One step to the left, so the shelter would not touch the roof of the church. Turn the smartphone a little bit to the right, so sign and shelter would be complete on picture, but not the blue metal construction on the left edge.
French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking when I looked at the photo (-:
I think it was caused by me trying to get more of the hill in the background into the shot....
Zuletzt geändert von Bong!!! am 24 Jul 2023 04:36, insgesamt 1-mal geändert.
Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
One of the most famous restaurants in Bora Bora - Bloody Marys. I wanted to have a beer there, but unfortunately, it was closed. Besides, they wouldn't have anywhere to put my name anyway…
Matira beach, basically the only one on the main island. I mean, there were a few other beaches around the coast, but those weren't really worth mentioning or photographing
.
Strangely enough, there weren't that many people, well, in the northern part. There were more people the closer you got to the southern tip.
Otherwise, the whole area was pretty much built up, where nothing was built, there was at least a fence with a no-entry sign in most cases.
For example, I wanted to visit "Raititi Point" (I'm taking the name from Google Maps), however, I couldn't figure out a reasonable way to get there without having to climb over the wall. And I didn't feel like wading.
The next day I had planned to climb Mt. Pahia, but it had rained the night before and everything was wet, so I decided, for safety reasons, for an alternative plan - a tour around the island and a visit to another remnant of World War II - the American anti-ship guns that are still stationed on the island. Not functional, of course, and now only a tourist attraction. They are located in a total of 4 places around the island.
Here, in particular, there are regular ATV tours, so finding the way was no problem at all. I just had to go around some parts through the forest, because there were a lot of potholes on the road that were full of water and mud.
First location, just above Vaitape.
I was surprised to see that despite being placed in a rather harsh environment (high humidity, salt in the air...) the guns are still in relatively good condition, even the markings on the individual bolts can still be read.
A view from the hill, at the beginning of the trail:
Another location, this time across from Motu Tevairoa. The cannons here are aimed at Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort & Spa (-:
They come here on trips in an old customized Range Rover Defender. In terms of distance, it's not too far from the main road, but, the climb is really very steep, although it doesn't look like it in the photos.
Matira beach, basically the only one on the main island. I mean, there were a few other beaches around the coast, but those weren't really worth mentioning or photographing
.Strangely enough, there weren't that many people, well, in the northern part. There were more people the closer you got to the southern tip.
Otherwise, the whole area was pretty much built up, where nothing was built, there was at least a fence with a no-entry sign in most cases.
For example, I wanted to visit "Raititi Point" (I'm taking the name from Google Maps), however, I couldn't figure out a reasonable way to get there without having to climb over the wall. And I didn't feel like wading.
The next day I had planned to climb Mt. Pahia, but it had rained the night before and everything was wet, so I decided, for safety reasons, for an alternative plan - a tour around the island and a visit to another remnant of World War II - the American anti-ship guns that are still stationed on the island. Not functional, of course, and now only a tourist attraction. They are located in a total of 4 places around the island.
Here, in particular, there are regular ATV tours, so finding the way was no problem at all. I just had to go around some parts through the forest, because there were a lot of potholes on the road that were full of water and mud.
First location, just above Vaitape.
I was surprised to see that despite being placed in a rather harsh environment (high humidity, salt in the air...) the guns are still in relatively good condition, even the markings on the individual bolts can still be read.
A view from the hill, at the beginning of the trail:
Another location, this time across from Motu Tevairoa. The cannons here are aimed at Bora Bora Pearl Beach Resort & Spa (-:
They come here on trips in an old customized Range Rover Defender. In terms of distance, it's not too far from the main road, but, the climb is really very steep, although it doesn't look like it in the photos.
Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
Don't worry!
I often came back from holidays and checking pictures I thought: "Why I didn't make this pic in a different way?"
Poser!
How many square meter they need for all listings?
And don't worry, you are already on the list:
- bong_20230505.jpg (173.47 KiB) 22036 mal betrachtet
Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
Happens to me as well (-: Another reason I had to visit Seychelles multiple times (-:
Cool, thanks for that! (-: Now my experience of Bora Bora is complete and I don't have to eventually go back.
Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
I would like to apologize at the beginning for the extended interval between posts, unfortunately I have a lot of other obligations at the moment and so I am using my early morning time to move forward with these... 
Anyway, let's continue with Bora Bora (-:
I have encountered this type of mailbox on almost every island, but on Bora Bora it was very popular (-:
Photos from the eastern part of the island:
Bild "pxl_20230506_21122653qdexn.jpg" anzeigen.
In the background, a kind of "social" version of OWB. If you want a themed selfie from Bora Bora and don't want to pay thousands of EUR for OWB on a motu, you have that option too. Here it costs only a few hundred (-:
However, I think the best solution, in terms of "bang for the buck" is to buy a day pass to one of the resorts on motu and take those selfies there
View of Mt. Otemanu shrouded in clouds:
And this is what the local bus stops look like, however, if I have understood correctly, this is not for regular public transport, but for the school buses:
The day and a half passed quickly and it was time to move on again. A view of Vaitape harbour from the ferry:
As I wrote a few posts back, the ferry ride was also a sightseeing trip in a way, so I came to the conclusion that I can cancel the originally planned lagoon tour and probably won't miss anything significant. After all, I can feed the fish anywhere on the islands, and I'm not too keen on group activities anyway (-:
An art installation not far from the airport, I didn't look into what exactly it was supposed to represent. However, at first glance, it resembled a rubber doll (-:
One more view of the main island, this time from the "airport beach" on Motu Mute.
One thing was a bit disappointing, which was that it was not possible to walk freely around the airports, especially on the motu. At all. Everything was surrounded by a fence. It's a shame because you typically get to the airport about an hour and a half before departure and check-in is quick, so there's more than enough time.
I tried it once and was promptly warned. Of course, I had no intention of walking the runway, just to explore the motu a bit more…
And as usual, a picture of the plane before departure.
Otherwise, I was ultimately happy that I visited Bora Bora.
I expected it to be more touristy, but in the end the island was fairly quiet, even on Matira beach it was possible to find a place that wasn't particularly busy. Except for a few spots of course but, nothing that couldn't be avoided. It is definitely an interesting place to see and one can plan an interesting program for a few days.
Most importantly, I can say that I've been to Bora Bora
I've been asked about it by about 80% of people...
Anyway, let's continue with Bora Bora (-:
I have encountered this type of mailbox on almost every island, but on Bora Bora it was very popular (-:
Photos from the eastern part of the island:
Bild "pxl_20230506_21122653qdexn.jpg" anzeigen.
In the background, a kind of "social" version of OWB. If you want a themed selfie from Bora Bora and don't want to pay thousands of EUR for OWB on a motu, you have that option too. Here it costs only a few hundred (-:
However, I think the best solution, in terms of "bang for the buck" is to buy a day pass to one of the resorts on motu and take those selfies there
View of Mt. Otemanu shrouded in clouds:
And this is what the local bus stops look like, however, if I have understood correctly, this is not for regular public transport, but for the school buses:
The day and a half passed quickly and it was time to move on again. A view of Vaitape harbour from the ferry:
As I wrote a few posts back, the ferry ride was also a sightseeing trip in a way, so I came to the conclusion that I can cancel the originally planned lagoon tour and probably won't miss anything significant. After all, I can feed the fish anywhere on the islands, and I'm not too keen on group activities anyway (-:
An art installation not far from the airport, I didn't look into what exactly it was supposed to represent. However, at first glance, it resembled a rubber doll (-:
One more view of the main island, this time from the "airport beach" on Motu Mute.
One thing was a bit disappointing, which was that it was not possible to walk freely around the airports, especially on the motu. At all. Everything was surrounded by a fence. It's a shame because you typically get to the airport about an hour and a half before departure and check-in is quick, so there's more than enough time.
I tried it once and was promptly warned. Of course, I had no intention of walking the runway, just to explore the motu a bit more…
And as usual, a picture of the plane before departure.
Otherwise, I was ultimately happy that I visited Bora Bora.
I expected it to be more touristy, but in the end the island was fairly quiet, even on Matira beach it was possible to find a place that wasn't particularly busy. Except for a few spots of course but, nothing that couldn't be avoided. It is definitely an interesting place to see and one can plan an interesting program for a few days.
