Ile des Pins and my last week

Several days since my last entry ... it's been two days already since I got back from l'Ile des Pins, yet it could just as well have been yesterday... I've said it before but man time flies. This will probably be a short entry as I've got so much to finish and tidy up before my departure for Wallis on Saturday at 8 am. However I wanted to post a quick update.

So let's backtrack -- Saturday evening -- we drove out to Patricia's house for her birthday party. Lovely flat, super spacious with a great balcony. The ambiance was smiley and relaxed - lots of rum and tasty wine .... and of course lots of tasty bits of food! Patricia got absolutely showered with presents -- some very bright pink sparkly sandals, a cute sexy top, little trinkets and a necklace. iIven how early we had to leave the next day for our fieldtrip to l'Ile des Pins we finally peeled ourselves off the couches at around 1am. The night was super clear and the sky full of stars. So weird to not find your bearings in the sky at night! At home Julie and I made some 'tisane' and sat out on the deck until 2:30am chatting and giggling. She is a really wicked girl and I am going to miss her a ton when I leave... 'fieldtrips' are remarkable that way, you get to live so intensely with people for a short (or long) period of time, get pretty close in a relatively short period of time and then you just take off... but it's :o) to get to meet such incredible people.

On Sunday then we take a 30 minute flight over to the island - the sky is cloudy so we can't see the reef :o .... makes for an all more surprising and flabbergastingly exciting flight home!!!!

Claude meets us at the airport -- upon arrival we drop our stuff off, gear up, pick up the rental car and drive to our first survey site. The weather is cloudy and the sky looks threatening... but we're determined and excited and nothing will stop us!

We're meant to survey a number of locations that were chosen from their 'seagrass' signature (i.e. the way they look) on satellite images.

The first two sites are seagrass beds alright - we record the species present as well as any algae mixed into the bed and write down a short description, including depth, substrate etc...

After a lunch break where we eat possibly the longest and biggest sandwich I've ever faced!!! we tackle the next site -- here, surprise surprise no seagrass, but lots of algae!!! ahhhh mapping from satellite images is one hell of a tricky business!!!! Algae and seagrass can look so so similar!!! ... emphasising the importance of going on the ground and finding out what it is you're looking at!

We're pretty dead tired byt he time we get home and so get to bed not too late following dinner.

On monday we've rented a boat. Jean Louis will be our 'marin' for the day - he's smiley and super cheerful. He's also a diver and a local and so knows all the sites we're meant to survey really well. He giggles when we mentioned we're looking for seagrass -- saying, you won't find any at any of those sites... but if you're keen I can show you where to find some grass!!!

We still survey all the algal beds which we thought were seagrass beds... and add the two sites Jean Louis takes us to.

The weather is GORGEOUS by now ... though we have a westerly wind blowing -- which NEVER happens!!! I tell you some little funny man always plays tricks with you those days you need to go out onto/into the water!

I can't believe my eyes -- the water is absolutely crystal clear, a multitude of turquoise, dark blues -- nature at its most stunning. A couple of clouds in the sky emphasise the sharpness of the light, lending the rocks that jut out of the water a more marked contrast. This place is absolutely surreal. The terrestrial horizon is lined by tall 'pins colonaires' typical of the island --- and the reason why it is called the Isle of Pines in the first place. To think that people (ME) get to work in places like this makes me burst out laughing!!!! No matter the weather this truly *IS* paradise!!!!

I love my work :o) -- and I get to learn so much!! Claude, the algologist, is in 7th heaven with all the algae we come across. She is an amasing teacher, and doesn't tire of my questions - and which one is this again? and how do you call this one? but this one looks exactly like this one!!! pointing out details time and again on how to differentiate between the multitude of green, brown and variations thereof, I pull out of the water.

The diversity is mindblowing -- truly. At one site, we go explore a little adjacent reef -- HUGE red gorgonians stretch their fans out into the water. I've never seen anythign like it - they are BEAUTIFUL. Big fish swim in and out of crevaces, clown fishes dance in their anemones, every now and again being courageous they dart out towards you as if to say, hey, you're in my space, get lost!

As light falls -- it's winter here and we're close to the equator so the sun sets early, at around 5h30 pm, we cruise back towards the hotel and snorkel our last site --- right in front of the hotel. To gloriously finish the day, this is a seagrass bed :o)

We download all the pictures we took to help us describe the sites and literally fall into bed after a tasty and hearty dinner.

Claude takes off the next morning early, whilst Serge and I stay on the island to go see the mayor and thank him for allowing us to carry out our surveys. Customary law is still in effect here and a number of sites are considered tabu on and around the isle. Trespassers will be severly punished. As such, anyone wishing to carry out any research needs to ask permission not only from the official authorities but also from the chiefs. It took close to 6 months for the chief to authorise this mission - and so we wanted to be sure to thank him. He's busy in a meeting and so we leave a message... and go on to do one more site before enjoying the island as tourists.

There is no doubt about it this island is truly magnificent -- and New Caledonia at some of its best. To me this is definitely one of the most amasing sites I've ever visited on the planet.

I've added a couple of pictures so judge for yourselves ;o)

Weekend fast approaching

Saturday is market day - and there's no better way to discover a city than to explore its market. So many colours, faces, sounds, and of course smells!

The fihs displays are impressive -- you can still find HUGE fishes here, groupers that are at least 1m in length, parrotfish about 50cm or more (are you taking note Sonia?! ;o)), HUMONGOUS crayfish, rockhinds, snappers, lots of squid, octopus, and fishes I have never heard of being eaten before...


