R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 143

Fun Photo Friday — Bora Bora favorites Part 2

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Bora Bora Blues

Today’s Fun Photo Friday concludes our look at Bora Bora.  Next week we move on to Mo’orea.

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Bora Bora

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In Flight

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Maohi Nui

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Patrick

Filed under: Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation Tagged: Bora Bora, Crown Princess, cruise vacation, Fun Photo Friday, Maohi Nui, photography, R. Doug Wicker, South Pacific, travel, travel photography, vacation

Port 7 Bora Bora — An excursion to Bloody Mary’s

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World Famous Bloody Mary’s Bar, Restaurant, & Yacht Club

As we headed back to the dock where we would tender back to the Crown Princess, Patrick presented to us one last option.  Those who wanted to go back to the ship immediately could disembark from his outrigger in Nūnu’e.  Those who wanted instead to visit the “World Famous” Bloody Mary’s Bar, Restaurant, & Yacht Club could opt to travel across Pofai Bay, exit the outrigger, say our goodbyes, and make our way back into Nūnu’e by taxi to c...

Port 7 Bora Bora — Lunch after Snorkling

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Lagoon Lunch Landing

The Maohi Nui -day tour lasts about five hours.  It includes two snorkeling stops with a Polynesian feast between snorkeling areas.  The feast is traditionally prepared in an in-ground “oven” of heated lava rock covered by banana leaves and a suspiciously untraditional-looking synthetic oilskin tarp.

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Patrick checks the Polynesian “Oven”

We’ll take a look at the goodies inside that oven shortly, but first a brief word on our snorkeling adventures this outing.  Our pre-lunc...

Fun Photo Friday — Bora Bora favorites Part 1

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Patrick showing off

I told you on Wednesday that Patrick was a bit of an exhibitionist, and above you can see the proof.  Now for some Bora Bora Fun Photo Friday Favorites (more next week, as well as a Polynesian lunch):

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Anchored

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Bora Bora blue

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Bora Bora lagoon

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Maohi Nui outrigger

Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation Tagged: Bora Bora, Crown Princess, cruise vacation, Fun Photo Friday, Maohi Nui, photography, R. Doug Wicker, South Pacific, travel, travel...

Port 7 Bora Bora — Outrigger Travel

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Bora Bora

I simply cannot recommend highly enough the magnificent folks at Maohi Nui and their lunch and lagoon snorkeling tour.  It was simply a fantastic way to spend our time here on Bora Bora.  Below you see Ursula posing with our outrigger guide, the flamboyant and exhibitionist (more on that later during this week’s Fun Photo Friday) Patrick.

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Patrick smoozing with Ursula

Our large tour group split among several Maohi Nui watercraft.  Two groups, including Ursula and I, opted for the mor...

Port 7 Bora Bora — Maohi Nui Tour

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Bora Bora

The Crown Princess departed American Samoa on Saturday, October 31, 2015.  We sailed for two full days at sea before arriving at our next destination, the island of Bora Bora, Society Islands, French Polynesia.

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Crown Princess tender in Bora Bora

The sky was cloudy, but that didn’t dampen our spirits.  Despite the gray sky the fog shrouded peaks offered some extraordinary views.

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Bora Bora

Ursula had prearranged our next adventure here, and so we set out to meet our next tour guide fo...

Fun Photo Friday — American Samoa Favorites

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American Samoa

Click on any image below to bring up today’s Fun Photo Friday slide show:

Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation Tagged: American Samoa, Crown Princess, cruise vacation, Faratoga, Fun Photo Friday, Pago Pago, photography, R. Doug Wicker, South Pacific, travel, travel photography, vacation

Port 6 Pago Pago — The Samoa Flying Fox

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What kind of fruit is that . . . ?

Those aren’t fruit you see hanging from that tree above.  Those are a species of megabat known as the Samoa flying fox.  These monster fruit bats may to huge in size, but they’re diminutive in weight.  The wingspan can reach nearly 3 feet/.86 meters, but they way only about a pound/450 grams.  Believe it or not, these guys are classified as only “medium” in size.  Larger species of megabats may reach 5.6 feet/1.7 meters and weigh up to 2.6/1.2 kilograms.  Th...

Port 6 Pago Pago — Docking at Fagatogo

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Pago Pago Harbor

Despite the warm waters that forced the Crown Princess to slow on the journey from Hawai’i to Samoa, we had no problem making the 78 miles/125 kilometers (as the flying fox flies) from Apia, Samoa to neighboring Pago Pago, American Samoa.  Of course, this short trip also required us to travel back into time, as we once again crossed the International Date Line separating the two island groups.

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Crown Princess docked at Fagatogo — port area for Pago Pago

Ursula, Al and Lisa Fit...

Fun Photo Friday — Apia Favorites

Tatoos

Click on any image below to bring up today’s Fun Photo Friday gallery and activate the slide show:

Filed under: Fun Photo Friday, Photography, R. Doug Wicker, travel, vacation Tagged: Apia, Crown Princess, cruise vacation, Fun Photo Friday, photography, R. Doug Wicker, Samoa, South Pacific, travel, travel photography, vacation