Happy Talk (Sydney to Nouméa)

Well hello dear reader. Yes, I'm back with another series of posts in the 'year of the holiday'. Sadly, our last for the year. It has been wonderful: The Cook Islands, Hamilton Island, the Kimberley expedition cruise and now New Caledonia, specifically Nouméa. It's only a brief sojourn - we will be back in Sydney next Tuesday. Long enough to avoid a significant birthday, unwind and enjoy French food and wine with a south Pacific twist. A segue to today's title, Happy Talk from the musical South Pacific.

A nice way to begin the holiday

Flying around lunch time is the thing. There were no queues. Anywhere. We left home at 10am and were seated in the Qantas First Lounge enjoying a glass of Perrier Jouet before 11am. Nice. Just when you think things can't get any better, one of the wait staff appears with a fruit platter, a chocolate muffin and a chocolate 'happy birthday' sign.  Awesome. A pity we're flying economy, but it's less than 3 hours.

I visited Nouméa about 45 years ago as a 15 year old captive on a cruise with my parents. Too young to hang with the adults, too old to be with the kids and girls my age were not interested. Fun times. To add insult to injury, the ship went through the tail end of a cyclone throwing the schedule out and inducing sea sickness, for the only time ever. We arrived late in Nouméa. Siesta time. We went to the aquarium and looked through shop windows because they were closed. The shops re-opened and life resumed as we boarded the ship. It was such a magical experience that I wouldn't attempt a cruise again for 45 years.

And here we are, sitting in the lounge enjoying our champagne and fruit platter when another of the wait staff suggests we should move to the 'restaurant area' for lunch. Menus were produced. Hmm, salt and pepper squid, duck, lamb, salads, chips ... way too much choice.

The salt and pepper squid was beautiful, perfectly accompanied by a Yarra chardy for Jayne and a pinot gris for me. The lime chilli dipping sauce was very tasty and something I will attempt to replicate when I return to my other life.

Birthday messages everywhere

The flight was uneventful which was fortunate because there were no screens to distract our attention had something gone wrong. It was only 3 hours, but that is a long time to be a seat captive without something to watch. Thankfully the lunch and wine we had made me drowsy and I napped part of the way to Nouméa.

The airport is 42km from the city. When you add peak traffic flow, that translated into an hour on the coach. Le Meridien is the last drop-off point because it is the last hotel on the point. As we are only staying for a short time I upgraded our room and as it is my birthday, they made sure we scored the best of the upgrade. We arrived after sunset so you'll need to wait my dear reader for shots of the view, but the suite itself is beautifully appointed and everywhere I look there are birthday messages.

The lounge looking into the kitchenette

Yes, you guessed it, the bedroom

Dinner tonight was at one of three restaurants, Le Sextant. A seafood buffet. Oh yeah. You name it they had it and they catered across the continents too. The oysters weren't up to Sydney rock standard, but the prawns, sashimi tuna and king fish, plus hot dishes, just yum. All washed down with a nice Sancerre white and some sparkling water. There was also bread. French bread ... I'm in heaven ... and a dazzling array of desserts. All in all, a very tidy way to conclude the day.

Except it wasn't over. We needed to drink our complimentary champagne and eat the birthday eclairs in the fridge.

What was it Ned Kelly said? Such is life.

à demain

Nothing much happens (Darwin and into the sea)

Today's title is courtesy of Ben Lee from the late '90s and is a nod to yesterday as much as it reflects Sunday in Darwin. After a terminally long travel day we slept very well. I am uncertain as to whether that was a reflection of travel exhaustion or the ice cold Kirin I had prior to bed. Regardless I woke very much refreshed and ready for the excitement of the day. Except it's Sunday morning in Darwin, a city better known for starting late and kicking on.

We stayed here at the Novotel in 2008 when we attended a conference. Not much has changed. It is looking a little tired, like the tropical heat has beaten it into submission and could probably do with a make-over. At the very least a gardener is required to bring the Devil's Ivy back to life. It is flourishing in some areas, in others, like outside our room, it is struggling for life against the ravages of scale.

It was time for breakfast, something we enjoyed in the Smith Street Mall last time we were here. It is a 5 minute stroll and it is a beautiful cloudless day, around 25˚ and breezy. Not quite like Sydney yesterday, but strong enough to send café billboards careering through the al fresco areas of the mall to the amusement of the breakfast crowd

Fresh juice and good coffee. Yum. Simple and yet difficult to find in the one place in Sydney. After breakfast we wandered through the few shops that were open. I am after a new Aboriginal flag T-shirt, one without writing on it. I purchased my current shirt hereon the last trip but it was not going to be replaced today. The search continues. There were plenty of the CU in the NT shirts and I was tempted, but no.

