December 13, 2021
After 2 long years of no travel due, our very long overdue (and postponed 2020) Christmas trip had arrived. We were all very excited when the early alarm went off at 3:45 am, and we awoke to await our car pickup. In order to maintain the highest levels of COVID safety, and not to share a regular car with a driver, I booked us a limo for our trip to the airport.
After 2 long years of no travel due, our very long overdue (and postponed 2020) Christmas trip had arrived. We were all very excited when the early alarm went off at 3:45 am, and we awoke to await our car pickup. In order to maintain the highest levels of COVID safety, and not to share a regular car with a driver, I booked us a limo for our trip to the airport.
After an uneventful ride, we got to the airport and got our traditional photo.
Then had a light second breakfast in Sky Club while awaiting boarding time.
Liz had chosen to sit by Dad on the way to Los Angeles, with me right behind. She was thrilled to be flying again after 2 years.
We arrived at LAX, collected our bags, and stopped at a kiosk for COVID tests, as we needed tested 48 hours prior to departing for French Polynesia. After a quick nose tickle, we texted our guide that we were ready and she arrived to get us about 10 minutes later.
I had arranged for us to have a private tour guide/driver for our day in LA, and Emily did not disappoint. She had a spacious van for us, was very knowledgeable about LA, stayed masked all day (as did we whenever we were in the van together), and was funny and personable. She began our tour by taking us past Nakatomi Plaza, the site of Tommy's favorite Christmas movie. Then we swung through Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, and saw some interesting homes including "the Witch's House" and the home where Lucille Ball lived and passed away in in 1989.
I had arranged for us to have a private tour guide/driver for our day in LA, and Emily did not disappoint. She had a spacious van for us, was very knowledgeable about LA, stayed masked all day (as did we whenever we were in the van together), and was funny and personable. She began our tour by taking us past Nakatomi Plaza, the site of Tommy's favorite Christmas movie. Then we swung through Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, and saw some interesting homes including "the Witch's House" and the home where Lucille Ball lived and passed away in in 1989.
By this time, our Eastern-time-zone based bodies were ready for some lunch, so Emily drove us over to the Farmers Market for lunch. There were so many choices, we took our time walking around first, exploring all the options available to us. We chose some empanadas, lobster bisque, tacos, and sushi. Everything was fantastic, and it was a wonderfully fun lunch - and Lizzy's first time out at a "restaurant" (sort of?) since late February 2020.
After the Farmers Market we walked over to the adjoining Grove shopping mall for a quick bathroom break and to see the gigantic Christmas tree.
After meeting back up with Emily, we drove over to the La Brea tar pits. En route, we saw this original section of the Berlin wall, the largest section remaining in the world outside of Berlin.
The LaBrea Tar Pits was exceptional. First, we walked around outside, spending a good amount of time at the active, and very bubbly, tar pit right outside the museum entrance. Also, throughout the grounds, you will see green traffic cones. These mark places where tar (asphalt) is activley bubbling up from the ground. The dirt around the site is very strange - it's very soft and spongy due to all of the seepage in the area.
We enjoyed the museum itself, which while small, had lots of interactivity to explore. It was also nice that hardly anyone else was there (being a Monday afternoon), so we had time to see everything we wanted while feeling very safe.
After we were finished, we walked over the LACMA grounds past an outdoor art installation, on our way to meet Emily for pickup.
Next, we drove over to the Walk of Fame area, and visited the Chinese Theater. Lizzy was quite excited to find the handprints from the Hunger Games cast, and her hand is nearly the size of Jennifer Lawrence's.
After, we hopped back in the car to our final stop, Griffith Observatory to watch the sunset and see the Hollywood sign. While it was drizzly, it was still beautiful.
As we were driving down from the observatory, Lizzy spotted some deer, which according to Emily is a rather rare sight.
Emily dropped us off at our hotel, the Universal Hilton, where we had a room with a view of Universal Studios. We got settled, cleaned up from our travel/sightseeing day, and then went over to City Walk to get some dinner. While we were waiting for our table, we popped into the Universal Studios store and found BORT KEYCHAINS!! We were all so thrilled, and each bought one.
Dinner, her first true restaurant visit in over a year and a half, was at a pretty decent Mexican restaurant at City Walk. We may have over ordered, since we were all pretty hungry, but it was a wonderful meal. We went back to the hotel to get a good night's sleep for our next big day.
