Travel Journal: Amedee Island (Noumea, New Caledonia)

Oh, Amedee, Amedee, Amedee, you are so heavenly.

I was in love with this island! Hands down, this was my favourite stop in our itinerary. Save the best for last, hey!

We booked this Amedee Day Trip tour with Royal Caribbean. We decided to book this under the cruise line because it takes an hour of yacht ride to get to the island. We figured it will be safer to do this tour under the cruise line company because, even if it's more expensive, it's a guarantee that the ship will wait for us even if the tour runs late.

We got off the ship, met our feisty French tour guide (She is amazing!) and rode a coach to Port Moselle where a yacht was waiting for us to bring us to Amedee Island. I felt like we were at The Hamptons (though I've never been there. Haha!) - there were yachts lined up along the port, nice houses by the hills/cliffs.

As soon as we docked, oh my goodness, I was mesmerised. It was so gorgeous! The turquoise water. The white sand. The intimacy. Clare and I were already planning to go back and we hadn't set foot on the island yet. We were still walking on the dock.

I didn't realise he was in one of my photos until I reviewed the album. Hee.

We immediately purchased the ticket for the Amedee lighthouse (and some souvenirs). We were among the first few who went up the lighthouse so we were able to take photos and videos in peace and without extra heads in the background.

The view from the lighthouse was spectacular. It's overlooking the tiny island. It's very secluded. We were the only ones there, aside from the staff.



It was so windy and luckily, I had my two-piece bikini underneath my dress so I didn't care if I went all Marilyn Monroe. (Not that I don't wear undergarments.) Haha!

We got so carried away by taking photos at the lighthouse and at the beach that we missed out a few other activities, such as the demonstration of different ways of tying the sarong, which I was interested to see. We also saw the smallest post office in the world as well, which is the post office in Amedee Island.

We were treated to mostly seafood (grilled tuna, prawns, mussels, coconut rice and egg fried rice, baby octopus salad, and more), some vegetables, coconut rice and egg fried rice for lunch and traditional island dance performances.There were ice cream, fruits and pannacotta for dessert. After lunch, we swam and snorkeled the afternoon away. We brought our own snorkel gear with us. It was a good call that we bought and brought our own before our trip so we didn't have to rent. We were only allowed to swim on certain areas, basically where there are no coral reefs.

While we were basking in the sun and water, a lady lost her Go Pro and we helped her look for it. It was quite difficult to find because her Go Pro is black with a clear waterproof case. It easily blended with the seaweeds and rocks. Her brother (EDIT: see photo way above), who, by the way, was really cute (Think James Marsden), happened to paddle-board beside me while looking for the Go Pro. I thought of initiating a conversation with him since he was already there, hello. (Wow, look at me, very daring! Haha!) But I was so shy and I kept asking myself, inside my head, over and over, should I say something to him or not? And I was like, screw this. A one-line sentence wouldn't kill me.

So I did. A lame small talk about that missing gadget. Haha!

Anyway, the missing Go Pro has been found after an hour or so. She was the one who was able to locate it eventually. She found it a bit further than the spot where she think she lost it. Their parents even joked that she should treat all of us for a drink since we helped her look for her it.

We were divided into groups beforehand for the glass-bottom boat ride, which was our last activity for the tour. We belonged to the last group to do that activity. We rode a glass bottom boat to see more corals and fishes in the further part of the ocean, where we weren't allowed to swim at. Oh, it was beautiful! No wonder it was a UNESCO World Heritage Site and they are really trying to keep it that way. There were a lot of colourful reefs and never-before-seen (at least for me) fishes. Our tour guide was enthusiastic in telling us the background of the island, the names of the fishes and all those interesting and fun science facts.

We rode the yacht back to Port Moselle again. The only seats left vacant by the time we got on board were the ones towards the tail of the yacht so, as expected, the ride going back made me feel a bit dizzy. Similar to what happened to us during our first day of cruise when we sat on the wrong part of the dining area as it left Sydney port. We slept it off instead and by the time we woke up and reached Port Moselle, we felt better.

