructor, but after considerable self talk I held my helmet and glasses and jumped. Once was enough tho and I left repeat antics to the younger crowd.

After another seven miles down river we pulled off onto a sandy beach for lunch. The friendly guides flipped one of the rafts over and then set out a nice sandwich buffet lunch for us.

After a leisurely lunch and much animated conversation we took the van back to the hotel to change clothes for the afternoon visit to a rain forest preserve.