December 14, 2021
We woke up to find a cloudy and drizzly morning, which made the view out of our hotel window of the theme park extra dramatic.
December 14, 2021
We woke up to find a cloudy and drizzly morning, which made the view out of our hotel window of the theme park extra dramatic.
We got dressed, packed up our bags, dropped them with the bell staff, and went down to have first breakfast at the hotel restaurant. We loved all the Christmas decorations throughout our trip.
We headed over to the theme park, as we had a 9:45 VIP tour. We checked into the VIP entrance around 9:15, and were ushered up to the VIP hospitality area for second breakfast while we waited for our tour guide. There was lots of cool memorabilia in the hospitality suite, like Emmy and Oscar awards, movie costumes, film scripts, etc. Lizzy took some photos while we waited.
Our tour guide, Tony, met up with us and the other members of our small group for the day, and we set off through the park for our first stop, the studio backlot tour. Universal Studios is a working movie and television set, with a theme park attached to it. The regular studio backlot tour features trams that go through a pre-determined route, and guests can't get off the tram. The VIP tour allows the guests to get off at certain stops and have a look around! While we weren't able to see the courthouse square from Back to the Future today (as it was being used for an active movie shoot), nor could we visit the prop house due to COVID protocols, we saw TONS of other really neat stuff.
We saw cars that have been used in films, drove through simulations of a flood, a subway during an earthquake, did the King Kong experience, went past the Jaws set, and saw the Bates motel and mother's house, as well as the 747 wreckage from War of the Worlds.
We saw cars that have been used in films, drove through simulations of a flood, a subway during an earthquake, did the King Kong experience, went past the Jaws set, and saw the Bates motel and mother's house, as well as the 747 wreckage from War of the Worlds.
After the studio tour, it was time for some rides. We all LOVED The Simpsons ride.
After riding The Simpsons ride, it was lunch time. We had a spectacular buffet lunch just for the VIP group, and were visited by Lucy.
After lunch, we rode several other rides - Secret Life of Pets, Minon Mayhem, Kung Fu Panda - but we were all eager to get to the Harry Potter rides. Liz has always expressed hesitancy about roller coasters, but she agreed to try Flight of the Hippogriff - and she loved it! After that, we did Ollivander's Wand Shop and she got selected to do the wand choosing ceremony. She ultimately ended up purchasing a different wand than the one that "chose" her, as she wanted one that was different in appearance.
After Ollivander's, we rode Forbidden Journey which we all enjoyed.
After Waterworld, Tony bid the group his goodbyes, which meant we had the rest of the day (3 more hours) to do what we wanted at the park, using our VIP passes to skip the lines. Of course, we went back to Springfield to spend some more time there, ride The Simpsons ride again, and get a Lard Lad doughnut.
After Waterworld, Tony bid the group his goodbyes, which meant we had the rest of the day (3 more hours) to do what we wanted at the park, using our VIP passes to skip the lines. Of course, we went back to Springfield to spend some more time there, ride The Simpsons ride again, and get a Lard Lad doughnut.
They were out of BORT name tags!
After Springfield (which we all LOVED), we went back to ride Forbidden Journey again, and Lizzy ended the evening by using her wand at the interactive parts around Hogsmeade.
Around park closing time, we headed back to the hotel lobby to collect our bags, eat our doughnut, and await our limo pickup to go to LAX.
Around park closing time, we headed back to the hotel lobby to collect our bags, eat our doughnut, and await our limo pickup to go to LAX.
Once arriving at LAX and showing ALL THE PAPERWORK necessary to enter French Polynesia, we dropped our bags, cleared security, and played some Uno in the KLM lounge until boarding time.
There's our plane!
There's our plane!
Fortunately we were the first group to board, so we had extra time to get all settled in and comfy. Liz and I had 2 seats together, with Dad in front of her. It was a very comfy setup, and Liz had no trouble getting snuggled down for sleeping on the overnight flight.
December 15, 2021
After sleeping, Liz awoke and we got changed out of our pjs and into our shorts and t-shirts in preparation for arrival in French Polynesia.
After sleeping, Liz awoke and we got changed out of our pjs and into our shorts and t-shirts in preparation for arrival in French Polynesia.
After clearing immigration and customs, we had to do another round of COVID tests to show we were negative, then we grabbed our bags and dropped them for our Air Tahiti flight to Bora Bora. We just made the final boarding call (the arrival procedures took a REALLY long time), but even though we were last in line they let us jump the queue so Lizzy and I could sit together, since the flights on Air Tahiti don't have assigned seating.