We rode the coach and were driven back to the port where our ship was docked. We were able to see a tiny bit of Noumea. Clare and I wanted to visit this quaint, little city again because we were curious to see what it has to offer. It looked pretty chill and interesting. And probably the closest we can go to for legit patisseries and boulangeries! And guess what, we arrived 5 minutes later than the call time! This was it. This was what we were scared of exactly. Fortunately, we booked that trip under the cruise line so the Royal Caribbean staff had already been informed in advance that we would be arriving late. I think they would know that there were passengers who hadn't boarded yet because they scan our key cards in everytime we get on and off the ship. The head count will not tally to the total number of passengers. Anyway, as soon as the coach parked and we got off, the people who were already inside the ship applauded. Hahaha!

We headed to our room and prepared for our dinner. Then, we watched a piano performance and the Quest Game show. It was a hilarious show, oh my gosh! It's an adults-only scavenger hunt game. The audience was divided into groups, according to where we were seated. That game was full-on -- no holds barred, no inhibitions. There were bras here and there, wedgies, crazy and sexy dance moves and all random and weird but funny shenanigans. I was actually this close to lending my leopard-print bra that I was wearing tonight because an animal-print clothing item was asked for! Hahaha! And "James Marsden" aka the guy from earlier joined the game. He was one of the representatives in their section. He and his sisters were very game on. Towards the end, he was wearing a woman's outfit - skirt, heels, bra, makeup, all that jazz - and was dancing as required by the game. Everyone there couldn't stop laughing. Oh, what a night!

Today was really fun!
And the fun in our little village here will soon be over as we go back to reality! One more night and we will be back in Sydney! Nooooo!

Travel Journal: Lifou, Loyalty Islands

I've always wondered how a tender looks like inside every time I see them hanging in cruise ships docked at Circular Quay. A few days ago, Clare and I were hanging out at one of the decks where the tenders were hanging and we tried to check what it looks like inside. Then, I pictured a la Titanic scenario in my head (Haha!)...

(1) The tender looked like it could seat at least more than 50 people.
(2) It looked safe and sturdy and could save us in case of emergency.
(3) It has a roof/is a closed space so we wouldn't worry dying of cold or too much heat.
(4) It is powered by a motor so we wouldn't need to row.
(5) Life jackets will be handed out at muster station when the inevitable happens.

You know, paranoid thoughts like that but it'll be good to know for later...

We finally witnessed how the tender really looks like inside when we arrived in Lifou, Loyalty Islands, the third port in our itinerary, yesterday. It was bigger and wider than I thought it would be -- 100+ people can fit. It's comfortable to sit inside. We were advised the night before that two tenders will be used to bring us to the island. The ship has to dock far from the port, where the water is not shallow. They also informed us that they will transport us by groups. They will make announcements from time to time to let us know when we could come down so we won't flock the exit door all at the same time.



As soon as the ship docked, we were greeted by this long stretch of white beach, leafy trees, and turquoise-colored water. It was beautiful!

We planned to walk around on our own on the island. However, it was immensely hot and humid that day so, we joined a short sightseeing tour so we can ride the van instead. I think we paid around $20 each for the tour? I had been wanting to learn French (and I did try to learn on my own but I didn't get far) and this would have been a perfect opportunity to use it since Lifou is a French colony.

We first visited a village meeting place (EDIT: I googled its name. It's called The Grand Hut of the Chief of Hnathalo). The hut is in a garden near/within the chief's house/property. Hence, permission is needed before you can enter the place. We also had to remove the shoes when we went inside the hut. It was cool and cozy inside, with mats and wide interior.

Our next stop was the beach (which I don't remember the name of. That's so bad). It was a nice spot to sit on and relax or to take a swim. However, it was too hot and it was around lunchtime so we just took photos and went straight back to the van.

With our tour guide

The last stop for the tour was St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. It's a hundred-year-old church. We weren't able to go inside as it was closed, unfortunately.

