Arriving in Bora Bora
First real day of our Bora Bora holiday!
After reading the posts on various message boards, I'm convinced that we have to sit on the left-hand side of the plane for the best views when flying in to Bora Bora. But it's clouded over, so I'm worried if we'd be able to see anything out of the window. It's supposed to look like this:
We got free transfers from hotel to the airport and when we got there, we find out that there is an earlier flight than the one we're booked on, so we rush to the desk to ask if we could get onto that flight, as it takes us in in one hour earlier than originally scheduled! We thought we were on to a fantastic start when the lady told us that we could get on - that left us with about a 15-minute wait to board! Brilliant!
As all inter-island flights are free seating, I was getting very kiasu about the rest of the people crowding round to get on the plane first. Of course I wanted to be in front of the plane, on the left-hand side for the best views (and hopefully minimal air-sickness!).
There's an older couple in their 60s - the woman looked really bossy with a fussy-looking flowered hat, so obviously I hated her on sight. When the flight was finally called, she managed to push her way in front of me - which really pissed me off, as she just put on this 'wide-eyed innocent ol' me?' look and squirmed her way forward.
Well, she tried it with the wrong person later, as she tried to worm her way further forward and a guy with a 'don't piss me off lady' look about him grabbed her arm just as she was inching her way past him. He glared at her (through his sunglasses, so that's quite impressive!) and gestured to stand behind him and wait in line. She had such a shocked look on her face that it was worth her being in front of me, just so I could see that!
Anyway, it was all for nothing, as everyone wanted to sit nearest the exit - which was to the back of the plane. So there was plenty of seats left up front, on the left hand side of the plane! Woo-hoo!!! I made sure we got seats in front of the propeller, so that the photos wouldn't have propellers in them...On top of that, stupid flowered-hat woman got a seat on the right hand side of the plane behind the propellers - so she had no view, and whatever she could see would be blocked by propellers. So there! Hah!
After about 40 minutes, we see land through a lot of clouds...our first view of the French Polynesian islands. Quick dig into the camera bag for the digital camera and video camera!!! Our first photo of one French Polynesian island - but not Bora Bora...
Our first view of Bora Bora followed shortly after, but my choice of seats wasn't that good after all. And we weren't far away enough from the bloody propellers after all...so this is the result. Bugger! I think it's Le Meridien, but I can't be sure...
Once landed, we head towards the hotel 'desk' for our flower leis - which is standard - and the girl tells us to get our bags, and that the boat isn't at the pier yet, since we arrived early. She says that it's another 20 minutes before the boat gets in! So we look on in envy while everyone else on our flight piles onto their hotel boats.
Oh but wait! Flowered-hat woman is also waiting, as HER boat wasn't in yet either! That's a small comfort but I could have happily waved at her from our hotel boat, if we had thought about letting the hotel know ahead of time that we got on the earlier flight!!! Argh! Lost our 'time advantage'...
The girl at the desk waves us over to her, she's got the phone on her shoulder - we thought maybe she's gotten the hotel to send another boat out to get us. Rod speaks to the person on the line and was very polite. When he put the phone down, I was asking if they were sending another boat out but he said that the person had told him that because it was a 30-minute ride, they can't send one boat out, and then another one to pick up the next plane's passengers. Dammit!
Our boat finally arrives - and it didn't look like the Le Meridien boat. It was much smaller and less 'glamourous' than the other hotel's boat. Quite disappointed - thought that I could at least have a nice boat after the wait! Humph...Anyway, the other plane has landed by then and they load our luggage and ONE OTHER COUPLE's luggage on board. After an hour's wait, we were only waiting for TWO MORE PEOPLE?!!! How annoying!!!
On top of that, it had started to rain and I thought that the people in the office must have cursed us, since so many of them said to me "Hope it rains!" the day before. They were a Chinese couple from the US - but the girl had a really Singaporean accent. Obviously newly-weds, since their wedding rings were so spotless/scratch-less! The guy has a big video camera in his hand and hogs the small opening at the back of the boat to film the boat ride - on a good day, the plastic flaps at the side would have been opened, and it wouldn't have been so selfish. Then the girl pulls out this huge digital SLR camera and starts taking photos of her new husband, of splashing water, of the back of the boat, of rainy skies...sigh, new love! Then the guy goes to his huge backpack, unzips it and it's a HUGE camera bag full of lenses, flash, paraphernalia!!! Talk about taking photography seriously. Fortunately it's to put his over-sized video camera away, otherwise I would have sneered...and that wouldn't be too nice. Ha-ha!
We're staying at the Sofitel Motu and they were staying at the Sofitel Marara...sister hotels, but the Motu is on a small island off the main Bora Bora island, no facilities, just the overwater bungalows. I know, I know...you're probably thinking "Sofitel?!!! Eeeee....so yucks!" But I checked out the website and other reviews and it's actually classified as a 5-star - since I didn't go into other hotels, don't know if it's comparable to the more 'established' brands like Le Meridien (yes, I know I've mentioned Le Meridien about 5 times already!) or Sheraton.
On a good day, our hotel looks like this from the boat. But since it wasn't a good day when we arrived, we didn't get that good a view through the rain-soaked plastic sheets...
Our over-water bungalow (OWB) is the one on the far left hand side, facing away from the main island. We had a 'horizon' bungalow - which presumably refers to the view of the horizon from our OWB.
