Vaitape, capital of Bora Bora, is a laid-back sort of town. No high rise buildings; the church towers are the tallest things. Every shop seems to be selling pearls, pareaus or souvenirs. Sometimes all of these in the same shop. The shops tend to be small and pokey. Actually I like investigating shops like that, you never know what strange curios may hide in far corner shelves. But it is the signs that I get a giggle from. Not so much the top one, it is a large map of the island that is located on the main wharf, just near where the local tours leave from. That's Mum standing there with me. She had been very sick on the ship and was enjoying a shore break. The bottom photo is a shop that sold just about everything a tourist could want. Just look at the sign above the entry (click on it for a bigger image). Not the Three Wise Monkeys; in Polynesia it is the Three Wise Tikis. The wooden statues by the posts are interesting examples of Pacific art as well. The multi-coloured things are pareaus, Tahitian sarongs. They are usually wearable works of art with beautiful colours and patterns. Yes, Mum bought several back with her and is having trouble deciding which ones to keep and which ones to give as presents to friends. No small bear sized ones of course.
Labels: boats, cruising, South Pacific
# posted by Bart Bear @ 3:43 pm