By the time the tour finished, the sun settled down. Thank God! We were driven back to the port/tourist main hub. Since the sun has settled down, it was the perfect time to eat lunch outdoors (carinderia-style!). There were some food stalls there but there was only one that serves, at least in our own definition, a meal (Translation: rice and viand). While we were standing in line, we overheard from our other cruise buddies that their food was really good. We were starving so we were excited to eat. When it was our turn to order, to our surprise, the food looks like Filipino food! We ordered bami, which looked and tasted like Filipino pansit. It's made from vermicelli noodles with vegetables and soy sauce. We also ordered rice and chicken curry.

After lunch, we walked up the cliff to see the Notre Dame de Lourdes Chapel and the breathtaking view. On our way to the chapel, I noticed huts (I think that was their traditional house) and wood carvings of tribal art (very Legends of the Hidden Temple vibe).

 

 

The ascend was a workout but the view was super worth it, even if it was gloomy and the colours of the plants and the ocean weren't vibrant. There were butterflies everywhere as well.

It started to drizzle on our way down the cliff. Luckily, we were headed to Baie de Jinek to snorkel anyway, so, we didn't worry about getting wet. We paid $15 each to snorkel and as a donation to help maintain the area as well. We bought our own snorkel gear before the trip so we didn't have to rent. (I think it's cheaper to buy your own than to rent.) I didn't see much underneath really. It was gloomy and it was dark under the water so we couldn't appreciate the colours of the coral reefs. We probably snorkeled for 45 minutes, I guess, before we decided to walk back to the port/main hub and hit the beach.



The drizzle turned into rain as we were walking to Easo Beach, which was our last pit stop for that day. We headed to the covered area at the port first and waited for the rain to settle down a bit. Meanwhile, we checked out the markets and bought some souvenirs.

As soon as the rain started to settle down, we headed to Easo Beach. We found a spot to shelter our things from the rain and luckily, we kept and brought the black garbage bag that was given to us in Suva to protect our things from getting wet because we used it to further protect our things while we swam in the water...

And inarte on sand and rocks for photos, of course.

By 3:30 PM, we got out of the water, rode the tender back to the ship and bid goodbye to this very laidback island with really pleasant and welcoming people. Our tour guide earlier was lovely as well. She doesn't speak English that well though but she tried to communicate and explain things to us.









As soon as we got back to the ship, we headed to the dining area (What's new? Haha!) just in time before they close to have an afternoon snack. We opted to watch the show (Fast Forward, which was based on 80s music and movies) first before eating dinner since we weren't too hungry. Then, we watched another show performed by a Beatles tribute band (They performed songs from The Beatles, of course) before heading to bed. We are too Tita at night, I tell you. Haha!

Travel Journal: Suva, Fiji

We just got back from our tour in Suva, the second stop in our itinerary. We did a mixture of cultural, historical and fun things for today. I will write them all down now while it is still fresh in my memory. We still have heaps of time to rest and to prepare for dinner and tonight's show (It's Wild, Cool and Swingin as per the cruise compass) later.

We already docked in Suva by the time we finished preparing to get off the ship this morning. We booked the Jewel of Fiji shore excursion via Viator weeks prior to boarding the ship. We could have booked it with Royal Caribbean instead but my friend found out that it was more expensive to book it with them. We thought it would be risky to book an excursion outside the cruise line company because other tour companies might not or probably do not have any arrangements with the cruise line. There could be a conflict regarding pick-up and departure times and we might be left behind by the ship or we may have wasted our time if they pick us up later than usual.



We also weren't sure if there will be other people on the cruise that would book excursions from tour companies other than Royal Caribbean. If in case we get left behind on the island, it would be more comforting to know that we weren't the only two people who got left behind. Haha! Those kinds of little things that could have an annoying domino effect. But, we agreed to book one tour with Royal Caribbean and one tour from another tour company so we could compare later on.

Fortunately, when we got off the ship, vans from different tour companies were already parked outside and tour guides were already waiting for their respective clients. Viator emailed us beforehand the detailed instructions - the meeting place, time, what the tour guide would be wearing, etc. It was good to know that a lot of people booked excursions through other tour companies as well. Once our van was filled, a lady in our group asked the driver/tour guide what time would the tour finish as we have to be back by 4:00 PM. The driver/tour guide knew that already and he assured us that we will be back on time so all of us felt relieved that they seem to know the do's and don'ts of touring cruise clients.

