New Caledonia

Wow, it's been three months since we went to New Caledonia, and I'm getting more and more behind on this blog. Oh well, better late than never. 

We spent two weeks in Noumea, during which I mostly had time to myself while Jon was teaching workshops and attending a conference. It's a perfect place for walking around, and half the time I walked more than 10 km a day. It's mostly flat, with great footpaths and walkways, and the weather was ideal - sunny with a bit of a breeze, and only around 20 - 24 degrees. Not great for swimming at all - you can see there's no one in the water and few people on the beach. 

I tried swimming once, and only got in up to waist-deep and gave up. The water was freezing, and I didn't go snorkelling at all. Jon went in twice, but even he admitted it was super cold. I guess September is not the best time to visit if you want a tropical holiday. A big positive of the cold weather was the fact that there were no bugs: no mosquitoes, flies, or any creepy crawlies :-) 

It looked like the weather was a lot better suited for more active water sports, but they are not really my thing:

This was a beautiful walkway along the beach, with a bicycle lane running alongside it: 

I found a nice little park with free wifi:

On another walk I went up a hill to see some cannons left over from WW2. The paths going up and down the hill reminded me of some trails in New Zealand:

And there were some beautiful views from the top and along the way:

The two hotels we stayed at were in the more touristy part of the island, and I walked to the town centre a couple of times. It was just a small city, not particularly pretty, but maybe it comes to life a bit more during proper tourist season. When I was there, a lot of restaurants and cafes were closed, but I still caught some pleasant views:

Obligatory sunset photo:

We were lucky with our accommodation, and we had two weeks of pretty luxurious living conditions. The first hotel was more like an apartment with a huge living room and a balcony, three bedrooms and two bathrooms! The second one was a beautiful resort right on the beach:

One of the nights there was a special conference dinner organised at the Cultural Centre. Unfortunately we got there after dark, so we didn't get to see the beautiful buildings from the outside, but we did get to visit the exhibitions, which were pretty awesome:

This one was cellphone covers depicting all kinds of deities and famous people, from Karl Marx to Buddha:

And I got to be in one as well :-) 

One of the last days there Jon finally had a day off, and we went to the aquarium, where I got to see the fish and sea creatures that I would have seen snorkelling if it hadn't been so cold: 

Yes, this was a fish and I saw it move!

There were two somewhat annoying things about New Caledonia: the fact that everyone spoke French, and expected me to understand them, and how expensive the food was. I had done a bunch of lessons on Duolingo before we went there, but they only helped me understand written French a little bit. It's just not my language, I don't like the sound of it, and I've never had the desire to learn it. I felt like people in shops and cafes looked down on me for it, and I wanted to tell them I speak four languages, but French just doesn't happen to be one of them. 

I've posted on Facebook and told a bunch of people about the outrageous food prices in restaurants in Noumea, but I just have to say it again. I think this was the most expensive place we've been to. Maybe it's because coming from New Zealand, where the cost of living is so high, we're used to things being cheaper when we travel, and New Caledonia was a bit of a shocker. We had Thai takeaway one night: one curry with rice and a salad, and that was the equivalent of NZD 60! In New Zealand, a similar meal would have been around NZD 20. This crepe filled with ratatouille was the equivalent of NZD 30 (delicious, though!):

Most days I went to a great French bakery for lunch, where the prices were a bit more reasonable: a baguette sandwich with a pastry and a small drink for around NZD 16. 

Overall the food there was delicious, and this steak with potato gratin and roast vegetables was divine:

On one of my walks I stopped at a local brewery (ok, it was my destination on that walk) :-) and had a very nice beer:

I also found a Polish feature in the supermarket, a whole stand with a Polish brand of cosmetics: 

Overall I'm glad we had a chance to go to New Caledonia, and I had a wonderful relaxing time there, enjoying the sunshine, clean air, and the ability to walk around easily (not something I take for granted anymore), but I don't know if I'd go back there unless Jon had another conference to go to there :-)