Port Vila, Vanuatu & Noumea, New Caledonia

Another day, another gorgeous island in the south seas. Tuesday we arrived in Port Vila, Vanuatu and it was HOT. We got off to an early start and our tour took us to the Ekasup Cultural Village. As we followed a trail into the rainforest we began to hear rustling noises and voices in the trees, and before we knew it we were surrounded by warriors aiming weapons at us – very exciting! Once we arrived in the village our guide took us to various centres and told us about Vanuatu, their way of life, what kinds of traditional medicines they used, how they hunted and fished, and best of all, tales of cannibalism! It was all very interesting, although there was a demonstration involving a HUGE spider that I wasn't too fond of. Needless to say, I did not get very close to it! We got to see some of the women preparing food and weaving baskets. After stopping for a refreshment some of the men played music and sang and danced for us. We had a marvellous time! When we got back to the ship there was a marketplace set up just outside the secure area, so we stopped and did some shopping and I got my hair braided by one of the women - gotta try to keep cool somehow!

Wednesday morning I stepped out onto the balcony and saw a pod of dolphins leaping through the water right beside the ship. They were so small and adorable – just the best way to greet the day! We spent the morning sailing along the coast of New Caledonia and the views were amazing. There was a wonderful breeze blowing, so we just sat out on the balcony and watched it all go by. The water is so many different colours and there were all kinds of little beaches and coves that looked very inviting. We arrived in Noumea just before noon and took a little sightseeing tour around the town and to some awesome viewpoints. It's a very cute little city. The vegetation was quite different than on Fiji or Vanuatu so it was a nice change. I could definitely see spending a week or two there enjoying the beaches and the french restaurants! Tomorrow we arrive in New Zealand and I am very excited – mum and I are going on separate day trips, so we should have lots to talk about tomorrow night!