First real day of our Bora Bora holiday!
After reading the posts on various message boards, I'm convinced that we have to sit on the left-hand side of the plane for the best views when flying in to Bora Bora. But it's clouded over, so I'm worried if we'd be able to see anything out of the window. It's supposed to look like this:
We got free transfers from hotel to the airport and when we got there, we find out that there is an earlier flight than the one we're booked on, so we rush to the desk to ask if we could get onto that flight, as it takes us in in one hour earlier than originally scheduled! We thought we were on to a fantastic start when the lady told us that we could get on - that left us with about a 15-minute wait to board! Brilliant!
As all inter-island flights are free seating, I was getting very kiasu about the rest of the people crowding round to get on the plane first. Of course I wanted to be in front of the plane, on the left-hand side for the best views (and hopefully minimal air-sickness!).
There's an older couple in their 60s - the woman looked really bossy with a fussy-looking flowered hat, so obviously I hated her on sight. When the flight was finally called, she managed to push her way in front of me - which really pissed me off, as she just put on this 'wide-eyed innocent ol' me?' look and squirmed her way forward.
Well, she tried it with the wrong person later, as she tried to worm her way further forward and a guy with a 'don't piss me off lady' look about him grabbed her arm just as she was inching her way past him. He glared at her (through his sunglasses, so that's quite impressive!) and gestured to stand behind him and wait in line. She had such a shocked look on her face that it was worth her being in front of me, just so I could see that!
Anyway, it was all for nothing, as everyone wanted to sit nearest the exit - which was to the back of the plane. So there was plenty of seats left up front, on the left hand side of the plane! Woo-hoo!!! I made sure we got seats in front of the propeller, so that the photos wouldn't have propellers in them...On top of that, stupid flowered-hat woman got a seat on the right hand side of the plane behind the propellers - so she had no view, and whatever she could see would be blocked by propellers. So there! Hah!
After about 40 minutes, we see land through a lot of clouds...our first view of the French Polynesian islands. Quick dig into the camera bag for the digital camera and video camera!!! Our first photo of one French Polynesian island - but not Bora Bora...Our first view of Bora Bora followed shortly after, but my choice of seats wasn't that good after all. And we weren't far away enough from the bloody propellers after all...so this is the result. Bugger! I think it's Le Meridien, but I can't be sure...
Once landed, we head towards the hotel 'desk' for our flower leis - which is standard - and the girl tells us to get our bags, and that the boat isn't at the pier yet, since we arrived early. She says that it's another 20 minutes before the boat gets in! So we look on in envy while everyone else on our flight piles onto their hotel boats.Oh but wait! Flowered-hat woman is also waiting, as HER boat wasn't in yet either! That's a small comfort but I could have happily waved at her from our hotel boat, if we had thought about letting the hotel know ahead of time that we got on the earlier flight!!! Argh! Lost our 'time advantage'...
The girl at the desk waves us over to her, she's got the phone on her shoulder - we thought maybe she's gotten the hotel to send another boat out to get us. Rod speaks to the person on the line and was very polite. When he put the phone down, I was asking if they were sending another boat out but he said that the person had told him that because it was a 30-minute ride, they can't send one boat out, and then another one to pick up the next plane's passengers. Dammit!
Our boat finally arrives - and it didn't look like the Le Meridien boat. It was much smaller and less 'glamourous' than the other hotel's boat. Quite disappointed - thought that I could at least have a nice boat after the wait! Humph...Anyway, the other plane has landed by then and they load our luggage and ONE OTHER COUPLE's luggage on board. After an hour's wait, we were only waiting for TWO MORE PEOPLE?!!! How annoying!!!
On top of that, it had started to rain and I thought that the people in the office must have cursed us, since so many of them said to me "Hope it rains!" the day before. They were a Chinese couple from the US - but the girl had a really Singaporean accent. Obviously newly-weds, since their wedding rings were so spotless/scratch-less! The guy has a big video camera in his hand and hogs the small opening at the back of the boat to film the boat ride - on a good day, the plastic flaps at the side would have been opened, and it wouldn't have been so selfish. Then the girl pulls out this huge digital SLR camera and starts taking photos of her new husband, of splashing water, of the back of the boat, of rainy skies...sigh, new love! Then the guy goes to his huge backpack, unzips it and it's a HUGE camera bag full of lenses, flash, paraphernalia!!! Talk about taking photography seriously. Fortunately it's to put his over-sized video camera away, otherwise I would have sneered...and that wouldn't be too nice. Ha-ha!
We're staying at the Sofitel Motu and they were staying at the Sofitel Marara...sister hotels, but the Motu is on a small island off the main Bora Bora island, no facilities, just the overwater bungalows. I know, I know...you're probably thinking "Sofitel?!!! Eeeee....so yucks!" But I checked out the website and other reviews and it's actually classified as a 5-star - since I didn't go into other hotels, don't know if it's comparable to the more 'established' brands like Le Meridien (yes, I know I've mentioned Le Meridien about 5 times already!) or Sheraton.
On a good day, our hotel looks like this from the boat. But since it wasn't a good day when we arrived, we didn't get that good a view through the rain-soaked plastic sheets...Our over-water bungalow (OWB) is the one on the far left hand side, facing away from the main island. We had a 'horizon' bungalow - which presumably refers to the view of the horizon from our OWB.
posted by feddupfish @ 1:53 pm
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