Bora-Bora, Raiatea, Huahine, French Polynesia

An Intriguing Trio of Societies


Baptism
Moment of a religious ceremony in a church in Bora Bora.
Bora Bora misty
Mist irrigates the verdant vegetation that covers the heart of the island of Bora Bora.
Tropical almost horizontal
Coconut trees seek the Pacific Ocean in Huahine.
Group Photo
Believers pose for a photograph outside a Protestant church on Bora Bora.
Islands-Society-Polynesia-French
Verdant mountain in the heart of one of the Society Islands' many atolls.
Tropical coastline
The lush green coastline of Huahine.
Marae's corner
Ethnic elements decorate a Polynesian ceremonial Raiatea marae.
uniform faith
A female-only believer attends Mass in very similar white attire.
arm of the sea
Arm of sea cuts the leafy interior of Huahine.
In the idyllic heart of the vast Pacific Ocean, the Society Archipelago, part of French Polynesia, beautifies the planet as an almost perfect creation of Nature. We explored it for a long time from Tahiti. The last few days we dedicate them to Bora Bora, Huahine and Raiatea.

In the middle of the Age of Discovery, James Cook, impressed by the exuberance of the scenery and the beauty and gentleness of Polynesian women, will have declared Bora Bora the Pearl of the Pacific.

Two centuries later, Bora Bora is part of half the world's imagination as a symbol of luxurious paradise, as hedonistic as it is frivolous. The most powerful tourist corporations turned it into an island generating huge profits.

In the image of Moorea, Bora Bora proves to be a geological masterpiece that combines countless sharp volcanic peaks surrounded by an eccentric atoll that dazzle the most insensitive to the planet's expressions.

Thirty years ago, the Bora Bora hotel was installed from one of the motus, the islanders that delimit the lagoon. Since then, dozens of others resorts joined the pioneer and the effective marketing that promotes the island on a world scale began to attract thousands of couples on honeymoon, eager to live the most sophisticated Polynesian experience and, on their return, be able to brag about it. .

Guests are primarily European, American and Japanese. They even display Louis Vuitton bags. settle in bungalows exquisite on the lagoon, hoping to share your vacation with Pierce Brosnan, who is said, around here, to be almost a resident, or other movie stars.

As for leisure activities, Bora Bora offers little new in relation to the sisters. It is customary to participate in at least one lagoon tour which includes stops for snorkeling and a barbecue on one or more sandbanks.

For a few hundred extra euros, the resorts provide unforgettable diving experiences with mantas and sharks. When the island's blue-blue sea starts to fill, you can even go horseback riding along the motion Piti Aau.

Society Islands, Polynesia, French

Verdant mountain in the heart of one of the Society Islands' many atolls.

Of course, in the Society archipelago, all the refined hotels pay to match. In the case of Bora Bora, prices keep aspirants with less stuffed wallets away. And yet, the island also reserves a place for those, like us, looking for expressions of their Tahitian soul.

Arrival in Rainy Weather

We land on motion Mote on an afternoon of rain, wind and gray skies. We had already had our dose of good weather and paradisiacal views on other islands. Accordingly, we proceeded with the visit resigned to the meteorological misfortune.

We check into Chez Rosine, a family pension located on the edge of the lagoon, but still in the heart of the island.

Two hours later, when we ask the maid what she advises us to do on a rainy day, she replies with bored sincerity: “My friends, in Bora Bora, apart from looking at the colors of the lake, there is little to do“. That's not why we gave up. The torrential rain gives respite. We took bicycles from the inn and set out to discover.

Tropical forest, Bora Bora, Society Islands, Polynesia, French

Mist irrigates the verdant vegetation that covers the heart of the island of Bora Bora.

Along the way, we observe the mystical landscape of Mount Otemanu, diffused between the dense vegetation and the low clouds that irrigate it and the waterfalls that slide through it. We passed tourist-oriented shops and stores and the occasional humble house that withstood the inevitable real estate pressure.

We only stop at Faanui. Mass takes place in the Protestant church in the village. A multitude of believers, almost all women in their best attire, pour in en masse. After brief moments of socializing abroad, the faithful enter. The church is on the pine cone.

We are dazzled by an immensity of white dresses and lacy hats that the predominant ladies keep on their heads during the ceremonial.

Women at Mass. Bora Bora, Society Islands, Polynesia, French

A female-only believer attends Mass in very similar white attire.

The next day, we continued to explore what remained of Bora Bora's pre-tourist roots.

A Leap in the Archipelago. Discovering Raiatea

And we go even further back in Polynesian history when we travel to Raiatea, the next Society island on the map.

