World Adventure Vol 2
Published on: 18th November, 2009
Related News
Last autumn Jodi Bond fulfilled her dreams of travelling to exotic lands and Prosider is featuring her life-changing journey in two instalments packed with adventures from amazing encounters with lions to feeding kangaroos – and from jungle tours to barrier reef snorkelling.
In Prosider’s last issue we heard of Jodi’s time in Flores in Indonesia, where she met Komodo dragons she had studied at university, face to face.
In this second part of her voyage Jodi recalls the magical island of Bora Bora in French Polynesia where she swam with sea turtles, watched manta rays and studied for her scuba diving certificate.
“Bora Bora was absolutely gorgeous,” exclaims Jodi. “I have never seen water so warm and so many shades of blue. It was definitely a place for rest and relaxation.”
She spent the majority of her time there getting her PADI scuba diving certification, advanced open water and an underwater photography specialty with Nemo World; diving twice a day and studying at night.
She also did one of her courses with the underwater torpedo machine. “Think James Bond underwater,” she said. “The staff were amazing, my instructor was fantastic and this made my entire trip. I’d love to go back again to dive. I saw a humpback whale, dolphins, a turtle, LOTS of sharks – lemon and black tipped, octopus, lion fish, eels, manta rays, eagle spotted manta rays and tons and tons of fish. I can’t imagine there being any better diving in the world.”
One of Jodi’s first days she went on a shark and manta ray feeding tour. “The staff were so much fun; singing and playing music all day,” she recalls. “I did the full day tour and would fully recommend doing this. In the morning we went in the ocean and did a ‘wild’ black tipped shark feed where I had to stay inside the rope while I watched them eat. Sharks and rays everywhere… Then my group went to the lagoonarium and had lunch, suntanned on the beach, played with and fed the manta rays (SO much fun and really cute). We played with sea turtles, swam with sharks (lemon, black tipped) and many, many fish. The tour guides fed the sharks when I was snorkelling behind them in the water. The sharks would come up and eat a few feet away so it’s scary but again… for the adrenaline junky, it’s a thrill. This was a fantastic day.”
A sunset cruise was a fitting end on the last night in Bora Bora. Jodi remembers it fondly: “It was so relaxing, watching the fish and manta rays in the water, birds flying and a beautiful sunset in the sky. It was a fantastic way to end my trip.”
The last week of her trip was spent in Tahiti, staying in an overwater bungalow. She enjoyed the local dinner theatre with traditional Tahitian dancers and a “very cool” fire show.
Jodi describes her experiences there. “Touring the island, I saw brown, white and black volcanic sand, locals surfing and went to enormous waterfalls and various historic sites around Tahiti. One night I made a reservation at Le Belvedere, a fondue restaurant that had a gorgeous view overlooking Papeete; the city lights were stunning. There I met some locals who took me to Les Roulettes, overlooking the harbour in Papeete for traditional poisson cru (raw fish marinated in lime juice and coconut milk…which is really delicious).
“To experience the local food and nightlife at Les Roulettes on my final night in Tahiti was a great way to end my trip. Pleasantly exhausted, I went back to my hotel and fell asleep to the sound of waves crashing against the shore.”
Summing up her voyage of a lifetime, Jodi says: “My trip was pretty surreal; sometimes I can’t believe it actually happened. But when I go through my pictures, they bring back so many amazing memories and it feels as if I’m still there. I’ve met some amazing new friends throughout my travels and can’t wait for my next adventure.”