We boarded right on the tarmac.
We boarded right on the tarmac.
After only 45 minutes, we arrived in Bora Bora.
The TINY Bora Bora airport is on its own island, so you have to take a boat to get to your resort.
That building is the airport terminal.
Sign upon leaving the Bora Bora Airport.
The boat ride took about 20 minutes, and the scenery wasn't too awful.
We arrived at our hotel around 10:00 am, and the staff took our bags and escorted us to the outdoor lounge to welcome us, acclimate us to the resort, and offer us a refreshing welcome drink. We were pleased when our "island host" (Butler) informed us that our room was ready.
Our host took us around the resort on the golf cart, showing us the locations of everything we needed. He ended our tour by taking us to our bungalow, Room 117. When we had booked our room, we had booked only a standard overwater bungalow. We were delighted to see we had been upgraded not only to a pool overwater bungalow, but one in the most prime location with the most exceptional uninterrputed ocean views. This room was so incredible, words don't do it justice. Hopefully photos will.
After a short time getting settled, we decided to try out the ladder into the ocean and the pool.
Then it was lunch time. We had our first meal in French Polynesia at the beach grill, with the sand floor. Liz enjoyed coconut and pizza.
Liz and Dad went to the beach and larger pool for awhile while I napped. Upon their return to the room, they spotted a group of eagle rays. Turns out these eagle rays permanently hang out around bungalows 116, 117, and 118, and seeing them multiple times each day became a daily joy.
We all got dressed for dinner, dining at the French restaurant. The evening was beautiful and the food delicious. Liz had scallops, and tried all the amuse bouche the chef provided.
As we were preparing to go to bed, there was a quiet knock at the door. Our Butler had sent Lizzy a sweet little bear, which she named Bob (BOB is the airport code for Bora Bora!)
It was an extraordinary day in paradise, and we all slept well.
December 16, 2021
After breakfast, we spent a few hours at the beach.
December 16, 2021
After breakfast, we spent a few hours at the beach.
We had lunch at the pool cabanas.
We then spent the afternoon snorkeling off of our verandah, seeing TONS of beautiful fish. It was incredibly fun.
For dinner, we ate at the sushi restaurant, sitting over the glass floor. It was delicious and fun!
For dinner, we ate at the sushi restaurant, sitting over the glass floor. It was delicious and fun!
We headed back after dinner, enjoying the beautiful Christmas decorations.
Liz and I decided to sleep out on our net on our verandah, spending several hours asleep until some overnigt rain was heading in and we moved indoors.
December 17, 2021
Dad went diving this morning, so Liz and I had breakfast, walked around, and then spent the morning playing at the super powdery white sand beach. The blazing sun was beautiful.
("Spamton my dear" - Lizzy)
December 17, 2021
Dad went diving this morning, so Liz and I had breakfast, walked around, and then spent the morning playing at the super powdery white sand beach. The blazing sun was beautiful.
("Spamton my dear" - Lizzy)
After Dad returned from diving, we retreated to our room for an afternoon break from the hot sunshine. While Liz and Dad waited in the room, I climbed up to the observation point for some photos; here's our little bungalow, Room 117.
After a later afternoon swim, we headed over to the traditional Polynesian dinner show. The piglets were roasted all day in a pit of hot coals, covered in banana leaves. Everything was tender and delicious, and then we enjoyed a wonderful performance from our front row table (we got so lucky with our seats).
December 18, 2021
Another lovely day of beach time (we often had the Hilton Honors private beach completely to ourselves, because the resort was very sparsely occupied the week we were there), swimming off the back of our bungalow, enjoying our own pool, and working on our tans.
Another lovely day of beach time (we often had the Hilton Honors private beach completely to ourselves, because the resort was very sparsely occupied the week we were there), swimming off the back of our bungalow, enjoying our own pool, and working on our tans.
We had lunch at the grill with sunken tables near the pool. Liz had another coconut.
Afternoon was back in the room for a sun break and swimming off the back, as usual. We also "spotted" our Eagle Ray friends again.
Our dinner venue for the evening was the resort's Chinese restaurant, and Lizzy had the most beautiful pot of tea with her meal.
