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New Caledonia                                                          Sat. Feb 13, 2016 4pm local time

Yesterday and today we visited 2 islands that are part of New Caledonia (NC has 4 large islands and many smaller ones). NC was discovered by the Brits but later became a French territory. (Caledonia was the old name for Scotland, hence the New Caledonia name.) France used the large island of Grande Terre as a penal colony in the mid-1800s, and convicts built much of the island’s infrastructure. Grande Terre was the South Pacific headquarters for the US military during WWII.

As with many other islands in the South Pacific, early migrations from Africa and then from China provided the forerunners of the indigenous peoples, but New Caledonia is slightly different because the African/Chinese background is melded with European influences and more recent and current French ties.

New Caledonia sits on a large portion of the world’s nickel reserves (nickel is used to make stainless steel, among other things), and the nickel is mined in a cooperative arrangement with several other countries. New Caledonia is still heavily forested (pine trees and coconut palms are everywhere). The locals are enjoying the benefits of mining nickel, but wary of the long-term environmental results.

New Caledonia is surrounded by a coral barrier reef, so the entire country is effectively one large lagoon of over 9000 square miles. The water colors run the gamut, and Joe will try to post some pictures that provide a sense of how vivid and clear the water is.

Yesterday we anchored off of the small island of Mare’ and enjoyed a nice visit to a lovely beach and small town. Mare’ is home to 7000 people (29 tribal villages, with chieftains), and is largely undeveloped (by that I mean that there are roads and elements of the modern world, but still a lot of trees and forests between the small settlements. The beach we visited had a few rustic beach bars, and there were a number of shuttle vans to collect people from the local dock and get them to the most popular beaches. I noticed a lot of satellite dishes at residences, and large bins for residential trash pickup that look like anything you’d see in NJ or elsewhere.

Today was different – we docked in Noumea on Grande Terre, a busy modern port, and it looked like we were back in Honolulu. The City has a population of 100,000 (there are about 270,000 on the entire island of Grande Terre), and is a sophisticated city where French influence is strong. The French government has an unusual power sharing arrangement with the locals in New Caledonia, and there are provisions to harmonize French and EU rules with local and tribal customs and practices. NC is considering a resolution to declare itself independent of France, but apparently this is a decision that the New Caledonians are finding difficult, as France supports the territory strongly.

We visited the Botanic Gardens in Noumea and saw a lot of beautiful plants, birds, peacocks, iguanas, etc. Hopefully Joe will post some pictures that he deems worthy of your view.

One last note – we had a chance to chat with the Hotel Director of the ship the other evening, and he was telling us about some of the logistics of taking care of 1000 guests over an extended period of time – definitely harder than planning a dinner party! He also told us that in many of these smaller port stops, the local chieftains have welcoming ceremonies and gifts are exchanged. In Mare’ Island, the captain of our ship received an enormous wooden spear – not exactly what we might think of bringing to a visitor….

Happy St. Valentine’s Day to you all!

Best,

MA

Just a note about cannibalism, in case you are interested.  Our guide in Fiji told  us that the reason cannibalism was practiced in Fiji was because of the belief that if you did not consume the person you wanted to kill (your rival or enemy), that person’s spirit  would just be transferred to his sibling, child, other close living person.   So you had to consume to get rid of the bad spirit.

MA

Lautoka, Fiji                                                                Feb 9, 2016 5pm local time

Today is a day that justifies a trip half way round the globe – it has been beautiful, informative and interesting, and eye-opening. We have seen how old and different parts of the world and cultures co-exist with new and familiar ones, all on one island.

Dawn at 6:01 local time was rosy-fingered and pretty; now that we are at the time zone closest east to the international date line, we saw Feb 9 start at the earliest time that it could be seen anywhere in the world.   A fine start to a full day.

We are in Lautoka today, which is the 2^nd largest city in Fiji, and sits on the biggest of Fiji’s 300+ islands (Viti Levu, which is the home of golfer Vijay Singh). This island gets a lot of rain on one side and is drier on the other. On the rainy side, the jungle is often used by non-Fijian governments to train combat troops because there are no snakes, no poisonous spiders and no malaria-carrying mosquitoes.

Sugar cane grows on the island and is a major export; because of its purity, processing is simpler and less expensive than in other locations, so Lautoka is a major regional hub for sugar export. Over the years many Indian immigrants have come to Fiji to work in the sugar processing industry, and the population of Lautoka is a mix of many immigrant and native people. Railroad tracks run around the island to transport the sugar cane to the processing plant in Lautoka. Dense forests on the island produce another big export – wood pellets, which are exported to Japan and elsewhere to produce furniture and other products.

