It is an old sailor's tradition, after crossing the pacific ocean, to get a Polynesian tattoo. Back when we when we were still land livers, we would daydream and talk about our Polynesian tattoos that we would someday get. Then, during our pacific crossing, our conversations became more real and detailed about the tattoos; what kind of tattoo do we want to get, wear on our body's to put it, would we get matching tattoos, etc. We intended on getting ours in the Marquesas, where it is thought that tattoos originated. But, we were lazy and never got it done. So, now that we are in our last stop in Polynesia, it was time for us to stop being lazy and actually do it.

After a bit of internet searching, we found a tattoo place located right downtown in the village of Vaitape. Ok, there really isn't a downtown; the village stores are all located on one street, less than a mile long. We easily found the place, and made an appointment. We were told not to drink any beer for a few days after the tattoos, so that evening, on last beer drinking night for a few days, we toasted a few while watching the sunset, again at Bloody Marys.

The next day, Thursday, we arrived promptly at 8am for our tattoo appointments. Tom was up first and he decided on a hammerhead shark on his upper left arm. Because of the great detail of the tattoo, it took 4 hours for his to complete. After a lunch break, it was my turn. I chose a turtle, with a dolphin on the turtle's back, to be placed on my right ankle. My tattoo took 3 hours to complete. We both had "Tanga" written into our tattoos, to signify our sailing experience. We are both extremely pleased with our tattoos and we would high recommend this tattoo parlor. I think it's called Polynesia Tattoo. The tattoo artist does it all by freehand. You tell him what you want, he draws the design on your skin, then he begins the tattoo. The longer time you give him, the more detailed it will be.

Today, we woke to grey dark skys and rain. Mount Otemanu, which we can see perfectly from our back porch, was covered in clouds for most of today. This afternoon, the sun has come out but the winds are pretty strong. Since we got some chores done yesterday and today, we are treating ourselves to dinner at Bloody Marys again. They've named a table after us since we are been there so much!

I added some pictures of our tattoos to the Bora Bora photo gallery, if you want to see them.