December 19, 2021
Another stunningly beautiful day in Bora Bora. We spent the morning at the Honors beach, and the afternoon mostly in our bungalow, swimming in the pool and ocean. We had room service lunch, and dinner was in the French restaurant again (which ended up being our favorite resort restaurant for food, along with the sushi restaurant for ambience).
December 20, 2021
Our last full day in Bora Bora was spent adventuring, after 5 days of not leaving the resort. After breakfast, we boarded this lovely little boat for our Manta Adventure.
We had 3 stops. Our first stop didn't yield any mantas, but our second stop yielded a male and and the third stop (very close to the Conrad) had FOUR LARGE female mantas. It was incredible. We were able to swim above them for a very long time, taking in their splendor.
After returning to the resort, we changed clothes and hopped on the resort shuttle boat into town. We found a little bistro, and Lizzy ordered tuna sashimi (her favorite thing to eat, which she will get without fail whenever it's available).
After lunch, we did some souvenier shopping (Liz bought a coaster and a stuffed dolphin), followed by a visit to a pearl shop (Liz got a black pearl bracelet). Then we got back on the 4:30 return shuttle boat to head back to the Conrad. Beautiful views from the boat, including room 117 directly under Mt. Otemanu in this photo!
Some mandatory pre-dinner jumping off the back deck and pool time.
One last Bora Bora dinner, back to the wonderful sushi restaurant.
December 21, 2021
Regretfully, we only had 6 nights at Conrad, and they had come to an end. After breakfast, we spent a few more hours swimming off our back deck and in the pool before we had to dry off and pack up to head to the airport.
Regretfully, we only had 6 nights at Conrad, and they had come to an end. After breakfast, we spent a few more hours swimming off our back deck and in the pool before we had to dry off and pack up to head to the airport.
Liz protesting our departure.
Farewell Spotted Eagle Rays.
Final lunch and final coconut at Conrad.
The cruel boat to take us to the airport.
Goodbye Conrad Bora Bora Nui.
Hello Bora Bora airport. Guess it's on to the next island.
Pretty empty flight to Moorea, and the views weren't too bad.
We arrived at Moorea airport about 30 minutes ahead of schedule, so once our driver arrived we headed to the Hilton Moorea. After the Conrad Bora Bora, it was a little bit of a letdown. However, we still enjoyed having an overwater bungalow, this one featured a glass section in the floor to enjoy the water views. Another benefit was even more coral directly off of our back deck than we had enjoyed in Bora Bora, so the easy access to hundred of colorful fish right off the ladder was spectacular.
It was a rainy evening in Moorea, so after dinner we called it a night and got some sleep for the next day's adventures.
December 22, 2021
Today we spent the entire morning and until mid-afternoon aboard a sailing catamaran, and we had the most amazing time. Our stops included snorkeling with black tip sharks and rays, a magnficient "coral garden" in between two motus (islands) where we fed a huge school of tropical fish bananas, lunch of poisson cru and fruit, and snorkeling with underwater tiki statues. The day was sunny and gorgeous, and it was an incredible, memorable experience.
It was a rainy evening in Moorea, so after dinner we called it a night and got some sleep for the next day's adventures.
December 22, 2021
Today we spent the entire morning and until mid-afternoon aboard a sailing catamaran, and we had the most amazing time. Our stops included snorkeling with black tip sharks and rays, a magnficient "coral garden" in between two motus (islands) where we fed a huge school of tropical fish bananas, lunch of poisson cru and fruit, and snorkeling with underwater tiki statues. The day was sunny and gorgeous, and it was an incredible, memorable experience.
Returning to the Hilton Moorea.
We finished our evening with dinner at the crepe restaurant
December 23, 2021
Today was a quiet beach day at the hotel, with really lovely sunshine all day. Sometimes beach days are the best days.
December 23, 2021
Today was a quiet beach day at the hotel, with really lovely sunshine all day. Sometimes beach days are the best days.
December 24, 2021
Time for another adventure! After breakfast we were picked up from the hotel by our guide for our private ATV tour of Moorea. We had 2 ATVs, and set out for our nearly 4-hour tour. We started out on the roads, then drove to the middle of the extinct volcano in the center of the island, surrounded by all the mountain peaks on all sides. It was incredible!
Time for another adventure! After breakfast we were picked up from the hotel by our guide for our private ATV tour of Moorea. We had 2 ATVs, and set out for our nearly 4-hour tour. We started out on the roads, then drove to the middle of the extinct volcano in the center of the island, surrounded by all the mountain peaks on all sides. It was incredible!
