Saturday started off good. We had not drifted at all actually and were anchored at exactly the same place when we went to bed. The gusts disappeared actually, soon after midnight.
Our plan was to climb Bora Bora mountain. The peak that you can ascend is called Mount Pahia. People recommend climbing early in the morning because it can gt quite hot. There's also a sign at the entrance to the trail that recommends having a guide with you.
Well, we had a slow start to the day. Had some breakfast, then half an hour of free time in the water. The water is just so beautiful in this area. We did some snaps of us diving off the boat, doing cannon balls and climbing up the anchor bridle.
We got a mooring buoy near Total, and took the dinghy into town. It was already hot! By the time we used the bathrooms and were all set to hike, it was already 12:30.
The climb up was definitely not the easiest hike. Good footwear was essential. I wore my closed toe Sketcher sandals with socks and it continued to serve me well. Shannon's new Merrell sandals had no grip whatsoever and she was having a lot of trouble. Chantelle traded her for her shoes because she was more nimble which helped a lot. Mike had reef shoes on which weren't so great either.
Good thing Shannon prepped for doing some rope hiking because there were 6-7 parts to the trail that required climbing a rope. Scaling up paths holding on to roots were not uncommon and sweating like pigs was a given. The path was not too difficult to follow and we had no problems with getting lost.
The view up top was spectacular. We didn't have the clearest of days but regardless, the colors were beautiful and we could see some of the other islands in the distance.
Ben and Chantelle continued on to the very peak another twenty minutes away, but the rest of us were tired and started heading down. Slowly. The decent was just as difficult with several slips and slides on the butt. Jennie and Shannon were definitely not having a lot of fun and questioning whether it was worth the trek for the view.
We were really looking forward to sitting down at the cyber cafe for a smoothy once we reached the bottom, but we heard a scream behind us. No one answered our calls. Shortly after, we see Chantelle piggybacked on Ben coming out of the trail. Right at the bottom in a grassy area, Chantelle twisted her ankle with an audible snap! It was really tender and Ben thought it was broken.
A local came out right away with some cream for Chantelle to rub over the ankle. We found out that there were no doctors today because it was Saturday and that we'd have to wait until Monday for an x-ray.
Shannon and I went off the the pharmacy to buy an ankle splint while the others got Chantelle to the dock.
We got back to the catamaran and after a quick swim to get all the grossness and sweaty grime off, we motored around the corner to Bora Bora Yacht Club as we were completely out of water and we saw a sign at the Chin Lee grocery store about the Halloween party there.
It was like the best decision ever especially after the Bora Bora climb. We docked and were welcomed by the owner of the club who set us up with water. He convinced us to abort our shrimp linguine supper and eat at the club for $12 a plate, mooring included. Sure, why not? While we were filling the boat we took advantage of the free showers.
We moored just off the yacht club and came back in for the party. It didn't matter that much that we didn't have a costume. We planned on buying some after our hike, but it didn't work out. Dinner was not bad, being a homemade special Turkish meal.
The owner of the Yacht Club turned out to be a cardiologist. Him and Mike instantly hit it off and talked all night in French about making 100,000 euros a month being the only cardiologist and internist in Bora Bora. He moved here from France five years ago and bought the Yacht Club five months ago. He was quite a bit drunk and his wife very young looking. He had a 10 month old who was really interested in the Halloween decorations and lights. Mike said to me that we picked a great place to stay for the night. I couldn't agree more.
The Club started off slowly but eventually picked up and was quite happening. There was a mummy which was quite a hit and they made grave sites just outside.
Guy the Brazilian sailor who gave us bananas earlier showed up later which was awesome. He brought along Hanne, a Belgium girl who was "couch surfing" and ended up being crew for a Canadian skipper who wanted to sail the Pacific. Guy's brother and mother left two days ago leaving him behind to sail on his own. His next destination was the Cook Islands tomorrow. He had just finished his PhD in management at McGill and had a job to go back to in January.
It was really neat to meet someone like that after learning about sailing and reading books on races and such. This guy was a genuine solo sailor, and he was working on making the third reef on his sail better. He said he liked solo sailing and that he and his brother built this sail boat over several years together. He told me about some of the places he traveled to where the entire population of an island might be 60. Here he was welcomed as a guest and provided with fruits and food. Money was not used, unlike in Bora Bora where locals might sit out with a table of fruit, waiting all day to sell. He said that the longer he traveled, the more tempting it was not to return.
People often say how lucky it would be to go sailing or travel for months at a time. They might say they wish they could do that, but for whatever reason can't get away. The truth is, it is not luck, but a choice that you make.
Guy delayed his career to sail. Hanne is sailing the Pacific pretty much for free in exchange for chores on the boat. Ben's parents raised him on a sailboat for during his first few years of life. Natalie in Vancouver traveled from Switzerland to Vancouver, picked up sailing and planning on crewing on a boat as well.
We all had several drinks that evening during the festivities. Shannon had a good time, probably one of the best nights I've seen her have at a bar. We talked to some of the locals, a cross dresser bought me a Heineken, and we all had a good time dancing with the mummy, even Chantelle when we got her a stool in the middle of the dance floor.
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