Our three days on Bora Bora would pass much to fast and soon it would be time to leave for our last adventure on the island of Tahiti. It was not something Anne and I looked forward to as we had found perfection on Bora Bora. There are lots of memories for us from Bora Bora. Some we have already shared with you and a few yet to come. When you close your eyes and dream of a South Pacific island I'd be willing to bet that some of the visions you have are of the island bathed in the dwindling light of a beautiful sunset. I, too, share those visions of a romantic island covered in the warms hues of the Sun's rays as it begins its journey into night. Unfortunately, on this trip, those really beautiful sunsets were not to be. For one thing the hotels, for the most part, where situated on the wrong side of the island for photographing sunsets. On every island except Tahiti the Sun set behind us on the other side of the island which kept me from getting some spectacular sunset photos. There was one last chance on Bora Bora to capture that beautiful sunset ... through the hotel Anne and I signed up for a sunset sail aboard a catamaran. I hoped to get that one great picture of a beautiful sunset with the twin peaks of Bora Bora silhouetted against a beautiful sky. When the appointed hour arrived, Anne and I proceeded to the dock and watched as the sailboat approached and docked. I had this brainy idea to leave our shoes at the room figuring we wouldn't need them aboard the boat. Wrong! I had made this decision based on the week we spent aboard the trimaran in the British Virgin Islands several years ago. A trimaran has a deck that is easy to walk on. Not this catamaran. This catamaran had two hulls and a single brace connecting the two hulls in the center. The rest of the area was nothing but the rope mesh which was very difficult to walk on with your bare feet. It made it very difficult to maneuver around while on board to take pictures, but I managed. Net time I'll bring my shoes.

We left the dock and began proceeded to another hotel to pick up a couple of others for the cruise. Soon after we were headed out to the open lagoon for our sunset sail. I was hoping against all odds that I would get that beautiful sunset shot with the twin peaks in the background, but that was not to be. The photo at right is the closest I got to capturing that dream and, as you can see, that wasn't very close. Our position and the position of the twin peaks relative to the setting Sun would have required that we sail quite a distance to put the peaks between me and the Sun. Unfortunately I had to settle for just a nice sunset and not a spectacular one. Still the cruise was enjoyable. It's always nice to get out on the ocean and let the ocean breeze run through your hair and smell the aroma of the salt water. What could be better?

The Sun beginning its journey to tomorrow.

Anne enjoying the sunset cruise. A flower in her hair, a smile on her face and my other camera in her hand. What more could she ask for?

A passing sailboat at sunset.

The setting Sun.

Anne and I at sunset.

For the most parts, as I've already indicated, the sunsets were not that spectacular in French Polynesia. Oh, don't get me wrong, they were beautiful, but they weren't the kind you dream about. Having been disappointed so many times by the sunsets because of our not being in the right position we decided to take the bull by the horns and rectify the situation. Actually Anne made the decision. If we couldn't get a good sunset picture then we'd just have to settle for a sunrise. On our final night on Bora Bora Anne set the alarm clock so she could awaken me and I could take a sunrise photo. I don't know how she knew, but she set the alarm clock perfectly. She woke me, roused me out of the bed to grope for my camera and I proceeded outside. Pal was sleeping at the door so I stepped over him to find an absolutely magnificent sunrise. This one picture makes up for all the disappointing sunsets.

 

Yes, I know these two pictures are almost identical. They were taken within seconds of each other. But, look at the difference those few seconds made. Capturing this one moment made the whole experience worth while. And, yes, I did manage to go back to sleep.

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