...All is possible...

To say Bora Bora is beautiful would be a gross understatement of the truth...

Bora Bora is exquisite.

To have spent any time in this remote, untamed part of the world, I feel like a newly enlisted member of an elite group of individuals who have glimpsed Eden and wish never to return to Earth.

This morning, anticipating the sunrise, we woke before 6am, laying in bed waiting for God's morning spectacular.... I can tell you, we did not wait in vain. The sun here is an altogether different being than the one most of us know at home. Here, she takes her time, rising up out of the water, over neighboring mountainous islands, shaking the ink of night out of her hair, spreading her generous arms, greeting those awaiting her in breathless anticipation with a glowing kiss of heat.

I can only imagine life awakening to meet her every morning, stretching and smiling and thanking her for all the joy she brings. The days are short here, with the sun rising around 6:30am and setting close to 5:30pm, so we must do all we can to spend every waking moment together.

Matt and I headed to breakfast this morning, all the while marveling at the beauty surrounding us, wondering if our pictures would even begin to do it justice. I like to think we had a typical French breakfast... croissant, cheese, egg, fruit and juice...not to mention the vast quantities of Nutella...

We rushed back to the room for bathing suits, towels, books and sunscreen, proceeded to the beach and...just...sat. Typically, Sundays on the island are a day of relaxation and reflection. French Polynesians are a religious people who do not work or open shops (not even for tourists!) on Sundays. Boats do not leave the mainland for any of the surrounding islands, so where you are is where you are until Monday morning.

Sitting on the beach, marveling yet again at all that surrounds us, is all we need in this week of life. Plans today are few and far between....sunning on the sand, swimming in the ocean, swimming in the oceanside pool....sunning on the sand....

The overwater bungalows the lucky few of us occupy sit only in roughly 2' of sea. Each has a 2'x2' square hole cut into the floor, surrounded by a cube of glass, the top of which slides off to allow residents to feed the various types of fish that swim below. The owners of the hotel managed to convince the island officials to allow implementation of a faux coral reef system to be installed underneath the bungalows, as well as a coral nursery nestled in the middle of the boardwalks connecting the bungalows. Dual purposed, the reef system provides a safe area for snorkeling and allows the introduction of new fish species into the area. It's also just plain fun to induce a feeding frenzy via bits of bread through a hole in the floor :o)

Matt and I took snorkeling gear and explored the water beneath many of the bungalows, including our own, as well as the coral nursery. Twenty feet or so out the back of our bungalow, the water turns from a crystal clear aqua to a rather menacing, but still incredibly beautiful, velvety dark blue. Neither Matt or I were brave enough today to explore much farther than the aqua waters, but curiosity won and we decided to brave the inky depths in the morning...

Sitting in the bar/lounge area on the second floor of the main building, rain falls, rushing through the top layer of palms to the earth. The sound of rain on the thatched roof of the open air building is enough to coax one to sleep on this lazy Tahitian afternoon... Susan and Matt are playing pool in the center of the room; beyond them lies the tangled jungle of palms and vegetation. The sun never ceases to shine, even through the burst of rain. Almost as soon as it begins, the rain passes, leaving a damp, humid, glistening scene in its wake. Birds take up in song and the freshly washed vegetation outside sparkles with renewed fervor.

As much as I thought it would be a crime to spend a single unnecessary moment indoors (ie: aside from sleeping, which, in truth, could be done outdoors...), it's still as though we're communing with nature, for the vast majority of buildings here have no glass in the windows, providing a direct path to nature beyond the walls. We noticed that a hush had settled over the world around us; birds stopped singing and the murmur of voices below us had all but disappeared....soon enough, another burst of rain crashed through the trees, and we decided to wait it out during lunch, but by the time we arrived, the rains were gone.

We had lunch at the Polynesian equivalent of a cafe, fixed between the pool and beach. Between the three of us, we shared a round of fresh tuna with sliced cucumber and carrots in a lime/coconut milk sauce. It was so delicious, we all vowed to order only that for lunch tomorrow! Not that everything else we ordered wasn't perfection...there's just something to be said for tuna sashimi in coconut milk. I also had smoked salmon on toast; Matt had a seared red tuna salad and Polynesian pizza; Susie was smart and stuck with greek salad and tuna.

After lunch (and more ray-soaking-uppage), Matt and I ventured out on foot through the shallow waters, past the farthest bungalow, towards the small islands that make up the atoll surrounding the main island.....We didn't make it, unfortunately... Instead, we found a coconut and decided to wrestle it open on the rocks near the beach. Matt did an amazing job of pounding the hapless fruit onto the rocks and, not too soon after, we were drinking the remainder of the coconut water (that hadn't leaked into the sea) and nibbling on the fleshy insides.

Wanting to go further out into the water, we borrowed paddles and life jackets from the activity desk, threw 2 kayaks into the water, and paddled out towards the horizon... It wasn't long until, instead of paying attention to nature, we were laughing and splashing each other and trying to hitch rides on each others kayaks, which Matt was able to do the longest.

Not wanting to miss what we heard to be glorious sunsets, we paddled back to shore and headed back to the bungalow to watch the show from our back deck. There is no rushing in Bora Bora.... even the sun knows this, taking all the time she needed to dip and wink at us while she slid behind the palms and into oblivion... jusqu'a demain, l'soleil.....

Three showers, 2 relaxing hours and one nap later, we headed out to dinner at the resort. Seated outside on the patio, we have a perfect view of the moon and tiki torches burning and reflecting on the ocean. As always, the food was perfection.... Susan ordered pumpkin soup and a fresh tuna plate. I also decided on pumpkin soup, as well as a fresh salmon and mahi mahi carpaccaio. Matt went with fresh tagliatelle pasta and sea scallops in a white truffle cream sauce.

Stuffed to the gills (no pun intended!) and sleepy from the sun, food and activity, we return to our bungalow to rest our eyes and bodies for another fantastical day in paradise... All is possible...

A bientot, mes amis!