South Pacific

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" rowspan="2" width=210 BGCOLOR="#9999FF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03876ba3.gif"> <div> Cruising the South Pacific in style</div> <div> <IMG SRC="4ccaa710.jpg" border=0 width="170" height="113" ALT="Cruising the South Pacific" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Copyright (c) <FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Brush Script MT" >EL Travel Bugs</FONT></div> <div> <B>T</B><B>a</B><B>hiti, Moorea, Raiatea, Tahaa, and Bora Bora ~</B> <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFCC" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B>these islands due south of the equator from Hawaii, are all part of the "Society Islands", better known as the French Polynesia.</B></FONT></div> </td> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#99CCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03976bc1egdyqn.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#CC0000" FACE="Brush Script MT" ><B>EL Travel Bugs ~ Travel Tales & Photos</B></FONT><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#660066" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B> </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#660066" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B> </B></FONT><B> |   </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="EL Travel Bugs Travel Tales Photos"><U><B>HOME</B></U></A><B>  </B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#6600FF" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B> </B></FONT><A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><IMG SRC="6b41e1e0.gif" border=0 width="30" height="30" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id9.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Canary Islands"><U><B>Canary Islands</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id10.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Belize"><U><B>Belize</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><B>South Pacific</B><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Baltic Region"><U><B>Baltic Region</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="id68.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="South Africa"><U><B>South Africa</B></U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" height=390 colspan=2 BGCOLOR="#99CCFF" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="03976ba3.gif"> <div> <B>South Pacific</B></div> <div> <B>On this adventure, we selected to cruise through these beautiful</B></div> <div> <B>Polynesian islands on the </B><B>m/s Paul Gauguin of the Radisson Cruise Lines.</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#6633CC" FACE="Comic Sans MS" ><B> </B><B> </B></FONT></div> <div> <B>A</B><B>s you can imagine, just the names of these islands alone conjure</B></div> <div> <B>up turquoise waters, swaying palm trees, and exotic fruits and flowers.  </B></div> <bR> <div> <I><B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="437" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 162 WIDTH="270"><div> <B>Before the cruise began, we leisured at the beautiful Le Meridien Resort in Bora Bora for a few days of beachside R & R.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Our large and more than comfortable bungalows were situated out over the water, providing a glass floor aquarium as round-the-clock entertainment.</B><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#6633CC" FACE="Comic Sans MS" >  </FONT></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="55596640.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="100" ALT="South Pacific" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Bungalows at Sunset</div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></I></div> <div> <I><B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="453" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 141 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="55396640.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="100" ALT="South Pacific" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Bora Bora's famous peak</div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="266"><div> <B>With marvelous lagoons and crystal clear waters, Bora Bora is the oldest and most popular of the islands.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>An extinct volcano that is slowing sinking into the sea, there's only one passage through the reef for large ships. </B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></I></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="444" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 130 WIDTH="242"><div> <B>We enjoyed snorkeling among reef sharks and large stingrays ~ though the sharks kept their distance, the stingrays seemed to prefer the company as they swam through our legs and watched us with their quizzical eyes.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="55796610.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="97" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> Face-off of Stingrays & Snorklers</div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <I><B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="483" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 283 WIDTH="163"><div> <B>Our cruise started from Tahiti to the island of  Raiatea, </B><B>the religious center of worship for all of ancient Polynesia.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The temple remains of `Taputapuatea' was the home to the God Oro where natives from all over the South Pacific would come to worship. </B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="55996640.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Temple Taputapuatea</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="55b96640.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="141"><div> <B>By tradition, all other island temples had to be built with a stone from `Taputapuatea'.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Captain Cook was the first European to discover the island in July 1769.  </B><B>From Raiatea, Polynesians migrated to New Zealand, Hawaii, and the Easter Islands.</B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></I></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="430" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 224 WIDTH="167"><div> <IMG SRC="55d92640.jpg" border=0 width="146" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> The infamous `Noni' plant</div> <bR> <div> <B>Produces foul smelling juice, even though it is the latest of the American medical wonders... </B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div>  <IMG SRC="56166960.jpg" border=0 width="102" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Torch Ginger</div> <bR> <div> <B>Better tasting...</B></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="125"><div> <IMG SRC="56360960.jpg" border=0 width="96" height="150" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Vanilla Bean</div> <bR> <div> <B>Even better flavoring!</B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="455" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 151 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="56596640.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Pearl Farm on Taha'a</div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="136"><div> <B>On the island of Taha'a,  we visited</B><B> a pearl farm where oysters produce the indigenous black pearl that is much sought after all over the world.</B><FONT SIZE="4" COLOR="#6633CC" FACE="Comic Sans MS" > </FONT></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <B><IMG SRC="567966e0.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="110" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> Black Pearls for Sale</div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="463" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 163 WIDTH="131"><div> <B>Moorea</B><B> was the last island that we visited on our cruise ~ t</B><B>he phrase “saving the best for last” really came to mean everything here.</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#0000CC" FACE="Arial" ><B> </B></FONT></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="190"><div> <IMG SRC="56a96630.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="99" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Opunohu Bay & Bali Hai</div> <div> <B>Bali Hai, the famous backdrop in “South Pacific”.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="126"><div> <B>Anchored in Opunohu Bay, we had a grand view of “Bali Hai” from the morning sunrise into the evening shadows.</B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="435" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 132 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="56d96610.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="97" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Bounty Bay</div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="245"><div> <B>Bounty Bay is another beautiful little bay made famous by the film, “Mutiny on the Bounty”.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Today, it all seems so peaceful as if its Hollywood fame is just a distant memory.</B></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="416" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 141 WIDTH="223"><div> <B>Moorea is famous for the pineapple plantations that take advantage of fertile valleys.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>The delicious fruit that is produced may be smaller than its Hawaiian cousin, but its tender enough to eat its core.</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="56f96640.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Moorea's Pineapple Plantation</div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="475" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 136 ><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="57196640.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Island Driving</div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="152"><div> <B>On our island drive, we found only happy faces and natural beauty ~ no tacky billboards here.</B></div> <bR> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="57396640.jpg" border=0 width="150" height="100" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Sunset Polynesian Style</div> <bR> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div> <B>This island was a fitting end to our "bounty"-ful journey through paradise.</B></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="354" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 57 WIDTH="281"><div> <B>Let us know what you think of our South Pacific tour. . .</B></div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="62"><bR> <div> <A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us"><U><IMG SRC="04e23230.gif" border=0 width="35" height="35" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <div> <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Baltic Region"><U><B><IMG SRC="3e664500.jpg" border=0 width="100" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A><B>        </B><A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Travel Adventures"><U><IMG SRC="6e05d350.gif" border=0 width="93" height="53" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> </td> </tr></table></body>