My husband and I had the most amazing honeymoon in 2000. We went on a 10 day cruise in
French Polynesia. We flew from Los Angeles to Tahiti, where we were immediately taken to the
cruise ship, which at the time was with the Renaissance Cruise Line. The ship had about 750
passengers, and it was adults only. My husband and I love cruising. We love the fact that we are
able to see many sights, without having to rent a car, and we love the incredible food. Our
cruise took us to 5 islands, Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Raietea, and Huahine.
It was in Bora Bora where we had an unforgettable experience. We were having lunch on the
beach. My husband spotted a “celebrity” couple walking down the beach. I did not see them,
but he insisted that we follow them. He would not tell me who he thought it was. So we quickly
finished our lunch, and headed on the path they took. It led us to the Hotel Bora Bora.
Prior to walking to the main pool and beach area, we were passing some beach front
bungalows which were part of the Hotel. And lo and behold, in a hammock in front of one of
the bungalows sat this couple. I recognized them right away. It was Drew Barrymore and Tom
Green. I remembered that they just started dating. My husband, with our camcorder
underneath his arm, said to me, I’m going to go there and take their photo. I immediately said
“no, you are not!” Of course he did not listen to me, and he proceeded to walk up to them, with
the camcorder turned on by his side. I was mortified. I walked away from him. He said to them,
“hello, I just wanted to see if I can get a photo.” Suddenly a bodyguard appeared, and put his
hand over the camera lens. “Please leave.” And he walked back to me.
We walked to the hotel bar and just stood there. He said that he was able to get some footage,
and I was like, good thing the bodyguard didn’t ask for the tape. As we stood there, we saw
Drew and Tom walk by, and talk to one of the hotel personnel. Shortly thereafter, we were told
to leave the premises.
When we arrived back in the US, I was excited to show the footage to my co-workers. One of
them said, “have you ever thought of sending it to the tabloids?” I said, “no, that would not be
right.” They said, “why not?” Sure enough, I get on the computer, email a few magazines. To
make a long story short, our photo was purchased by US Magazine, who paid $1,200 for it, and
they further passed it along to an Australian magazine, who paid us $500 for it. Crazy! So when I
see all of the paparazzi feverishly waiting and bombarding the celebrities of today, I grin to
myself, “I (actually my husband) was one of them once.”
About the author
Maritess T. Bott, of Bott & Associates, Ltd. is an estate planning attorney in Rolling Meadows,
Illinois, a Northwest suburb of Chicago. She has been an attorney since 1997, and has helped
hundreds of families have peace of mind by protecting their wealth, and preserving their
relationships. She has been a member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys
since 2003, a nationally recognized organization of attorneys who specialize in estate planning
and probate. If you are interested in more information, you may check out
www.bottestateplanning.com.