Sydney 1 – Auckland 0

The good news first: Auckland has construction workers, yay! The biggest deficit I experienced in New Caledonia during those five weeks of my stay there was the almost complete absence of women and men in security gear operating heavy machinery in the streets. Or controlling the traffic. And you know how I have a softContinue reading “Sydney 1 – Auckland 0”

Do they know it´s Christmas?

They sure do! There is simply no escape from Christmas. Not that that had been my intention when I set off to far-off destinations six weeks ago. Of course I was prepared to see Christmas celebrated in the south Pacific too. But the sheer scale of it certainly exceeds my expectations… First some impressions fromContinue reading “Do they know it´s Christmas?”

What´s in a name?

I have a new name now. Call me ouah-ouah. Last week, as you know, I spent a couple of days on Lifou island. I stayed with Ferdinand and his family (they merit an article of their own, yet to be written; so please be patient). They speak a wonderful mixture of Drehu (their local vernacularContinue reading “What´s in a name?”

Joseph and the coconut

Several things are not quite accurate about the title of this article. “Joseph” is fine, and so is the word “coconut”. But it should read either „Joseph and the coconuts“, or „Sebastian and his coconut“, or perhaps even „Joseph, the vanilla garden, and the coconut tree“. I don’t know why, but for some reason IContinue reading “Joseph and the coconut”

This isn’t about uniforms!

A have a confession to make. But please promise not to tell anyone. It is something I experienced in Sydney, and I have to say, I really miss it already over here in New Caledonia. You all remember Village People, the band, right? I guess everyone can sing or hum along to ‘YMCA’, even ifContinue reading “This isn’t about uniforms!”

Display man

Although I am pretty much a rookie in the world of blogging (with one week‘s experience, to be exact), I think one basic rule is obvious: Never post the same picture twice! But rules are there to be broken. You remember how last Sunday evening the lovely receptionist at Mei Ho House ordered that taxiContinue reading “Display man”

High-speed tram

Few people know that Hong Kong boasts the fastest tramway in the whole world. That is really surprising, since the legendary ‘Ding Ding’ is such a famous tourist attraction. I had heard rumours about the breathtaking speed of these vehicles which otherwise come across as, umm, rather traditional. And don’t you be fooled by theContinue reading “High-speed tram”