French Polynesia 2018: May 28, 2018-Car rental, shopping, exploring the island, Bloody Mary's for drinks, dinner at St. James

Breakfast is tomato juice, a plate of vegetables, and potato cakes for Richard. Egg over easy, toast, bacon, and fruit for me.

Today's resort activity

Today we will explore the island. I have booked a car for us with AVIS. I have been charged 1190 XPF/$12.32 already as a deposit of sorts. Besides car renal you can rent scooters, bikes. AVIS is close to our resort. Cost 10710 XPF/$104.48. www.avis-borabora.com In hindsight I would not rent a car again as you need a more expensive 4 X 4 to get up to see the WWII canons, etc. We pick up our little red Fiat Panda. It may be an economy car but the seat adjusts for Richard's long legs. He's happy about that. We're told where to get gas and getting a receipt is a good thing as sometimes the gauges don't work and the receipt will show we filled up the tank. We get a map but it's in French. Cest la vie!

AVIS office close to our resort

Our car

Fiat Panda

Scooters for rent

Bikes too

First stop is the Eleuthera dive shop where I buy Richard a dive T shirt. Cost 3000 XPF/$29.26. We stop at several view points so I can take pictures. Vaitape. We see the Mobil gas station.

I bought the black manta T shirt for Richard

Stop first at Chin Lee. I'm looking for monoi oil shampoo and conditioner for my daughter. No luck. Told maybe the airport in Tahiti?? I do buy a small bottle of monoi oil scented with tiare flowers for protecting hair against wind dryness. Cost 4335 XPF. This store has everything-fresh produce, meats, prepared meals, frozen pizzas, ice cream, paper products, snacks, liquor, and so much more.

Liquor is expensive

Snacks

Produce section

Frozen pizza

Prepared packages

Meats

Cereal

Frozen vegetables

Frozen shrimp

Ice cream

Deli meats

Milk

Meats

Butter

Eggs

Spices

Paper products

Pet food

Next to Chin Lee is the English Evangelical Church. We are finding lots of churches here on Bora Bora and also when we were on Moorea. Le Pahia Shopping Center where I stop at Sibani Pearls. I know I'm not supposed to buy in Bora Bora and certainly not at the first store. I fall in love with drop pearl/wire earrings and a drop pendant 2 pearl necklace that the girl matches to the earrings. I am finding the post style harder to put on as I get older so these wire ones are perfect. I get all the certificates of quality, etc., instructions about the paperwork when leaving French Polynesia. I love what I bought and I'm glad I went with my heart because looking in other stores here on Bora Bora and on Tahiti I don't find anything close to how much I love what I got at Sibani. I was looking for B quality but ended up with As so I went over my budget!

Road side stands selling fruit. Drove through lots of small towns/villages. Couldn't find the WWII guns or any marae/ruins. All the way around the island and back to Vaitape where I stop at a store-Tahitian Secrets. Here I find tiny bottles of monoi oil shampoo and conditioner, each 300 XPF. I buy 3 shampoo and 3 conditioner-total 1800 XPF. I also check out Tahiti Pearl Market to inquire about the keshi pearls. Fill up at the gas station. 800 XPF.

Driving through town-Fannui

Back to Vaitape

Loose keshi pearls

Can design your own piece of jewelry

New school being built

Drinks-Bloody Mary's. It's almost 3:00 PM so we are too late for lunch. Only 3 tables still have people finishing. We sit at the bar. Bloody Jack for Richard and a frozen strawberry margarita for me. Cost without tip 2900 XPF. They sell lots of souvenir hats, T shirts, and more. Richard picks out a T shirt for 2900 XPF. There's lots of decor showing past guests, money signed and left on a wall, pictures of famous people who have stopped by.... The view across the road from this place is lovely.

Entrance to Bloody Mary's

T shirt

Richard has a Bloody Jack

I order a frozen strawberry margarita

Bloody Jack

Frozen strawberry margarita

Everyone is gone now

T shirts for sale

View right across from Bloody Mary's

Dinner-St. James. Pick up 6:30 PM. This restaurant charges 200 XPF per person for the taxi which is added to your bill. Very dark. Hard to see the menu as we are seated at a railing table. Menu lights don't really help. Tip: bring a flashlight with you to this place. Drinks are Hinano amber and a mad monkey. Gotta love these drink names! I get the ocean prawns with seasonal vegetables and rice. Richard is talked into (by me) ordering one of St. James signature dishes-the mushroom ravioli. He likes mushrooms. However, he did not care for his meal at all. The gravy tasted of too much flour and his idea of ravioli was not what he got. It was one huge piece of pasta with radiating ends stuffed with mushrooms and rolled up. It was topped with goat cheese, tomato, and cauliflower. My prawns were 8 tiny shrimp grilled on a skewer. A bit overcooked. Came with some vegetables and brown rice. Curry dressing on the side for the shrimp and I also put some on the rice. My meal was good. Dessert-when the server was first taking our dinner order she had asked if we wanted an appetizer. I told her no, that I wanted to have room for the passion fruit cheesecake. So I order this cheesecake and Richard orders something else but I forget what it was. She comes back to our table and tells us the cheesecake is all gone-just sold the last piece. So we cancel our dessert orders. Very disappointed plus the service was very slow. Credit card accepted. Cost without tip 9620 XPF/$93.84. I had high hopes for this restaurant as the reviews on Trip Advisor rate this place very highly. Our experience was not what we expected. While waiting for our bill we hear some drumming. It's coming from Vaitape. When the taxi is taking us back to the resort we pass a square where there are costumed dancers and the drummers performing. We are in bed before 10:00 PM.