Definitely outside the glamorous of the group's predecessors, Raiatea – but not its Taha'a extension which is just wild – proves to be as sophisticated as it is reserved and old-fashioned.

Its inhabitants live on the terms they set. We confirm that agriculture and government jobs are the main sources of employment, the latter, concentrated in Uturoa, a local port and the second largest city in French Polynesia, after the capital Pape'ete, located on the mother island of Tahiti .

Raiatea housed, many centuries ago, some of the most important sacred shrines in all of Polynesia. Its verdant lands emanate a mystery and mysticism that does not go unnoticed by archaeologists or explorers interested in the millenary Tahitian culture.

Marae in Raiatea, Society Islands, Polynesia, French

Ethnic elements decorate a Polynesian ceremonial Raiatea marae.

From them stand out certain mares, places of religious worship and social ceremonies that the natives cleared of vegetation and delimited. We find them at various strategic points along the coast.

This is the case of Taputapuatea, which was as important to Polynesians as any other marah built on another island must include one of its stones, as a symbol of alliance. This law applied even to the distant Cook Islands or the Hawaiian archipelago.

It is also the case of Tauraa, an enclosure Tapas (taboo) that preserves a high endowment stone in which young people ari'i (chiefs) were crowned. Others mares with the Tainuu from the village of Tevaitou, they allow us to continue to add data to the historical context of Raiatea and its role in the vast Tahitian universe.

It is not that it lacks seductive ingredients because the Society's archipelago has become so desired, but if each of its islands is ideal for different purposes, Raiatea, the noble mission of revealing the enigmatic origins of Polynesian civilization was incumbent. Accordingly, we cut short the flight to the island we were following: Huahine.

Huahine, the Society that follows

As we can see again from the plane's windows, in the image of Tahiti, Huahine is made up of two islands: Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti.

Both are surrounded by a ring of coral reef and are accompanied by several islanders, moved. Nui and Iti are separated by a few hundred meters of water which, during low tide, reveals a tongue of sand that allows walking from one to the other.

Huahine Nui and Huahine Iti form the classic island-mountain geological complex with the highest point at 670 meters from the Turi peak. And one of the abundant atolls in the Society's archipelago surrounds them. The duo proves to be another exuberant and seductive natural monument of the Earth that keeps these parts of the Planet in the imagination of paradise of any traveler or traveler.

Coconut trees, Huahine, Society Islands, French Polynesia

Coconut trees seek the Pacific Ocean in Huahine.

The best beaches in Huahine are in small Iti. In terms of bathing and scenery, they fall far short of the Maupiti, Bora Bora and Moorea, to mention just three of the islands of the vast Society archipelago.

The Cosmopolitan and Solar Life of Chez Guynette

We settled at Chez Guynette, a family inn, run by a French couple with two children, owners of Guynette, who inspired the business's baptism, a brown dog. In the mid-2000s, the owners moved from Nice, Côte d'Azur to even sunnier French Polynesia.

They tell us that their best friends are Portuguese, from Chaves, who have already visited them during the summer pilgrimages in Trás-os-Montes.

We share the inn's common space with Gerald, an Austrian, like us, on a long journey and whom we approach as a joke when we see him leafing through a large and heavy atlas. "Are you traveling with this?" “Do you think so? I happen to be a bit stupid, but not as stupid as that”, he replies and generates a huge communal laugh.

Gerald describes to us the places in Alaska that he found most magical. It reinforces the enthusiasm we already felt for this American leg of the trip back to the world that we would give ourselves to in a few months.

The Aussie Jim, Spirituality and Numerology

Gerald goes about your life. Jim appears. Jim is an Australian from Byron Bay who, among other skills, surfs, builds surfboards, writes music. Jim, confess to us that you are about to start a yoga retreat and nature fast, determined to release toxins from your body.

Jim cultivated a strong interest in numerology. He asks if we care to be analyzed from a numerological point of view. "No of course not!" we responded, excited and intrigued. Next, he takes note of a series of information essential to the analysis: date of birth, age, names.

Apply the answers to your formula. As a result, he assigns numbers corresponding to our personalities, which he assures that he had more or less defined, despite having only studied us for twenty minutes.

O matt Jim has what it takes. Just like us. We say goodbye with a see you later, counting on a nightly reunion that happened.

The next morning, we left in a rental car at the exorbitant prices of French Polynesia.

The narrow but pristine roads run along Huahine Nui that Welsh structural finance helps to maintain. In practice, it is the same effect they have on French Polynesia's dependence on France.

These routes reveal the lush nature of the island.

