Life in the land of Oz Good as Gold!!

G'day !
Sorry for the silence. Usually I am inspired to create a new posting by the beauty of the places we visit. This part of Australia(S. Queensland) doesn't possess that quality. Its a flat dry landscape with a few hills that they call mountains. Sugarcane fields everywhere. What is exceptional here are the people. Open and friendly doesn't come close to describing them. They go out of their way to welcome and help you and are as genuine as you can imagine. Good on ya!
We have been spending the last 2 months here slowly winding our way down the Sunshine coast to Scarborough, just N of Brisbane. Looking after the Don has been a priority with seeing some of the sites, visiting vibrant Brisbane with just living taking up the rest of our time. We bought a "beater" for $2,000. that we'll resell just before we push on in April and it manages very well to get us around in relative comfort. Our plans are to head S in mid Jan. to Sydney and Melbourne for about 3-4 weeks visiting the Blue Mountains and checking out Australia's wine growing areas. We feel this is an obligation we owe to all of you so we can help guide you when it comes to buying Aussie wines. Meanwhile, we are here, prepping for Christmas in 30+ deg heat-we even have a small tree with lights and rope lights strung along Don Pedro's lifelines.
Here's a brief description of some of the photos. Dave, our crew member from New Caledonia to OZ is pictured with his prize catch-he also caught the sea snake you see! There are many islands off of this coast and 1 of them has a man made reef of old wrecks, sunk to make a breakwater. We were anchored off of them during 1 of the numerous thunder/lightning/rain squalls that sweep over this area in the heat of the afternoons. There are some Tolkien looking trees and Linda on a boardwalk in Mary Caincross National Park-a beautiful 2 hr. stroll through a rain forest with giant eucalyptus, strangler figs and even small Wallabees(kangaroos). The brilliant red tree is a Flamboyant-they are everywhere. There are some shots of Brisbane as seen from 1 of the Rivercats(a ferry system plying the Brisbane river right through the heart of downtown). For $5. you can buy a ticket that allows you to travel all the ferries(fast river cats, small cross river boats) and all the buses in Brisbane for 24 hrs. The last 2 are of a typical pre storm cloud heralding a fresh breeze, a drastic drop in temps, high winds and torrential downpours and of Don Pedro doing it's best to slow down to cross the bar into Mooloolooba-we were going 7 knots with just that sliver of sail up and the engine in reverse. We were early and the tide was too low to cross the bar at the very narrow entrance to harbor. As it was, we had no more than 12 in. under the keel and had to keep an eye on surf type breakers that swept across us at the last minute. Straight to the bar after that one!!!
That's about it for now.
We are thinking of all of you and wish you all a very wonderful Christmas, a very happy, healthy and prosperous 2010. Take time for yourself, your dreams and hopes and spend time with the ones you love.
Life....doesn't it go by in a blink! Love, John and Linda

