Bora Bora
About a month ago, I went to French Polynesia. Yes, it was for my honeymoon. Yes, it was magical.
You’re seeing these pictures and you’re thinking that I must have enhanced their color or Instagram filtered them or something. I thought the same thing when I started Google imaging images of Bora Bora. It can’t be really that green and blue and turquoise, right? BUT IT IS!
Underwater in Bora Bora
Every time I poked my head above the water when snorkeling, I couldn’t believe this place was real.
We traveled to six islands in total, three of the Society Islands (Tahiti, Bora Bora, and Moorea) and three of the Marquesa Islands (Hiva Oa, Nuku Hiva, and Tahuata). It’s easy to choose Bora Bora as my favorite island, as it is over-the-top beautiful and the most set up for tourism. But Nuku Hiva was also great because it was so weird.
Only way I can describe it…well…it’s kind of like a Southeast Asian-ized Ireland/Scotland. Tropical fjords.
Moorea was also great because we stayed in an overwater bungalow, the most luxurious experience ever. In my next life, I want one of these as my first home.
View from overwater bungalow balcony
Food-wise, my favorite local dish was the poisson cru, or Tahitian raw fish salad. It’s made by taking chunks of raw fish (most often tuna, but sometimes they used a smaller, more local fish from the lagoon), “cooking” it in lime juice, dousing it in coconut milk, and mixing it with tasty green raw vegetables, carrots, and sometimes tomatoes. Nom. I also love taro (and have loved it for a long time), but wished it was offered at more restaurants.
From the baguette going right: BBQ tuna, rice, poisson cru, banana coconut mush, taro, and back to the baguette.
Coconut milk
Side note: why don’t we drink coconut milk for breakfast? Why don’t we drink coconut milk ALL THE TIME?
The other great food experience was fruit. Ripe fruit straight off a tree or a bush or a plant is the best. Our favorite fruit discovery in French Polynesia was this long fruit with a thick skin that has white segmented flesh with large black seeds inside them. It was so sweet but light and refreshing. I really, really wish we could remember the name of it. I can’t find it anywhere on the internetz.
J eating the magical fruit
French Polynesia, I miss you and will continue to miss you. In the meantime, I will go to Tiki Bars and think of you fondly.
