Hi my friends!
My two weeks in New Caledonia was over in a flash. How amazing travelling the length and breadth of this beautiful land and meeting lovely people. It certainly is a French-speaking country, with virtually no-one speaking English. But we got by. Not saying my French improved overly, as it takes two weeks to get into the groove, but it was certainly lovely to hear that beautiful, musical language reverberating all around me.
Here are some photos from my trip for those of you who didn't follow my travels on good ole FB.
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| Kanaks welcome the cruise ships with traditional dance and song. I love this as it's pretty much the same as on the tourism website except I own it! |
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| The Grand South, as they call it, was an eye-opener with nickel mines, beautiful bays and old penal colonies. We explored the region with a Kanak guide, Yami, who spoke 7 languages, I repeat 7!! and went to university in Australia. |
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| In Noumea, my daily focus was always to make sure I ate one of these from Chocolats Morand... |
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| ...or one of these Mille Feuilles from La Ville France patisserie. With all that walking I hardly put on an ounce, so was totally guilt free! |
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| Loved catching this group of Kanak students taking their Macca's lunch with the American War Memorial behind them on July Fourth! |
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| It's always about the people you meet. Our stay on the glorious I'le des Pins was the best because of this lovely group from France. We might look a bit scruffy as we all stayed at a Kanak village together. In case you think it's pretty flash for native village, this is at Le Meridien at the top of the island where we thought a coffee was in order before we jumped back onto the boat. |
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| The Natural Pools on the I'le des Pins, where we snorkled and swam and walked. Gorgeous. Can't capture the absolute jewel-blue of the water or the whiteness of the sand. |
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| This is the top of the island, Haute Tamoa, New Caledonia. So pristine. |
So there you have a few snaps to give you some idea of New Caledonia. A beautiful place to visit as long as you have some French. Most of the touristic places have been returned to the Kanaks (the traditional owners of the land) and you communicate in French or not at all. They're only just introducing English into the school curriculum for the younger years. Currently only taught in secondary school.
So au revoir to this beautiful country.
- How about you? Been travelling lately? Tell us about it.
- Is there somewhere you'd like to travel to, or are your travels vicarious or created in the worlds you write about?