New Caledonia and the Isle of Pines

Greetings one and all.
As we know, the French are a peculiar lot. Nothing negative, they are just different and they do somethings very very well, for example, wines, cheeses, pate, infrastructure-their roads in their colonies are incredible, carved into Marquesas mountain faces, across volcanic plains etc. their aids to navigation always work as where other Pacific nations place tree branches on a reefs to warn you of danger, the French build a 20 story lighthouse that actually works!!!
However, the number 1 thing that they have excelled in for hundreds of years, drum roll please!!! Penal Colonies. Although they no longer function, the buildings, cells, holding blocks etc. all stand. Today they are covered with vines yet are a reminder of France's past and their inhumane treatment of political prisoners. They sent these wretches half way around the world, placed them on beautiful Pacific islands incarcerating them a arms length from beautiful sandy beaches, azure clear lagoons, swaying palms and no doubt, bare breasted maidens in grass skirts. Now if that wouldn't make you loose it, I don't know what would. Anyway, New Caledonia is a reminder of that past and 1 island in particular, the Isle of Pines, although 1 of the most beautiful, idyllic islands we have experienced in the south Pacific, is covered with these crumbling, old vine covered vestiges to the past and the complete disregard of how most powerful nations treated anybody with different political views in the 17th and 18th centuries.
Enough of my rant! I'll try to review some of the images on this posting. You will see a most stunning, architechual building with spires reaching to the sky, some images of brightly clothed elders milling about and some totems, a drum and some strange statues. This is the cultural centre in Noumea, the capitol of New Caledonia and is named after and dedicated to Jean Marie Tjibaou, a charismatic leader of the Kanak(native to New Caledonia) people who spearheaded a move for independence from France. It was a very moving and emotional afternoon for Linda and me as we toured the centre and learned about the Kanak's desires and efforts to get out from under the big colonial thumb of France. All these people have ever wanted to was be free and have self government as their neighbors in Vanuatu and Fiji have. During our visit we got "caught" between a group of elders who had come to make a traditional greeting and show their respect to the heads of the cultural centre(including a director who we believe to be the daughter of Jean Marie Tjibaou). As this group of over a hundred elders slowly marched to where the greeting party waited, Linda and I were sort of "mid field" between the two. I motioned to the welcoming party that we will be more than happy to get out of the way but they insisted we join them in their group and be part of the ceremony. We were speechless and swept up by the ceremony that followed(speeches and gift presentations by both groups in their traditional manner of doing so). We thanked everyone for allowing us the honour of joining them and slowly walked away in silence after it was over, pinching ourselves just to make sure that what had happened had actually happened. We'll never forget those moments and emotional electricity that flowed amongst the participants.
Other images show the beauty of the Isle of Pines. The blue green waters, trees creating a natural canopy over the road, the traditional fences of the Kanak people some carved, some plain. Another is a shot of Dave doing his monkey imitation on the path to the grotto where a queen of the Isle of Pines hid out for a long time avoiding retribution from an opposing tribe who obviously weren't too happy with something she did. There is also a shot of impromptu Canadian ingenuity when we had to make a French flag out of an old Canadian flag and white duct tape!! Another shows Linda and I standing in the shallows of a river mouth where it meets the sea. You walk for about a mile down a very shallow river to a spot where enormous boulders have created a natural swimming area where salt and fresh mix. Schools of brightly coloured fish dart about your legs as you stand or walk about.
We enjoyed New Caledonia very much as you can have the best of French culture, the local Kanak influence, beautiful islands and some of the most stunning coastal beauty found anywhere in this world. Linda and I also took 3 days, rented a car and got away into the countryside enjoying Grande Terre. We dined on great local fresh foods, experienced the rustic countryside, came into contact with the "locals" and enjoyed some time just for ourselves. It is truly and "overlooked" gem in the Pacific mainly visited by Australians due to its proximity. You never got the feeling that it was overcrowded or felt the political undercurrent of the very much alive independence movement that is still striving to finally beak free of their colonial chains.
We are now relaxing in Bundaberg Australia after a very fast and bumpy passage where we averaged over 6 knots for the entire 5 day passage. Great to be here. Time a major WALKABOUT. Love to all. John and Linda and hello from Dave.

No Tsunami Sept. 30, 2009

Greetings everyone,
Just a short note to say we are in Noumea, New Caledonia in a protected harbour and have seen nothing of today's tsunami. All is well. John and Linda

Vanuatu Going back into time, Dugongs, kava and volcanos

It seems the further West we go, the more primitive are the conditions we encounter. THIS is what its really all about, adventuring, experiencing and getting to know and understand how other people in other parts of the world live. Here, they don't know or care about Michael Jackson, Paris Hilton or whatever. They know when to fish, harvest their vegetables, build their cooking fires and live their lovely, slower version of life. Vanuatu is the pearl of the Pacific as everything is "in your face", you can't avoid it..and you don't want to...its life how and it has been lived for thousands of years. Imagine, no Facebook, Dow Jones, fast food, TV, radio. How do these people survive, how deprived can they be??? They are the smart or lucky ones. We will take lessons from these people that will last us the rest of our lifetimes. Now, our news. We have been sailing N from the capitol, Port Vila for the last 3 weeks, visiting these primitive islands, absorbing as much as we can, having fun and as usual, meeting new people. The following photos feature the usual cast of us characters plus Seth and Jamie from Vancouver who have been paralleling our travels on their catamaran, Slapdash. We have been fortunate to encounter a friendly dugong which Jamie is seen swimming with, grind kava root, mix it with water, squeeze it through cloth mesh into a paint bucket and then consume it. After 2 or 3 "shells" you have to send a memo to your legs to move in sync with the rest of your body just to walk. Its fun and a little paralyzing-it is the standard drink in all of the Pacific. Vanuatu is known for their strong kava. It looks and tastes like dishwater, but, OH BOY!!! The primitive outrigger sailing craft is THE means of transportation as there are no roads in most islands. They visit other islands, relatives, trade etc. all by outrigger/dugout canoe. We met a master boatbuilder who would build us a 10-12 foot version(hewn from a new tree with an adze), complete with outrigger, and mast for $70. It would take him about 1 month to complete. In 1 photo there is a young girl fishing from her dugout- 1 of her daily duties-help feed the village. As usual, the Red Bastard had to come out and play. He met, Cedric, his counterpart on Salpdash. In two of the photos the volcano on the island of Ambrym is blowing off steam and the things I have on each side of my head are grapefruits-1/2 of one is a meal in itself. Right now we are pinned down by high winds(5 days and counting) on Espiritu Santo, the northernmost island in the Vanuaut chain. Hopefully the winds will subside allowing us to head south to Port Vila while visiting some more of the villages along the coasts of the various islands. Knowing that we probably won't pass this way again makes us appreciate what we are seeing and experincing all the more special. If anyone of you ever want to travel "off the beaten path" this is one place you won't find anywhere in the world and you WILL love it. Later, my friends. John Linda and Patrick