Our driver drove us to Navua, 3 towns away from Suva, about an hour drive, so we were able to see a bit of the other towns.

We started the tour by visiting a village (Koromakawa Village) meeting house called bure. We had to take our shoes off as per their custom and as a sign of respect.

We were warmly welcomed with a war dance and a kava ceremony, a sacred and traditional ceremony that is only performed for visiting high chiefs and important visitors. Kava is their national drink. I tried it. Its taste isn't as bad as it looked. It looked like muddy water, tasted like an old lipstick? (At least for me!) A folk dance was performed thereafter as well.

Our tour guides also shared the history of the village (established by an Englishman named Mr. Danford). They showed us how they cook/their traditional way of cooking called lovo. It's like an oven but underground. They dig/create a big pit in the soil and place wood and stones in it. They light a fire in it and if it's ready for cooking, they rearrange the stones so that the food to be cooked can be placed on top of it properly. Then, they cover the pit with dried leaves. Our food for lunch was cooked in that way.

They also showcased how Fijian mats and artworks are made. For the mats, they shred or pound pandan leaves to make it thinner and weave them together. These mats are considered traditional gifts. As for the artworks, they use ink from mulberry. They pound mulberries and use the extract as ink. They add charcoal to that extract to create a black ink and they add clay to create brown ink or just use the pounded mulberry extract as it is. They also have handmade fabrics, which, similar to the mats, are used as gifts for a wedding or funeral. If I remember correctly and hopefully, I am not mistaken, I think it is also customary for them to give gifts at funerals.

They showed how they open coconuts, which is very similar to how it is done in the Philippines, and what they do with the coconut byproducts. They use the coconut husk to make their roof while they use the coconut shell as a pot/container for cooking as well.

Our guides also explained their native weapons (such as neckbreaker and cannibal fork) and meaning behind their symbols (e.g. putting a flower on your left ear means you're single while placing a flower on your right means you're married). I loved this part. A lot was discussed but these are the only ones that stuck in my head as I write this.

We also visited a village pre-school and met some kids who sang us both welcome and farewell songs, which was really cute.

Then, we had lunch and ate the food that was cooked earlier. Their food is somewhat similar to Filipino food. There were noodles with vegetables (like pancit), a dish that looks and tastes like laing but not spicy (I forgot what it was called), rice (Yay!), fish in coconut, curry, pumpkin. We thought we would have extra time after eating lunch so we also had our name listed for a quick massage but we cancelled it because we had to go straight to our next activity.

I tried and ate most of the dishes offered.

Before leaving the village, my friend and I bought some souvenirs. We quickly slipped on our rashguards and aqua shoes as well. We deliberately left all out things at the village for this part of the tour. We canoed down the Navua river to visit Navua's largest waterfalls. I didn't notice that it was a 45-minute trip because I was busy looking at the villages, rainforests and waterfalls that we passed by. It would have been nicer if the weather wasn't gloomy. But at least we didn't have to worry about sunburn or heat.

After reaching our stop, we trekked further into the forest to reach the waterfalls. We had a quick dip. And I had a little accident before that. I was stepping on rocks to get slowly into the water and as I walk one step further, there were no more rocks! I somehow slipped into the water. There was like a gap in that spot/a sudden dip and the water is fairly deep for my height. Luckily, there was a man nearby and he grabbed me by the arm. I was split-second close to panicking and I wouldn't have been able to swim! Whew. He then pulled me to a safer spot where it was not too deep. Oh, my goodness. I was super grateful to him.

We capped off the tour by riding a bamboo raft, which was their previous means of transportation, back when there were no roads and before motors were introduced.

Chinese cuisine for dinner

We canoed down the river again and went back to the village to grab our things. It was a good call to leave our things in the village because it was a hassle to carry things and worry about our gadgets while canoeing and trekking. We were driven back to the cruise ship port on time. Everything in this tour went smoothly. Now we know that we can safely book tours outside the cruise line company. They are efficient and they are way cheaper, too!

Next port stop will be in 2 days time!