On the other hand, fuel for driving, cooking and other purposes, as well as wheat and other foodstuffs, must all be imported. Hence Lautoka has a major port, not only for tourist ships but also for necessities. Near to the port is the commercial center of Lautoka, which reminds us of a very large district similar to NYC Chinatown – lots of stores, restaurants, etc. crowded together (but well organized and clean). The islands use hydroelectric power, and you can see cell phones and satellite dishes everywhere. The type of government buildings and services you would see in developed areas (hospitals, schools, government offices) are all present and seem very modern. Government programs to ensure free education, health care and other services are in place. Fiji is largely a Christian country, with a large Hindu population and a smaller percentage of Muslims and those of other faiths.

We left the port and commercial center to make 2 visits today, and each was very interesting. First stop was Garden of the Sleeping Giant, which is a large tropical area showcasing orchids and other flowering plants, lily ponds that are just as beautiful as Giverny, palms, trees of all types and beautiful gardens. This is the garden created by Raymond Burr and then turned over to the public. Joe took a lot of pictures and he’ll post whatever he can upload (given the bandwidth restrictions with our WIFI connections on the ship).

After the visit to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, we went to the largest village in Fiji, where about 900 people live. Fiji’s history is one of clans and tribes, and despite many years of British rule (Fiji is now independent), this clan/tribe culture still exists and governs local life. Each village has a chief and a council of elders who make decisions for the village. In the village we visited, as in most, the church is the central and largest structure, as Fiji natives credit the Christian missionaries with ending cannibalism and promoting the true love of neighbor that allows for peaceful coexistence in the nation. A village green is near the church, together with communal meeting buildings. Houses radiate out from this central church/green area, and the housing stock is a mix of wood structures with thatch roofs, tin houses, and more sturdy stone and cement structures. The village chief’s house has the highest foundation, and no one else’s house is permitted to have a higher foundation. Flowers and gardens abound, very neatly organized.

Most of the residents of the village we visited work in the local tourism industries (there are several hotels and guest houses on the island). Several of the clan/tribe leaders have made deals with hotel developers; the tribes sell the land for development and make arrangements to supply local labor to the developers. A strict record of tribal land ownership is maintained, and there is a system to settle ownership disputes.

Notably, Mutiny on the Bounty (the real occurrence with Captain Bligh) occurred near Fiji in the late 1700s.

I know – this is way more info than anyone needs. It was just so impressive to see old cultures and primitive land at the same time as modern and sophisticated practices and approaches.

A fascinating place, this Fiji.

Best,

MA

Happy news after the big outing in Samoa –  the Crystal folks, within about 20 minutes after the first guests returned from the “coastal walk,” advised everyone on that trip that a partial refund was already processed, so no one would pay more than 50% for that trip.   Helped to establish that the early complaints prompted a quick response.

Yasawa-I-Rara Island, Fiji                                  Monday, February 8, 2014*

*We are now a day ahead of USA

We landed today in Fiji on one of the northwest islands of Fiji, Yasawa-I-Rara. I’ll let Joe’s pictures do all the talking – words are not adequate to describe how beautiful this place is.

Fiji is comprised of a lot of islands, and Yasawa-I-Rara is one of the least developed. That is why the island is used by Hollywood, and you might know that the 1980s Brook Shields movie “The Blue Lagoon” was filmed on a tiny island off the cost of YIR (sorry but I can’t keep typing out the whole name). There are several villages on the island, and about 2000 people live on the island. There is only one resort on the island.

The weather is hot (over 90F), the water is very clear and very warm (high 80s), and there are people all over snorkeling among the coral. If you get into a shaded area (and there are many, since the island is full of palm trees and vegetation), the breeze is delightful and it’s easy to understand why you’d want to stay here.

The tender boat took a lot of the cruise visitors to the island on continuous shuttles, and we landed on a nice long wooden pier that leads to the beach. The village closest to where we landed has a population of approximately 600. The local residents set up a market along the beach, selling colorful fabric and sarongs, shell jewelry, fans, etc. I walked through this market and into the nearby “neighborhood” – about a dozen corrugated tin shacks, many thatched huts, chickens and goats in a few yards, a cemetery with a few graves (no names, dates, etc., just crosses on top of white markers), no vehicles in sight, and local folks bringing goods to the beach market for sale. The locals greet everyone with the Fijian welcome “bula bula” so I will have to ask Brandon if there is some Yale connection here that has gone unnoticed….

Tomorrow we go to the large island of Fiji (Viti Levu), and plan to visit the “Garden of the Sleeping Giant.” This is where Fiji’s largest orchid garden is located – it was founded by Raymond Burr (the actor known for Perry Mason and Ironside), to house his collection of orchids. So I’m thinking that if a guy like Raymond Burr can live in Fiji, maybe I could get used to this, too.

Hope you all have a Happy Chinese New Year (year of the Monkey)!

Best,

MA