Most importantly, I can say that I've been to Bora Bora
I've been asked about it by about 80% of people...Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
I am glad you shared your thoughts on Bora Bora and enjoyed your stay.
It seems to have become somewhat fashionable to favour Maupiti over Bora Bora because of BB's excessive tourism with OWB structures etc.
However, like you, I found the main island to be surprisingly calm and relaxed.
And I have yet to find an island with a topography as impressive as Bora Bora's. I guess there is no "second Bora Bora", just like there is no second Venice.
It seems to have become somewhat fashionable to favour Maupiti over Bora Bora because of BB's excessive tourism with OWB structures etc.
However, like you, I found the main island to be surprisingly calm and relaxed.
And I have yet to find an island with a topography as impressive as Bora Bora's. I guess there is no "second Bora Bora", just like there is no second Venice.
Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
You're welcome, thanks for reading and feedback (-:
Yes, yes, you're right, I've noticed this too, to some extent. Especially with Europeans. Maupiti is a beautiful island indeed, however, as I wrote a few pages back, the place seems a bit overhyped to me.
However, as far as Americans are concerned, Bora Bora still leads the way there, at least that's the impression I got when I was planning my trip over the last few years. And on the spot too (-:
In fact, Bora Bora was the only place I didn't feel like I was somewhere in the middle of France - in terms of the composition of visitors.
The truth is that, as you write, the topography of the island is somewhat unique and I spent quite a bit of time just gazing at the hilltops.
I still can't believe the weather worked out that well for me.
Yes, yes, you're right, I've noticed this too, to some extent. Especially with Europeans. Maupiti is a beautiful island indeed, however, as I wrote a few pages back, the place seems a bit overhyped to me.
However, as far as Americans are concerned, Bora Bora still leads the way there, at least that's the impression I got when I was planning my trip over the last few years. And on the spot too (-:
In fact, Bora Bora was the only place I didn't feel like I was somewhere in the middle of France - in terms of the composition of visitors.
The truth is that, as you write, the topography of the island is somewhat unique and I spent quite a bit of time just gazing at the hilltops.
I still can't believe the weather worked out that well for me.
Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
Otherwise, Bora Bora was my last stop in the Society Islands (not counting the return to Tahiti).
This was followed by an approximately two-hour flight to the Tuamotu archipelago, with Tikehau Island as my first stop. There was no other way to plan it according to the flight schedule - as long as I wanted to visit both Tikehau and Fakarava at the same time.
Few pictures from the flight & from the Airport:
By the way, I probably liked the airport in Tikehau the most - it was so cozy and nice, it had the right feel of a small airport on a tropical island in the middle of the ocean. Just pure romance.
This was followed by an approximately two-hour flight to the Tuamotu archipelago, with Tikehau Island as my first stop. There was no other way to plan it according to the flight schedule - as long as I wanted to visit both Tikehau and Fakarava at the same time.
Few pictures from the flight & from the Airport:
By the way, I probably liked the airport in Tikehau the most - it was so cozy and nice, it had the right feel of a small airport on a tropical island in the middle of the ocean. Just pure romance.
Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
I was sad that as an EU citizen I did not get my passport stamped when I entered French Polynesia...
However, then we found out that you can lend a stamp at local airports...
However, then we found out that you can lend a stamp at local airports...
Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
Checked some photos from the plane and it doesn't look that way...
Looking at Wiki...
So, probably not.
Looking at Wiki...
Tikehau Airport is an airport on Tikehau atoll in French Polynesia (IATA: TIH, ICAO: NTGC). The airport is located 1 km southeast of Tuherahera. It was inaugurated in 1977. In 2009, 41,817 passengers transited through Tikehau.
The airport has minimal services: there is no runway lighting system for landing at night, no instrument approach and no control tower.
So, probably not.
Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
First of all, I'd like to apologize for the delay, I've got a couple of projects that I needed to finish, so I had to redirect all my capacity to that...
I was sure I wanted to visit Fakarava. And since I had the opportunity to visit a total of three islands in the Tuamotu area, I thought it would be a shame to see just one.