Mid-morning I decided I needed to have my hair cut before the cruise. I popped down to the Hair Dude. No appointment, sit and wait your turn. Remember those days dear reader? Checking out the girls in the Pix and People magazines? No? You're too young ... oh, sorry. You've missed an experience and a significant right of passage for Australian males. Not to mention the mirror into mirror experience, mis en abyme. My barber was a young 20 something from, wait for it, Cherrybrook, New South Wales. I know. I travel all that way to let a girl from the Hills area cut my hair.

Anyway, she's been on a cruise and, you know, like, you'll love it. It's like a floating RSL club. The food is great. They had the best mashed potato. And a casino. It was so cool. Hmmm. Hoping my experience will be somewhat different.

Prior to exploring the wilds of Darwin we met a fellow traveller in the hotel. We traded our Ponant cruise information for his knowledge of the Ghan. Another of my bucket list Australian experiences.

Goodbye Darwin

We had a few hours to kill prior to embarkation so we walked down to the Teddy Bears' Picnic. Happily the festivities had concluded and the children were all heading home with their parents. We continued our walk around past parliament and Government House where we caught our first glimpse of Le Laperouse through the trees. It was almost lunch time so we meandered up to the Smith Street Social for a cleansing ale or two and a light lunch then back to the hotel to collect our bags.




Boarding the ship was a relatively simple process and Darwin was soon fading into the distance. Those with cruise experience were easy to identify, they introduced themselves immediately. The first onboard activity was the safety briefing and by the time we headed to dinner, we already knew half a dozen people.

The cabin, sorry, prestige stateroom, was much more spacious than I thought. We have a lounge, a small balcony, queen size bed and an accessible bathroom. There is plenty of storage for our clothes. There is also a colour TV, not that I imagine that will get any use at all.

At dinner we sat with a couple that we met as we made our way onto the ship. Jayne had stopped to take their photo for them. Dinner was low key on level 3, buffet as opposed to the a la carté on level 4 and the alcohol flowed freely. Mind you, we could order from the a la carté menu as well - and did. Champagne, champagne and more champagne. This is my kind of cruise.

The concern I had over the formalities of suits and dress shirts were unfounded. It appears that everything is far more relaxed than the brochure outlines. The first of the galah evenings, sorry, I believe it is spelled gala, is tonight and there is no need to suit up. I am going to though - I brought the bloody thing so it shall be worn.

You would know my avid reader that it is always my intention to write one blog post per day. However, I fear I will not be able to meet that exacting standard on this holiday. Wifi access is via satellite and is, as they say in the classics, dodgy at best. A pathetic excuse, I know, but couple that with the fact that this is an expedition and time is strictly limited. We are off the ship every day except today. And some days commence at 6:30am! Zut alors!

The casual dining area on level 3

Last night we headed out towards Indonesia to go into their national waters for some bureaucratic reason that I will attempt to understand and explain at a later date. Then we turned around and headed straight back to Australian territorial waters and for Wyndham. We arrive there at 4am on Tuesday. All of Monday is on board and it is the only day we don't disembark.

We encountered some swell last night that has continued into today. It is not that big, but it certainly makes navigating the corridors interesting. I'm not sure that it rocked me to sleep either and it is certainly noticeable compared with the calmer water around Darwin.

Today we had a briefing in the theatre around the access and use of the Zodiacs that will be deployed getting us to and from our destinations. The next pier we see will be in Broome. So the Zodiacs are a life line. Then later in the day we had a lecture on the geology of the Kimberley.  This afternoon we have a briefing on our shore excursion tomorrow. We are are heading up the Ord River. Before that I have had a massage. I know, my envious reader, it is a tough life, but someone has to do it.

Lunch today was a buffet. More champagne and a nice little French rosé. The menu was predominantly seafood but there were other options for the Philistines. We commenced with a cheese plate and then Coffin Bay oysters and prawns. Delightful. In the interesting category I would place the sea snail - my first and possibly my last attempt. Interesting smokey flavour, chewy, and not for me. There was a huge array of desserts and breads. Oh my, the bread and the croissant and pain au chocolat. heaven, I'm in heaven.

The demographic on board, you ask? Well, we are not the youngest, but there would only be  handful younger than us and they are most certainly not Australian. My hair colour seems to be quite the fashion among the men, although our mobility and agility is superior to many. It is quite an international mix and there are more Australians than I thought I would see. France, Japan, the US and New Zealand are also well represented. There is a smattering of South Africans too. Many, it would appear, are repeat customers for Ponant. That speaks volumes for the experience.

Until next time.