Next up we drove through the pineapple fields.
Then we drove all the way up the twisty mountain inclines to Belvedere Lookout Point.
A (hilarous) failed attempt at a "everyone jump" photo.
Then up to Magic Mountain for great views of the coast, including our hotel. On the way up, Tommy was attacked by a mango falling out of a tree, smacking him in the arm.
Liz spotted this smiling face in the hillside nearby, which made our guide very happy to see. He'll now point it out to his other guests.
Finally, our guide took us to a local fruit shop where we had some cold drinks, tasted (and bought) some local jams, and some other souveniers. It was a wonderful stop.
The ATV tour was a definite highlight of Moorea, along with our catamaran tour day. There's a LOT to do on the island of Moorea, perhaps more than on Bora Bora. Bora Bora is about relaxing and the amazing lagoon, Moorea is for doing things.
That evening the hotel hosted the Christmas Eve buffet, which was a fantastic spread preceded by a cocktail hour for guests. We managed to get some lovely photos together during this beautifully lit hour.
That evening the hotel hosted the Christmas Eve buffet, which was a fantastic spread preceded by a cocktail hour for guests. We managed to get some lovely photos together during this beautifully lit hour.
The buffet was good, and ended with another (surprise) Polynesian dance show.
December 25, 2021
Merry Christmas! Lizzy awoke to find her stocking had received a pearl bracelet very similiar to one she had been eyeing in Bora Bora, along with some cash. Lucky girl that Santa found her all the way out in the Society Islands.
December 25, 2021
Merry Christmas! Lizzy awoke to find her stocking had received a pearl bracelet very similiar to one she had been eyeing in Bora Bora, along with some cash. Lucky girl that Santa found her all the way out in the Society Islands.
After breakfast, the rest of the morning was spent swimming off our back deck, including some photos under the bungalow through the glass floor.
Mid-morning, the resort staff and "Santa" paid a visit to our bungalow, and brought Lizzy a gift of a French version of Monopoly.
In the afternoon, we borrowed a kayak for an hour and paddled around the lagoon at the resort.
We decided to go offsite for Christmas dinner, visiting a very good local steakhouse. It was a lovely end to our Christmas Day.
December 26, 2021
After breakfast, we gave ourselves a few last hours to swim around the coral off of our back deck. That's when we encountered Debra the Tormentor. After learning that fish liked to nibble on bananas, we had taken a banana (or two or six) from the breakfast buffet to swim and treat the fish with. We had gathered quite a nice grouping of fish when we looked up and saw a much larger fish drawing closer, which we initially misidentified as a (very poisonous) stonefish.
We quickly evacuated the water to have Dad come and help quantify the level of danger, when he pointed out it was just a curious pufferfish. While we were waiting for him to come and identify the danger-fish, Liz knocked a chunk of banana off the deck into the water. I was going to jump in and retrieve the precious banana, when Debra came up to the surface and took a huge chunk out of the frickin' banana. At this point, it became a game to be terrified of Debra and evacuate the water when she drew near.
December 26, 2021
After breakfast, we gave ourselves a few last hours to swim around the coral off of our back deck. That's when we encountered Debra the Tormentor. After learning that fish liked to nibble on bananas, we had taken a banana (or two or six) from the breakfast buffet to swim and treat the fish with. We had gathered quite a nice grouping of fish when we looked up and saw a much larger fish drawing closer, which we initially misidentified as a (very poisonous) stonefish.
We quickly evacuated the water to have Dad come and help quantify the level of danger, when he pointed out it was just a curious pufferfish. While we were waiting for him to come and identify the danger-fish, Liz knocked a chunk of banana off the deck into the water. I was going to jump in and retrieve the precious banana, when Debra came up to the surface and took a huge chunk out of the frickin' banana. At this point, it became a game to be terrified of Debra and evacuate the water when she drew near.
For the next hour, we kept watch for Debra, scurrying out of the water whenever she drew near. We were laughing until we were crying into our goggles.
Thank you, Debra the Tormentor, for making our final few hours at the Hilton Moorea such fun.
(not a photo of Debra)
Thank you, Debra the Tormentor, for making our final few hours at the Hilton Moorea such fun.
(not a photo of Debra)
We left our bags at the hotel and walked down the road for lunch at a nearby beach-front restaurant, where (surprise) Liz got tuna ceviche. It was a lovely little place to spend our last lunch on Moorea.