In the end, I preferred Tikehau (to Rangiroa). Mainly for the following reasons:
- Smaller size and I can comfortably explore the main island and the village of Tuherahera.
- Nice beaches (While there are basically no beaches on the main island of Rangiroa)
- Overall, I felt that Tikehau had a sleepy, more authentic vibe and not as much developed tourism. Which suits me fine.
- I also liked that I can kayak from the main island to the small deserted motus around it comfortably, and overall this island seemed like a better fit for non-divers.
Just for the sake of trips to the surrounding motus I was looking for some accommodation right on the beach, rather in the eastern part. At the same time, I wanted to be on the main island, which I also wanted to explore, and it seemed more practical overall.
So, two accommodation options came out of that, namely Pension Hotu and Pension Justine. Ratings similar, price similar, amenities similar...
In the end I chose Justine, I don't really know why... However, I can say that at least the stretch of beach in front of Justine is kind of nicer and closer to the bungalows and palm trees, so you can be in the shade and right by the water at the same time. I wanted to check out the bungalows in Hotu, but unfortunately my French wasn't good enough and I didn't feel like fooling around with a translator.
Accommodation OK, rustic, authentic atmosphere, sometimes the water not working, sometimes I lost 3G signal and so I went looking for it during my communication windows... It added nicely to the overall atmosphere on the island - meant in a good way. Wifi was available, but only at the main building and it was generally weaker, so I worked with a local sim. The staff didn't speak English but like at all. However, I could understand the basic information. I only needed to deal with something extra once and the French tourists were helpful with that.
My bungalow:
Few pictures from the grounds:
The beach in front of the bungalows:
Ray at the beach, in the evening you could see small sharks as well:
Sunsets were just beautiful:
As usual on these islands, the accommodation included half board. Dinner was good, at least from what I tasted (I don't eat after 4:00 pm), breakfast, well, a bit weak even by local standards. Two days in a row there weren't even fresh baguettes, only some kind of sweetish fried pancakes/doughnuts made of not very good yeast dough.
To be clear, I certainly don't expect a buffet breakfast like in a European hotel in such a guesthouse and place, but a cheap basic of what is locally available is enough for me.
Oh, I'm just saying that so I don't keep praising. I'd stay there again. If I'm traveling to a place like Tikehau, I don't care much about the accommodations or the food.
I was sure I wanted to visit Fakarava. And since I had the opportunity to visit a total of three islands in the Tuamotu area, I thought it would be a shame to see just one.
In the end, I preferred Tikehau (to Rangiroa). Mainly for the following reasons:
- Smaller size and I can comfortably explore the main island and the village of Tuherahera.
- Nice beaches (While there are basically no beaches on the main island of Rangiroa)
- Overall, I felt that Tikehau had a sleepy, more authentic vibe and not as much developed tourism. Which suits me fine.
- I also liked that I can kayak from the main island to the small deserted motus around it comfortably, and overall this island seemed like a better fit for non-divers.
Just for the sake of trips to the surrounding motus I was looking for some accommodation right on the beach, rather in the eastern part. At the same time, I wanted to be on the main island, which I also wanted to explore, and it seemed more practical overall.
So, two accommodation options came out of that, namely Pension Hotu and Pension Justine. Ratings similar, price similar, amenities similar...
In the end I chose Justine, I don't really know why... However, I can say that at least the stretch of beach in front of Justine is kind of nicer and closer to the bungalows and palm trees, so you can be in the shade and right by the water at the same time. I wanted to check out the bungalows in Hotu, but unfortunately my French wasn't good enough and I didn't feel like fooling around with a translator.
Accommodation OK, rustic, authentic atmosphere, sometimes the water not working, sometimes I lost 3G signal and so I went looking for it during my communication windows... It added nicely to the overall atmosphere on the island - meant in a good way. Wifi was available, but only at the main building and it was generally weaker, so I worked with a local sim. The staff didn't speak English but like at all. However, I could understand the basic information. I only needed to deal with something extra once and the French tourists were helpful with that.
