American History in Bora Bora

Nancy Smay recongnizes the beauty that is Bora Bora; however, she says, “I might have been content to spend the entire trip gazing at the water, snorkeling in the lagoon and relaxing along the outer edges of the island as most visitors do, but I found myself wondering what else there was.” Take a look at what was waiting for her in the article Off the Beaten Path in Bora Bora as found on GoNOMAD.

“What was hidden within the dense jungle that covers every part of the island except the sandy tufted shores dominated by tourist resorts and the occasional colorful towns?

I talked my husband into signing up for a ‘4 x 4 Backcountry Excursion’ in hopes of heading off the beaten path and finding out.

The truck rolled out onto the single 17-mile road that circles the island. Our driver introduced himself and asked if anyone had back problems. In response to our unanimous ‘no,’ he smiled and advised us to hold on. We each found a grip and within seconds, the truck turned and careened upward, following a steep angle up a rutted muddy path, shaking violently.

We explored the abandoned [American] bunker, and returned to the truck to find that Jay had laid out a feast on the hood in order to drive home his point about Bora Bora’s large and plentiful fruit. Spread out on a palm frond were sections of a giant grapefruit with green skin, and a pineapple. Both were delectably sweet, and Jay grinned knowingly as we took turns assuring him that this fruit was better than any we had at home.”