Braço-de-Mar, Huahine, Society Islands, French Polynesia

Arm of sea cuts the leafy interior of Huahine.

We give it more than one ride. We are disappointed. The settings and atmosphere were the same as in Raiatea. Even more than in Raiatea, we practically didn't detect or feel human life apart from one or two natives taking care of the fronts of their houses, in an almost obsessive way.

Huahine's Surprising Tropical Desolation

We were so annoyed with the unexpected sterility of the island, overly landscaped and arranged, that we returned the car, four hours later, still halfway through the rental period.

Huahine quickly transmits, to those arriving from outside, a feeling of absolute isolation. This feeling is related to the defensive posture of the local population in the face of millionaire tourism. Even aware of how they damage their bank accounts, the island's less than 6000 inhabitants have always been against the construction of resorts luxurious.

As of the date of our visit, only a large hotel of those that spread out to sea constellations of huts had managed to break through the blockade.

From this hotel, another small private world sprang up, pseudo-sophisticated and alienated in the already-in-itself universe removed from the confines of the Society Islands.

Maupiti, French Polynesia

A Society on the Margin

In the shadow of neighboring Bora Bora's near-global fame, Maupiti is remote, sparsely inhabited and even less developed. Its inhabitants feel abandoned but those who visit it are grateful for the abandonment.
Papeete, French Polynesia

The Third Sex of Tahiti

Heirs of Polynesian ancestral culture, the Mahu they preserve an unusual role in society. Lost somewhere between the two genders, these men-women continue to fight for the meaning of their lives.
Tahiti, French Polynesia

Tahiti Beyond the Cliché

Neighbors Bora Bora and Maupiti have superior scenery but Tahiti has long been known as paradise and there is more life on the largest and most populous island of French Polynesia, its ancient cultural heart.
Moorea, French Polynesia

The Polynesian Sister Any Island Would Like to Have

A mere 17km from Tahiti, Moorea does not have a single city and is home to a tenth of its inhabitants. Tahitians have long watched the sun go down and transform the island next door into a misty silhouette, only to return to its exuberant colors and shapes hours later. For those who visit these remote parts of the Pacific, getting to know Moorea is a double privilege.
Rapa Nui - Easter Island, Chile

Under the Moais Watchful Eye

Rapa Nui was discovered by Europeans on Easter Day 1722. But if the Christian name Easter Island makes sense, the civilization that colonized it by observant moais remains shrouded in mystery.
Easter Island, Chile

The Take-off and Fall of the Bird-Man Cult

Until the XNUMXth century, the natives of Easter Island they carved and worshiped great stone gods. All of a sudden, they started to drop their moai. The veneration of tanatu manu, a half-human, half-sacred leader, decreed after a dramatic competition for an egg.
LifouLoyalty Islands

The Greatest of the Loyalties

Lifou is the island in the middle of the three that make up the semi-francophone archipelago off New Caledonia. In time, the Kanak natives will decide if they want their paradise independent of the distant metropolis.
Grande Terre, New Caledonia

South Pacific Great Boulder

James Cook thus named distant New Caledonia because it reminded him of his father's Scotland, whereas the French settlers were less romantic. Endowed with one of the largest nickel reserves in the world, they named Le Caillou the mother island of the archipelago. Not even its mining prevents it from being one of the most dazzling patches of Earth in Oceania.
Île-des-Pins, New Caledonia

The Island that Leaned against Paradise

In 1964, Katsura Morimura delighted the Japan with a turquoise novel set in Ouvéa. But the neighboring Île-des-Pins has taken over the title "The Nearest Island to Paradise" and thrills its visitors.
Ouvéa, New Caledonia

Between Loyalty and Freedom

New Caledonia has always questioned integration into faraway France. On the island of Ouvéa, Loyalty Archipelago, we find an history of resistance but also natives who prefer French-speaking citizenship and privileges.
Residents walk along the trail that runs through plantations above the UP4
City
Gurué, Mozambique, Part 1

Through the Mozambican Lands of Tea

The Portuguese founded Gurué in the 1930th century and, from XNUMX onwards, flooded it with camellia sinensis the foothills of the Namuli Mountains. Later, they renamed it Vila Junqueiro, in honor of its main promoter. With the independence of Mozambique and the civil war, the town regressed. It continues to stand out for the lush green imposing mountains and teak landscapes.
Host Wezi points out something in the distance
Beach
Cobue; Nkwichi Lodge, Mozambique

