ATW - Day 30

Sunday, day 29, we were in Mystery Island, Vanuatu.  Vanuatu is the 100th country that we have visited!  As we approached the island, it was cloudy with a bit of rain - just enough for a rainbow.  

It was also windy so we worried that we might not be able to stop there since it was a tender port.  Thankfully, things cleared up and we made it!  Here's what the island looked like in the morning:

Here's what it looked like in the afternoon:

 

The island is quite small - only 2/3 of a mile long and 200 yards wide.  In the 40's, the U.S. constructed an airstrip on the island that is almost impossible to see from the sea.  Hence the name Mystery Island.  Today, no one lives on the island but it offers beaches and coral reefs.  When cruise ships are in, people come from the mainland to work.  We took Mystery Island Drift Snorkel excursion.  After tendering ashore, we received our gear and a briefing before taking a boat to the first drop off point.  We drifted with the current, enjoying the fish and coral, until we reached the spot where the boat picked us up.  We then went to another drop off point and drifted in a different area.  It was all quite good.  No photos since we had to leave everything behind before we got on the boat.  We had done drift snorkeling before (I don't remember where) and we agree that it was better that time.  It was a more defined channel that we drifted through that time making it easier to see things.

After the snorkeling, we walked around the whole island.  It didn't take long.

Fortunately, I did not have to use the toilet.

They have planted some interesting flora along the way.

And more walking trees.

We did get to see the airstrip from both ends and the airport terminal!

Sunday we were in Noumea, New Caledonia which is a French territory.  It was certainly a more developed city than those we have been to recently.  Being Easter Monday, most everything was closed which was okay for us since we are not shoppers.

But we were disappointed that the local market was closed.

In the morning, we went for a walk along the waterfront.  It was overcast which made for comfortable walking.

Then we walked up to the Place des Cocotiers which was a nice long park with interesting statues and totems.

In the afternoon, we had booked an excursion to Duck Island, which, upon review, indicated that it was essentially a zodiac boat ride to the island and then 2+ hours on the beach.  We opted to cancel that and take it easy.  Besides, we saw tropical fish as we walked along the marina in the morning.

Now, on Day 31, we are on our first of 2 days at sea until we reach Sydney, Australia.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry

ATW - Day 27

Today, Good Friday, we're in Suva, Fiji, our first time in Fuji.  Suva is a larger city than the ones we've been in recently.  We took a Get Your Guide tour - Fijian Nature and Waterfall Tour.  We were picked up at the port by our guide, Joel who was great.  We were joined by another couple from the ship.  He drove us through town, past some embassies, to the Colo-I-Suva Forest Park.  

Once there, he offered us 2 options - taking the shortcut to get down to the lower falls for a swim or taking the longer route through the forest.  We opted for the latter.  It started out easy enough.  Joel told us about the Barking Imperial Pigeon, which we never saw but often heard.  It really did sound like a barking dog.  He also pointed out the "walking tree" that grows stilts and can move if the main root is compromised, say by termites.

After the easy start, the walk down to the lower falls became a bit treacherous with steps cut into rocks and roots.  It was a long, hot slog of over an hour with only one minor fall by me!  The forest and the scenery along the way were nice . . .

. . . but the real reward was the jump into the swimming hole!

The walk back up on the shortcut turned out to be short and easy and it just started raining lightly as we got to the top.

On the way back, we stopped outside of the President's residence for a photo with the guard.

By the time we returned to the ship, the rain had really started.  At this point we have gotten use to that pattern.

While I may have had some doubts as we worked our way down to the waterfall, it was a good tour and rewarding that these old folks can still do something like that.  And Fiji is the 98th country that we have visited.  We'll hit 100 soon.

The ship is looking a lot like Easter.  They've also done a nice job of putting together Seders for the first 2 nights of Passover.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry