Piggy Back

Title – Piggy Back
Date – September 1997
Location - Bora Bora - French Polynesia

Bora Bora, described as paradise on earth, this has long been a destination for the rich and famous to really get away from it all and the number of expensive and exclusive five star resorts is only matched by the complete lack of facilities for anyone unable to afford to stay in one of them.

But if you can afford it, a luxury room on stilts over the blue lagoon is your reward and the service and facilities on offer will stun even the most travelled individuals. But there is room for the intrepid traveller as well; you just have to work a little harder for it. Like much of the Pacific the ‘real’ people of Bora Bora are extremely friendly as, by ‘real’ I refer to those outside of the hotel setting where they are paid to be polite and helpful (although it effectively comes naturally to them). Make a little effort and you can normally find a place to pitch a tent or a low cost bungalow, it will probably not be on the best beach on the island, but this is Bora Bora, even the poor beaches are something quite special.

French Polynesia away from the ugly urban centre of Papette is a strange mix of the pacific and French traditions. Although with the stable diet of baguettes may be baked on the island, much of the rest of the produce is imported directly from France and it certainly is not a cheap place to visit, whatever style of accommodation you opt for. But Bora Bora is an experience that it is difficult to put a price on.

Beyond The Blue runs workshops to help people wishing to achieve their dream of travelling across the world and to exotic locations from Boston to Bora Bora, our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop provides individuals with the basic knowledge they require to plan and execute a safe and enjoyable trip and return home with stories and memories they will treasure for the rest of their lives.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew

Island Paradise

Title – Island Paradise
Date – September 1997
Location - Bora Bora - French Polynesia

Bora Bora is one of the jewels of the pacific ocean and the exclusive nature of the island and its remote location (making it difficult to travel to on a budget), certainly help this image.

French Polynesia remains as you might imagine as a French colony and this brings a unique feel to the country itself. But it’s not quite what it was when it was discovered by the Spanish in the 17th century or when rediscovered by the British navy under Captain Samuel Wallis in 1767 or when it was reclaimed by the French explorer Bougainville in 1768 or even when Captain Cook claimed it and renamed it the Society Islands in 1769. Then the reports are of a society of liberal and amorous people whose female population would readily exchange sexual favours for trinkets from the new world, Polynesia became famous as the most welcoming islands of the pacific and many a wayward sailor abandoned ship here to live in the ‘paradise’ of the pacific. Even Captain Bligh fell foul of the charms of the island when his harsh regime on board the HMS Bounty contrasted so much with the welcome received by his sailors on Otaheite (as the islands were then known) that it led to the famous Mutiny in1788.

Much has changed since then, missionaries arrived to convert the locals and the mother hubbard dress (still popular today) took over from the bare breasted grass skirted native way of dressing. Sailors were discouraged from stopping here and the diseases they brought with them devastated the population. Now one of the most European island nations in the pacific the locals benefit from Frances financial support in some areas and suffer from it in others.

France used French Polynesia as a testing ground for their nuclear weapons programme and despite outrage from all over the world, they continued to test nuclear weapons until 1996 when they eventually, under mounting pressure, agreed to sign the comprehensive test ban treaty; having as they saw it, proved their independence by effectively destroying the stunning Moruroa and Fangataufa atolls lying some 1500km to the south of Tahiti.

Beyond The Blue run workshops to help people wishing to achieve their dream of travelling across the world and to exotic locations like Bora Bora. Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop provides individuals with the basic knowledge they require to plan and execute a safe and enjoyable trip and return home with stories and memories they will treasure for the rest of their lives.

Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com

Image – ©Peter Mayhew