My bungalow:
Few pictures from the grounds:
The beach in front of the bungalows:
Ray at the beach, in the evening you could see small sharks as well:
Sunsets were just beautiful:
As usual on these islands, the accommodation included half board. Dinner was good, at least from what I tasted (I don't eat after 4:00 pm), breakfast, well, a bit weak even by local standards. Two days in a row there weren't even fresh baguettes, only some kind of sweetish fried pancakes/doughnuts made of not very good yeast dough.
To be clear, I certainly don't expect a buffet breakfast like in a European hotel in such a guesthouse and place, but a cheap basic of what is locally available is enough for me.
Oh, I'm just saying that so I don't keep praising.
I'd stay there again. If I'm traveling to a place like Tikehau, I don't care much about the accommodations or the food.
Zuletzt geändert von Bong!!! am 29 Okt 2023 22:58, insgesamt 3-mal geändert.
Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
The main road leading to the centre of the motu Tuherahera, where the village of the same name is located.
One of the local supermarkets. It was closed during my stay, but it didn't seem to be closed for good. According to information in various discussions on the web, there was supposed to be only one supermarket on the island. However, there are at least three in total - in addition to this one, there is another one and then a bakery, which of course also offers a range of classic mixed goods. As far as the availability is concerned, I’d say that you can get everything that is necessary… From the posts across various travel forums, I had the impression that general availability of goods is a problem, but I’d say that it is not…
Supermarket No. 2, this is where I made my shopping.... Free bicycles were available in the guesthouse, technical condition similar to those on La Digue, maybe a little worse... But for the few kilometers of straight roads on the island, it was more than enough…
Boulangerie / bakery:
Basic necessities were no problem to get…
The "Alcool" bottle, I didn't drink it with that juice. It was a disinfectant.
I mean, as is my good habit, I feel like I'm gonna hurt my leg every time I go on a trip like this... This time I was walking barefoot on one of the motos near the main island and a piece of coral got stuck in my foot.
I cut out the coral fragment a few hours later when I was back in my room and disinfected the wound with wipes from the plane. However, the wound had festered and my foot had swollen...
Soaking the injured foot in salt water did not contribute to healing, rather the opposite, and overall it was a problem to keep it clean, even though I regularly cleaned and disinfected the wound.
However, until the end of my stay I could not walk properly... Of course, I did not stay in the room and tried to go according to the original plan, after all, how often do you get to Polynesia...
After returning home, the injury healed fairly quickly…
Local comm tower, near the village, I’ve been hanging around when I needed to send some bigger data or make video call back home:
There are restaurants as well, so you don’t have to depend on the place you’re staying in:
Local school:
And there’s been a tombola:
With an interesting prizes, still in the process of decryption / translation of some.
And the church. Adventists of the 7th day were present as well, of course
One of the local supermarkets. It was closed during my stay, but it didn't seem to be closed for good. According to information in various discussions on the web, there was supposed to be only one supermarket on the island. However, there are at least three in total - in addition to this one, there is another one and then a bakery, which of course also offers a range of classic mixed goods. As far as the availability is concerned, I’d say that you can get everything that is necessary… From the posts across various travel forums, I had the impression that general availability of goods is a problem, but I’d say that it is not…
Supermarket No. 2, this is where I made my shopping.... Free bicycles were available in the guesthouse, technical condition similar to those on La Digue, maybe a little worse... But for the few kilometers of straight roads on the island, it was more than enough…
Boulangerie / bakery:
Basic necessities were no problem to get…
The "Alcool" bottle, I didn't drink it with that juice.
It was a disinfectant.I mean, as is my good habit, I feel like I'm gonna hurt my leg every time I go on a trip like this... This time I was walking barefoot on one of the motos near the main island and a piece of coral got stuck in my foot.
I cut out the coral fragment a few hours later when I was back in my room and disinfected the wound with wipes from the plane. However, the wound had festered and my foot had swollen...
Soaking the injured foot in salt water did not contribute to healing, rather the opposite, and overall it was a problem to keep it clean, even though I regularly cleaned and disinfected the wound.
However, until the end of my stay I could not walk properly... Of course, I did not stay in the room and tried to go according to the original plan, after all, how often do you get to Polynesia...
