Stunning. Serene. Remote. Lush. Turquoise. The shades and hues of the lagoon surrounding Bora Bora are surreal. Sitting by the side of the ocean or riding on a boat, the colors are mesmerizing. It is like gazing into the soul of the ocean itself. Many questions in life have been answered by silently gazing into the depths of this creation.

The island’s turquoise lagoon is massive — three times the size of the main island itself. There is only one reason to come here, and that is to hide away from the world. In fact, the outside world feels banned from entering this serene bubble in the South Pacific. Bora Bora is known for its soft white-sand beaches, crystal-clear waters teeming with colorful fish, towering jungle-covered volcanoes, sapphire blue skies, and seclusion. The perfect nest for a couple of honeymooners — newlyweds or, like us, survivors of 20+ years together!

Bora Bora is a tropical island in French Polynesia (more commonly known as Tahiti), which is made up of 118 islands. These volcanic Society Islands, in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean, are halfway between Australia and the USA. Originally, the island was named Pora Pora, meaning “firstborn” to the original Polynesian settlers who inhabited it. The first Europeans to visit the island misheard the name and believed the natives had said Bora Bora, and so the name stuck.

One of the most expensive destinations in the world, we rationalized coming here because we were “in the neighborhood.” Bora Bora is actually a small island made up of three villages: Anau, Faanui, and Vaitape. Food prices were once again outrageous, but the fresh baguettes were fun. With a kitchen provided, I paid $13 for three heads of romaine lettuce from Australia and pieced together tasty meals. We only ate out once, and the price far exceeded the quality of our dinner. I did, however, find a once-in-a-lifetime vegan, chocolate-covered Magnum ice cream bar at a small corner store. I didn’t even know they made them, but on Bora Bora, dreams do come true!

There are fewer than 9,000 permanent residents. At only 29 sq km, the island is so small that there are no forms of public transit. If you plan to visit, be prepared to either walk or rent a car, taxi, bike, or two-seater buggy. Pearls are a big seller in French Polynesia, and Joseph enjoyed talking to several exclusive shops in the little shopping district. Staying for two weeks, it took some of my most creative researching to find places to stay. Our first place was a week-long private house of many colors, 10 feet from the shore. Our French landlord was a bit harsh-acting, like a sea urchin on legs, but the place was comfortable and the location excellent. On the second day, he brought over a large box of fresh fruit from his trees and seemed to take a liking to us. He invited us out on his boat to explore the lagoons and dropped us off three times on a private island to explore, hike, and snorkel for the day. The only condition was that we were not allowed to talk with the captain of the boat. Nema problema! Who needed conversation when we were surrounded by such jaw-dropping beauty? And the private island was amazing. We hiked, rested on the beach, and snorkeled for hours among a rainbow of tropical fish.

Yes, you heard me. I never stopped swimming in the clear, tropical turquoise waters. Even though I washed my leg carefully after each swim, I had the bad luck of enticing a new strain of flesh-eating staph infection into the wound. For a couple of days, I could literally watch the wound increase in size — munch, munch — then it got hot and throbbing. Not having had insurance for over 20 years, we were used to handling small health problems ourselves. We were very successful in making our healthy lifestyle all the medicine we needed. Once in a while, however, there is a place and time for medical help. Off I went in our landlord’s truck to see his doctor friend. I waited in a room full of overweight, baguette-eating locals with diabetes and various stages of wounds that wouldn’t heal — or who were healing from amputations. The doctor was expensive, brisk, and arrogant, but he obviously knew about staph infections. “Oh, that’s the bad one,” is all he said. Off I went to the pharmacy for a bomb-blast antibiotic costing over $100, plus proper ointment and dressings. After a couple of days, the staph stopped eating my leg and I knew I would be okay. Having a healthy constitution and vegan diet pays off. I did go back into the water a couple of times because “the water made me do it!” Alluring and addictive, it tempted and lured me with the promise of seeing one more unique fish or bright coral, in a bath of crystal-clear turquoise elixir.

At the airport on the way home, we met a man about 45 who had been snorkeling, showered, and caught his plane for the 27-hour trip home. His leg started throbbing and he got feverish. Partway home, he almost fainted. By the time he disembarked, he was rushed to Emergency, where they amputated his leg in an effort to save his life. It seems he got an infection from a coral cut and didn’t notice it until it was too late. He now has a prosthesis and is thankful they could save his life.

If you have followed our adventures to all corners of the globe, you will realize we have slept in hammocks, in hotels without toilets, in yurts, in tree houses, on concrete floors, in train stations, in brothels, and in tents. Also in penthouses, palaces, and six-star resorts. So why not add a Bora Bora overwater bungalow to the list? I started looking at prices. Starting at $1,200 a night, I was shocked. I needed to work the angles, discounts, promos, and mileage on this one. Booking only two weeks ahead, we scored a cancelled luxury bungalow valued at $2,000 a night — the same overwater bungalow at the InterContinental Bora Bora where the Kardashians had stayed. My question was: What, or who, are the Kardashians? When you travel to remote regions of the planet for 20+ years, you lose touch with glam culture, fads, flash-in-the-pan actors, movies, and television. A word or trend that is commonplace to most people in the West has absolutely no meaning to these nomads. My best guess was that they were an alien race from Star Trek. After a Google search, I concluded that I was not far off.

Joseph stayed in mainly 5 star hotels during his business career, but the remoteness of our destinations while on this global adventure found us in very basic places at times.  We were lucky to have a bed, a pillow, or a toilet, let alone be asked, “Which hardness of pillow would you each prefer?  We have 6 options”.  In fact, the last over-water room that we stayed in, the hole in the floor was not for viewing the fish below.

The stay was luxurious, to say the least. The unit was beautifully designed and the staff very attentive. The main feature was our living room coffee table, which doubled as an underwater viewing glass. We went for a swim off the balcony, then sipped champagne while watching colorful fish swim below the bungalow. It was a page out of a fairytale; variety in our spicy life!

Love, Light & Laughter, 

xo  Nancy & Joseph

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