Our driver came to get us right on time, and we and our bags loaded up to head to the ferry terminal. This was Lizzy's first time ever on a ferry. It's a quick 20 minute crossing from Moorea to Papeete (the capital city of Tahiti).
We arrived at the Papeete ferry terminal, and were met by our driver to take us to our last hotel, the brand new (opened December 1) Hilton Tahiti. It was a beautiful new hotel. While we had to wait a little bit for our room to be ready, we were so pleased when we got into the room, as we had been upgraded to a very nice, and large, suite with a separate bedroom/living room for Lizzy.
Our dinner venue for the evening was the restaurant on site, which featured tiki shaped butter which we got a kick out of.
December 27, 2021
Today was our day to explore the island of Tahiti. We grabbed a rental car and set off, first to the Papeete market to get some souveniers. At the top of Lizzy's priority list was a dagger, and she found the perfect one made of a swordfish "sword", coconut twine, and a pig bone handle. She had to have it.
Today was our day to explore the island of Tahiti. We grabbed a rental car and set off, first to the Papeete market to get some souveniers. At the top of Lizzy's priority list was a dagger, and she found the perfect one made of a swordfish "sword", coconut twine, and a pig bone handle. She had to have it.
Also at the market we got a few other souveniers, then headed back to the car to continue our day. En route, we stopped into a little bistro to get some sandwiches and salads for lunch on the beach. Our next stop was Pointe de Venus Beach, where we enjoyed our picnic lunch and then spent some time with the incredible black sand. It was so soft and powdery, and the waves coming in made our feet sink dramatically. We loved it!
Throughout our drive, we had the ocean to our left, and the verdant mountains to our right, with cascading waterfalls ever so often.
We continued driving the entirety of Tahiti Nui, including passing by where it joins with Tahiti Iti (the smaller part of the conjoined islands), down to the southern shore where we stopped at Taharuu Beach to watch the surfers and bodyboarders. The beach here, while also black sand, was characterized by being covered not in black pebbles, but in smoothed chunks of black volcanic rock.
We circled back around to Papeete, heading back to our hotel to drop off our stuff and play some hide and seek in the room until dinner time, when we took our car into Papeete to have dinner from the famous food trucks. Guess what? Liz got a giant plate of tuna sashimi.
December 28, 2021
Our last day in Tahiti started with breakfast, followed by walking over to the shopping complex across the street to get COVID tests (negative of course) so we could fly home, then some pool time (our resort featured the largest swimming pool in French Polynesia). Then we walked back over to the complex to get some lunch from the grocery store (sushi for Liz, what a shock). A quiet afternoon was spent packing and relaxing, before wrapping up our day with dinner at the hotel restaurant.
Our last day in Tahiti started with breakfast, followed by walking over to the shopping complex across the street to get COVID tests (negative of course) so we could fly home, then some pool time (our resort featured the largest swimming pool in French Polynesia). Then we walked back over to the complex to get some lunch from the grocery store (sushi for Liz, what a shock). A quiet afternoon was spent packing and relaxing, before wrapping up our day with dinner at the hotel restaurant.
December 29, 2021
Seventeen days after we began, it was time to leave. We had a 6:45 pickup from our hotel, and we headed to Papeete airport. We got checked in and then had a bit of time to duty free shop and grab some snacks from the Air France lounge. Then we were able to board fight and take our seats, 12A, 12D, and 12F.
Seventeen days after we began, it was time to leave. We had a 6:45 pickup from our hotel, and we headed to Papeete airport. We got checked in and then had a bit of time to duty free shop and grab some snacks from the Air France lounge. Then we were able to board fight and take our seats, 12A, 12D, and 12F.
We were treated to a wonderful meal on board, with Liz choosing the shrimp curry and rice (as did I).
It was a most excellent flight, and 7.5 hours "flew" by far too quickly. Before we knew it, we were landing in LAX. Fortunately, we were among the first to reach the immigration desk, so reentry was a breeze. Once we had our bags, we dropped our bags with Delta and retreated to SkyClub to kill a few hours before our final flight home to Indy. While it was delayed about an hour due to needing to find a gate for the inbound plane (due to other delays causing general chaos), we were happy to be on board and heading home at long last. It was an epic trip, with Bora Bora being the most beautiful place we've ever seen. We're so lucky we were able to stay safe and healthy the entire 2.5 weeks.