After returning home, the injury healed fairly quickly…
Local comm tower, near the village, I’ve been hanging around when I needed to send some bigger data or make video call back home:
There are restaurants as well, so you don’t have to depend on the place you’re staying in:
Local school:
And there’s been a tombola:
With an interesting prizes, still in the process of decryption / translation of some.
And the church. Adventists of the 7th day were present as well, of course
Re: French Polynesia in April/May 2023 (Travelogue in English)
But what I liked the most was kayaking in the lagoon, around the small motus and admiring all the shades of blue. Except for one morning when the sky was overcast with a brief shower, the weather was great - no wind and clear skies.
I never met anyone on the small motus east of Tuherahera. Except when I went there with some other guests from the pension.
Overall, the landscape was very interesting - from small beaches made up of pink sand to a barren land made up of coarser coral sand, where I didn't even see crabs, which were otherwise everywhere. It was fascinating to watch the sometimes huge waves crashing against the outer coral barrier from here.
The water was perfectly clean and clear. Basically, there was no need for snorkeling gear. It was also a bit confusing at times - when I walked between some of the adjacent motus, I expected like knee-deep water, but in reality it was more than waist-deep.
“Le Tikehau” resort, one of the fanciest places on the island:
But some of the motus were kind of inhabited - I suppose if coconut palms were grown there. Judging by the more or less advanced shelters constructed on these.
This particular one kind of reminded me of Eeyore's house from the Winnie the Pooh books - sparsely furnished, yet purposefully…
Motu Tavararo, on the other side:
I once took a yellow double kayak because there was no other kayak available... And that was a mistake...
There was a hole at the rope hook somenoe has installed on it & water got in. It didn’t sink, but became very hard if not impossible to manuever... I've noticed like 3 kilometres from the beach in front of the pension... Had to jump off into the water & swim with that thing back all the way… A good exercise if nothing else…
Those few days on Tikehau flew by like nothing and it was time for another flight. This time to the last island - Fakarava. With a brief stop at Rangiroa.
Tikehau is one of the places I'd like to return to...
Quick stop on Rangiroa on the way to Fakarava. I had like 2 hours before flight, so, like Raiatea, just a quick walk around & quick bite at the airport.
Weather was picture perfect as usual... (-:
& the flight to Fakarava:
Atols of Arutua & Apataki:
& Welcome to Fakarava
Link to video: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/879152452
Did someone say something about picture perfect weather?
I never met anyone on the small motus east of Tuherahera. Except when I went there with some other guests from the pension.
Overall, the landscape was very interesting - from small beaches made up of pink sand to a barren land made up of coarser coral sand, where I didn't even see crabs, which were otherwise everywhere. It was fascinating to watch the sometimes huge waves crashing against the outer coral barrier from here.
The water was perfectly clean and clear. Basically, there was no need for snorkeling gear. It was also a bit confusing at times - when I walked between some of the adjacent motus, I expected like knee-deep water, but in reality it was more than waist-deep.
“Le Tikehau” resort, one of the fanciest places on the island:
But some of the motus were kind of inhabited - I suppose if coconut palms were grown there. Judging by the more or less advanced shelters constructed on these.
This particular one kind of reminded me of Eeyore's house from the Winnie the Pooh books - sparsely furnished, yet purposefully…
Motu Tavararo, on the other side:
I once took a yellow double kayak because there was no other kayak available... And that was a mistake...
There was a hole at the rope hook somenoe has installed on it & water got in. It didn’t sink, but became very hard if not impossible to manuever... I've noticed like 3 kilometres from the beach in front of the pension... Had to jump off into the water & swim with that thing back all the way… A good exercise if nothing else…
Those few days on Tikehau flew by like nothing and it was time for another flight. This time to the last island - Fakarava. With a brief stop at Rangiroa.
Tikehau is one of the places I'd like to return to...
Quick stop on Rangiroa on the way to Fakarava. I had like 2 hours before flight, so, like Raiatea, just a quick walk around & quick bite at the airport.
Weather was picture perfect as usual... (-:
& the flight to Fakarava:
Atols of Arutua & Apataki:
& Welcome to Fakarava
Link to video: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/879152452
Did someone say something about picture perfect weather?