Easily distracted

December 22nd
Day 4
Lifou, New Caledonia
Cruise stats:
Swell: 0.5m
Weather: Bright and sunny, 30C
Vanilla beans: AUS$5 each

This is the Pacific Islands I came to see. White sandy beaches, thick jungle, and French-infused culture. We went ashore today on the island of Lifou, at the village of Easo.

Today started in truly magical style. We were on the balcony early to watch out arrival, when it began to rain and a perfect rainbow formed right in front of us. It was only there for a few minutes, but it was the most stunning I've ever seen.

This morning was our first experience of the ships tender boats. Not exactly a smooth ride, but I suppose they are just lifeboats with engines.

Our tour this morning took us first to a vanilla plantation. We were given a vanilla bean as a souvenir, and although I know we can't take it back, it was pleasant to wander around the jungle/garden of the plantation smelling it, and our clothes will smell good for the rest of the trip.

The second stop was the village of Jokin, on top of the cliffs at the northern tip of the island. We didn't take the 200 stairs down to the bottom of the cliff, but we didn't need to. The view from the top was breathtaking, even if I did spend much of our time there chasing the clouds of butterflies.

The village of Easo itself was pretty, and we finally got out first taste of New Caledonian food, an unidentified snack which turned out to be a kind of banana pancake. Tasty.