I've been hacking C++ long enough to agree C++/STL/Boost is good and fast... but I can't remember the last time I heard anyone accuse C++ of being easy...
I find it easy. The bad thing about c++ is its size. It's large and that tends to make it complex. However, I find that I only use about 40 to 60 percent of what c++ can actually do. Focus on the parts that you use and you'll find a lot of the complexity goes away.
One problem is that if you work with other people in c++, the 40 to 60 percent they use won't necessarily overlap with yours.
If you work with other people, the odds of their C++ code being utterly broken, inefficient and dangerous is 99% ;-)