Cooks Bay, still Moorea

Last Friday afternoon, we moved to next door to Cooks Bay.  You have to exit the pass in the reef out in the ocean and enter at the next pass.  The sea outside was unexpectedly rough, so it was a wet trip.  We were towing the dinghy with the outboard on it (again), but we managed not to flip it (again).  The outer anchorage was really windy, so we moved deeper into the bay. 

We had only planned to go out to dinner and leave Monday morning for Tahiti.  However, the weather continued very rough and windy in the region, so we stayed on.  We went out for one of the better dinners we've had for a long time.  What a treat.  After dinner, we walked a mile or so back to the dinghy.  It was  after dark of course.  But the road was very well lit and there was practically no traffic.   It was a pleasant walk, and we feel very safe.  People are very friendly and easy going and we always feel at ease.

Biking is very pleasant here, as the roads are pretty good, traffic is light and doesn't go very fast.  There are few hills and the scenery is beautiful and the air is balmy, not too hot.  It's a great way to get around. 

We explored and found more businesses here than Opunohu Bay, with good grocery stores, a great pastry and ice cream shop, a pretty good electronics shop, hardware, building materials, clothing and the ubiquitous black pearl shops.  The local fishermen sell fish along side the road.  They have a rack that they can hang a couple rows of whole fish from.  There are also fruit and vegetable stands.   And, Gasp!  a gas and marine fuel station, with a small boat dock!  We haven't seen one of those since....  Mexico????!  We still got diesel in 5gal jugs via the dinghy,  The water at the dock doesn't seem deep enough for our boat.

There are several good restaurants, including more than one that serves pizza.  Life is good!