The Hidden Mozambique of the Creaking Sands

During a tour from the bottom to the top of Lake Malawi, we find ourselves on the island of Likoma, an hour by boat from Nkwichi Lodge, the solitary base of this inland coast of Mozambique. On the Mozambican side, the lake is known as Niassa. Whatever its name, there we discover some of the most stunning and unspoilt scenery in south-east Africa.
Rhinoceros, PN Kaziranga, Assam, India
safari
PN Kaziranga, India

The Indian Monoceros Stronghold

Situated in the state of Assam, south of the great Brahmaputra river, PN Kaziranga occupies a vast area of ​​alluvial swamp. Two-thirds of the rhinocerus unicornis around the world, there are around 100 tigers, 1200 elephants and many other animals. Pressured by human proximity and the inevitable poaching, this precious park has not been able to protect itself from the hyperbolic floods of the monsoons and from some controversies.
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit: 5th - Ngawal a BragaNepal

Towards the Nepalese Braga

We spent another morning of glorious weather discovering Ngawal. There is a short journey towards Manang, the main town on the way to the zenith of the Annapurna circuit. We stayed for Braga (Braka). The hamlet would soon prove to be one of its most unforgettable places.
Sheets of Bahia, Eternal Diamonds, Brazil
Architecture & Design
Sheets of Bahia, Brazil

Lençóis da Bahia: not Even Diamonds Are Forever

In the XNUMXth century, Lençóis became the world's largest supplier of diamonds. But the gem trade did not last as expected. Today, the colonial architecture that he inherited is his most precious possession.
Passengers, scenic flights-Southern Alps, New Zealand
Aventura
Aoraki / Mount Cook, New Zealand

The Aeronautical Conquest of the Southern Alps

In 1955, pilot Harry Wigley created a system for taking off and landing on asphalt or snow. Since then, his company has unveiled, from the air, some of the greatest scenery in Oceania.
shadow of success
Ceremonies and Festivities
Champoton, Mexico

Rodeo Under Sombreros

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Music Theater and Exhibition Hall, Tbilisi, Georgia
Cities
Tbilisi, Georgia

Georgia still Perfumed by the Rose Revolution

In 2003, a popular political uprising made the sphere of power in Georgia tilt from East to West. Since then, the capital Tbilisi has not renounced its centuries of Soviet history, nor the revolutionary assumption of integrating into Europe. When we visit, we are dazzled by the fascinating mix of their past lives.
Singapore Asian Capital Food, Basmati Bismi
Lunch time
Singapore

The Asian Food Capital

There were 4 ethnic groups in Singapore, each with its own culinary tradition. Added to this was the influence of thousands of immigrants and expatriates on an island with half the area of ​​London. It was the nation with the greatest gastronomic diversity in the Orient.
Kigurumi Satoko, Hachiman Temple, Ogimashi, Japan
Culture
Ogimashi, Japan

An Historical-Virtual Japan

"Higurashi no Naku Koro never” was a highly successful Japanese animation and computer game series. In Ogimashi, Shirakawa-Go village, we live with a group of kigurumi of their characters.
Swimming, Western Australia, Aussie Style, Sun rising in the eyes
Sport
Busselton, Australia

2000 meters in Aussie Style

In 1853, Busselton was equipped with one of the longest pontoons in the world. World. When the structure collapsed, the residents decided to turn the problem around. Since 1996 they have been doing it every year. Swimming.
Aswan, Egypt, Nile River meets Black Africa, Elephantine Island
Traveling
Aswan, Egypt

Where the Nile Welcomes the Black Africa

1200km upstream of its delta, the Nile is no longer navigable. The last of the great Egyptian cities marks the fusion between Arab and Nubian territory. Since its origins in Lake Victoria, the river has given life to countless African peoples with dark complexions.
Horseshoe Bend
Ethnic
Navajo nation, USA

The Navajo Nation Lands

From Kayenta to Page, passing through Marble Canyon, we explore the southern Colorado Plateau. Dramatic and desert, the scenery of this indigenous domain, cut out in Arizona, reveals itself to be splendid.
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

life outside

Vittoriosa, Birgu, Malta, Waterfront, Marina
History
Birgu, Malta

To the Conquest of the Victorious City

Vittoriosa is the oldest of the Three Cities of Malta, headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller and, from 1530 to 1571, its capital. The resistance he offered to the Ottomans in the Great Siege of Malta kept the island Christian. Even if, later, Valletta took over the administrative and political role, the old Birgu shines with historic glory.
Travel Sao Tome, Ecuador, Sao Tome and Principe, Pico Cão Grande
Islands
São Tomé, São Tomé and Príncipe

