After breakfast, we headed down to the Tender Boat to head over to a small secluded beach

The wonderful thing about this beach was the shelf stretched out so far that you could sit comfortably, almost completely submerged in the warm French Polynesian waters.

You could even keep an eye on the ship...

Of course, the crew of the m/s Paul Gauguin made sure that we were able to enjoy complimentary drinks, snacks, and, if so inclined, do a little snorkeling, beach volleyball, kayaking, or do a little paddle boarding while on our secluded oasis:

With our day of relaxing in the warm waters and invigorating sun complete, we headed back to the ship to grab a quick afternoon snack at Le Grill:

Unfortunately, a light rain (sometimes a little heavier) began to fall in the mid-afternoon and we decided to spend a little time indoors. Luckily, there were plenty of indoor activities to take part in. There was a Pareo (traditional Polynesian dress) Tying demonstration, a Bridge/Euchre Tournament, a Galley Tour, an assortment of other games were avaialble to play, or what we did...

Every day there would be a new puzzle in the hallway on deck 6. We decided to see how well we could do. It was incredibly addictive and wouldn't you know it... we finished it.

Having snacked and eaten most of the day, we went to La Veranda to grab a quick bite for dinner:

We had a great time on our 2nd day in Bora Bora and looked ahead to tomorrow as we would be arriving in Moorea.

If you would like to learn more about schedules and different Paul Gauguin Cruises, please visit my Virtuoso page here.

If you would like to receive more information, or book a Paul Gauguin Cruise, you can contact me here.

As a Paul Gauguin Cruises PEARLS Accredited Partner and having experienced the cruise myself, I can provide you with the intimate knowledge to help you get the most out of your Paul Gauguin cruise.

Again, had wanted, there was no shortage at all in the choices for shore excursions in Bora Bora:

• Aquabike Adventure
• Lagoon Excursion & Polynesian Feast
• Lagoon Excursion with Maohi Nui
• Circle Island by Waveerunner
• Helicopter Flightseeing (30 or 15 minute options)
• Bora Bora Island Tour by "Le Truck"
• Bora Bora Off Road Adventure
• Glass Bottom Boat
• Eco Snorkeling
• Aqua Safari-Underwater walk
•  Blue Lagoon Escapade
• Sharks & Stingrays Encounter
• ATV Adventure
• Rays & Snorkeling by Jet Boat
• Catamaran Sail
• Sunset Sail by Catamaran
• Sunset Blue Lagoon Escapade
• Sunset Cruise on Outrigger Canoe
• Shark & Ray Watching by Glass Bottom Boat

The post Paul Gauguin Cruise - Day 5 - 2nd Day in Bora Bora appeared first on Luxury Experience Travel.

We had the great opportunity to visit Koinzan Saihoji, better known as Kokedera (Moss Temple), a Unesco World Heritage Site, in Kyoto in December 2013. There are characteristics that cause this temple to stand out among all of the others that you will visit while in Japan. First, this Zen Temple provided us with a unique chance to visit a temple in Japan where we actually took part in a religious ceremony by observing and, depending on your level of Japanese, participating in a chant that was led by three monks in the main temple.  This experience was just mesmerizing and left me feeling very at peace, even without being able to follow along with the written chant provided as I do not speak Japanese, let alone read Hiragana. The full text, for those that can read Hiragana, is at the bottom of this post.

What was exceptionally breathtaking about this temple was the large and lush Moss Garden.  Even in Winter, the garden was beautiful and I am sure it is even more stunning in Spring, Summer or Fall.

The following pictures need no explanation:

Here is the full text of the chant:

The post Kokedera - Moss Temple appeared first on Luxury Experience Travel.