in melanesia

So it has been a while but I am back to blogging. Wow what a great time I have had; so where is New Caledonia some of you asked me? It is about two hours north of new zealand, it is considered Melanesian. I have always wanted to visit Melanesia, most people in the US venture to the Carribbean or S America but Melanesia has always interested me especially since so many of the Melanesians I have seen look like they could be part of my family; now why did I pick a french speaking Melanesian country? (new cal is a french territory) porquoi pas; hee hee why not, shoot it is about time i put those years of french class to use; i really should have paid more attention in class instead of chatting up Sunghi and getting warnings from Madame Kinneman; so yes my french has improved but still sucks; someone asked me about swimming and i thought they wanted to know what I ate for breakfast... ce la vie. oh and it turns out that I have been the first American for many Kanaky (name given for local melanesians though there are over 30 melanesian languages spoken and countless tribes) to meet and if not the first American, definitly the first African American. So I first began in the big island in the city of Noumea, then went to three amazing small islands. So I will blog in sections cause it could take a while and I am writing on a french keyboard which I could change to english but shoot i can barely touch type anyway so it could mess me up even more; another class i should have paid more attention in:)

Noumea
I fly over the clear waters and can see the coral reef from the plane. It calms me a bit but the turbulance is pretty intense and I grab the hairy muscular arm next to mine. I tell the big Kiwi man sorry but he does not seem to mind. So after landing I take the local bus to the hostel and the bus driver actually drops me off at the hostel door even though his shift is over and he is only supossed to drop me off at the bus stop; See in really broken french i had explained where i needed to go and he offerred to take me when his shift was up because there was a steep hill.... yep that hill is crazy steep. So a milliion thanks to him. The city is similar to most, too much concrete for moi, so my first thoughts are to find a beach and to make plans to visit outer islands. The hostel reminds me a bit of a jail, everything is locked away in cells even little ones for food and the woman that runs it is so rigid and cold, man I have been spoiled in NZ...but yep the hostel is efficient and cheap so ce la vie. I soon meet a man that happens to be a tourism expert and has a couple days off. So we arrange to meet the next day and go to the Cultural center. It is the Tjibaou Cultural Center named after a Kanaky leader assinated in the 80s; it is world renowned for the architecture and really is amazing to see. Edouard my guide is great and offers to drive me all over the island; i decline because honestly that involves overnight camping and well I am still a city gal and just maybe aint used to this type of friendliness. But all is well and we have a nice day, and we get into the center for free which is always a good thang especially when i am on a budget; oh and speaking of budgeting, I decide to begin my couchsurfing (online hosting traveling site that is great) adventure, two nights in the hostel is enough pour moi so tune in next time for: Couchsurfing with Marie Lise