Journey to where São Tomé points the Equator

We go along the road that connects the homonymous capital to the sharp end of the island. When we arrived in Roça Porto Alegre, with the islet of Rolas and Ecuador in front of us, we had lost ourselves time and time again in the historical and tropical drama of São Tomé.
Era Susi towed by dog, Oulanka, Finland
Winter White
PN Oulanka, Finland

A Slightly Lonesome Wolf

Jukka “Era-Susi” Nordman has created one of the largest packs of sled dogs in the world. He became one of Finland's most iconic characters but remains faithful to his nickname: Wilderness Wolf.
Cove, Big Sur, California, United States
Literature
Big Sur, USA

The Coast of All Refuges

Over 150km, the Californian coast is subjected to a vastness of mountains, ocean and fog. In this epic setting, hundreds of tormented souls follow in the footsteps of Jack Kerouac and Henri Miller.
Street Scene, Guadeloupe, Caribbean, Butterfly Effect, French Antilles
Nature
Guadalupe, French Antilles

Guadeloupe: A Delicious Caribbean, in Counter-Butterfly Effect

Guadeloupe is shaped like a moth. A trip around this Antille is enough to understand why the population is governed by the motto Pas Ni Problem and raises the minimum of waves, despite the many setbacks.
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Autumn
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
Dunes of Bazaruto Island, Mozambique
Natural Parks
Bazaruto, Mozambique

The Inverted Mirage of Mozambique

Just 30km off the East African coast, an unlikely but imposing erg rises out of the translucent sea. Bazaruto it houses landscapes and people who have lived apart for a long time. Whoever lands on this lush, sandy island soon finds himself in a storm of awe.
Thingvelir, Origins Democracy Iceland, Oxará
UNESCO World Heritage
Thingvellir National Park, Iceland

The Origins of the Remote Viking Democracy

The foundations of popular government that come to mind are the Hellenic ones. But what is believed to have been the world's first parliament was inaugurated in the middle of the XNUMXth century, in Iceland's icy interior.
Ooty, Tamil Nadu, Bollywood Scenery, Heartthrob's Eye
Characters
Ooty, India

In Bollywood's Nearly Ideal Setting

The conflict with Pakistan and the threat of terrorism made filming in Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh a drama. In Ooty, we see how this former British colonial station took the lead.
Jabula Beach, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa
Beaches
Saint Lucia, South Africa

An Africa as Wild as Zulu

On the eminence of the coast of Mozambique, the province of KwaZulu-Natal is home to an unexpected South Africa. Deserted beaches full of dunes, vast estuarine swamps and hills covered with fog fill this wild land also bathed by the Indian Ocean. It is shared by the subjects of the always proud Zulu nation and one of the most prolific and diverse fauna on the African continent.
Golden Rock of Kyaikhtiyo, Buddhism, Myanmar, Burma
Religion
Mount Kyaiktiyo, Myanmar

The Golden and Balancing Rock of Buddha

We are discovering Rangoon when we find out about the Golden Rock phenomenon. Dazzled by its golden and sacred balance, we join the now centuries-old Burmese pilgrimage to Mount Kyaiktyo.
white pass yukon train, Skagway, Gold Route, Alaska, USA
On Rails
Skagway, Alaska

A Klondike's Gold Fever Variant

The last great American gold rush is long over. These days, hundreds of cruise ships each summer pour thousands of well-heeled visitors into the shop-lined streets of Skagway.
Pachinko Salon, Video Addiction, Japan
Society
Tokyo, Japan

Pachinko: The Video Addiction That Depresses Japan

It started as a toy, but the Japanese appetite for profit quickly turned pachinko into a national obsession. Today, there are 30 million Japanese surrendered to these alienating gaming machines.
Saksun, Faroe Islands, Streymoy, warning
Daily life
Saksun, streymoyFaroe Islands

The Faroese Village That Doesn't Want to be Disneyland

Saksun is one of several stunning small villages in the Faroe Islands that more and more outsiders visit. It is distinguished by the aversion to tourists of its main rural owner, author of repeated antipathies and attacks against the invaders of his land.
Vultures in ventilation mode, using the gentle breeze above the savannah
Wildlife
Kruger National Park, South Africa

The Ancient National Park of South Africa

Part of its current area was already protected before the turn of the 1926th century. Declared the first national park in the Rainbow Nation in XNUMX, the Kruger National Park has continued to expand. Today, the XNUMXth largest in Africa, it is home to the coveted Big Five and a multitude of other species.
Full Dog Mushing
Scenic Flights
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

It's almost 30 degrees and the glaciers are melting. In Alaska, entrepreneurs have little time to get rich. Until the end of August, dog mushing cannot stop.