Julie and I oogled the stands, trying to determine who was selling the best tuna -- some of the sellers aren't doing themselves any favours , at least in my humble opinion, by sort of throwing all the fish onto the ice without some attention paid to presentation.


On we went to the vegetable and fruit section - you kinda have to do a few rounds 'til you have found your bearings in terms of who is selling the best veggies, what stands has the freshest herbs, who has ripe papayas versus one you can let ripen on your shelf for a couple of days... it's quite the detective work ;o) and it is so much of what makes shopping at the market **FUN** :o)


I then amble along the crafts sections -- lots of pearls, lots of coral :o( :o( :o( and lots of shells too :o( :o( .... though vendors when asked are quick to point out that most of the corals and shells come from the Philippines and/or Indonesia... not from around the island itself... I am keen to find a couple of presents for family and friends though given how I'd like to keep corals and shells in the sea where they belong, my choice is drastically reduced. Add to that that prices are simply horrific ... you end up looking a lot and not much else!!!


We have a coffee and eat two very ripe 'pommes canelle' and drive on to the women's cooperative. They sell heaps of arts and crafts made out of palm fronds ... I am REALLY tempted to buy a beautiful bag, though worry canadian customs may not be so keen on me bringing that home -- must check what the website says about that or maybe even ask...


Julie and I then spend about an hour preparing lunch. On the menu, traditional tahitian fish salad, riz nature, and tuna sashimi with a soy ginger sauce. I am telling you food here is ridiculous!!! The traditional tahitian fish salad goes something as follows -- using a thing cloth (or in this instance a dish towel) squeeze the coconut milk out of finely ground fresh coconut, marinate little chunks of raw tuna in lemon juice for about 10 mins (then discard excess juice), finely chop about two tomatoes, and 2 green onions, cut some cilantro -- mix and put in fridge for 10 minutes.


EAT :o) YUM I tell you --- it is all finger licking GOOD :o) Plus the sun is finally filtering through the clouds adding the extra special goodness to it all.

Then on to work --- more images ... still the same one in this instance... I am not satisfied with what my image classifications are spewing out --- grrrr :o

In the afternoon Julie and I go for a stroll -- and I take some picture of the little bay along which the institute is located -- rather nice don't you think :o)


Now I need to finish a few things before we go and bake a few 'rocher noix de coco' for Patricia's birthday and I pack for tomorrow's early departure to l'Ile des Pins.

Lots of happy beams your way :o)

Another day in paradise

I can't believe it's nearly the weekend again -- I remember Serge (who is supervising me here and with whom I worked in Florida before) telling me that somehow it seemed as though time flies by faster in Noumea. I have to say I agree -- it does seem as though the days somehow have fewer hours!!!

The sun poked its head from between the clouds a couple of times today -- which put me in an awesomely good mood despite a few major technical hiccups… like my computer freezing a few too many times – so I decided to defragment it which took a good 2 hours… then my external hard drive not being recognised by my laptop anymore… and one of the USB ports dying on me too… The external hard drive is with the IT folks so let’s hope they fix it --- fingers crossed.
I guess being in paradise doesn’t really keep you safe from such mishaps!!!

A friend of mine was commenting how upon receipt of my last email he stood in front of a world map in his office – he then commented how quite in the middle of nowhere New Caledonia is!
I guess it’s true – although then you start to look at all the other Pacific islands, and I go man o man those places area REALLY in the middle of the big blue sea!!! I guess this is also what makes this place so unique! New Caledonia is considered, as far as I know at least in terms of its marine biodiversity, is considered one of the world’s ‘hotspots’ … i.e. there are lots of things here that don’t exist anywhere else, thereby making New Caledonia even more of a pretty special place!!! There is something of the quaintness of it that really becomes me – quality of life here is incredible … and when the city gets to you – though the capital in itself isn’t too big either,120 000 people, there’s plenty enough of wild spaces to go and explore!!! Makes me realise time and again how incredibly lucky I am to have had the fortune to have met the people that are welcoming me here for a while.

I was working on Cuba’s seagrass yesterday --- the process is tedious and progress is so slow … frustrating – yet patience was rewarded as my classification seems to do alright in placing seagrass where I see seagrass. I got through most of an image yesterday though need to finish tweaking a few things and then move on to the next one.
Tonight it’s Patricia’s birthday – a girl who works here and joined us on the weekend trip to Le Cap. We might stop by there for a wee while… though not too late for me as I want to get lots done before we take off to l’Ile des Pins on Sunday morning bright and early. I can’t wait – people say it’s one of the most stunning places around here. More seagrass experience in close up!!! The pictures this time show some of the thing we saw last time snorkelling around.
Hurray --- hopefully the weather will be kind!
Tata :o)

Thundershowers in Noumea

New Caledonia is indeed a tropical paradise -- this much I have found out in the 2 weeks I've been here. However, I was also told the sun tends to shine *A LOT* and as such I should make sure to take plenty of HIGH FACTOR sunscreens in my 20 kg of allocated luggage. Looking up at the sky I feel as though were I to stretch my hand out I could touch the clouds - thus one thing for sure I ain't running the risk of getting a sunburn any time soon!!!!

That being said we're luckier than our neighbours in Australia who had huge cargo ships strand on their shorelines -- threatening to spill their contents onto the beaches - due to high speed winds and crazy thunderstorms...

Another advantage to the situation is that I actually don't feel as itchy to grab my mask, fins and snorkel to go expore the underwater world -- I have work to do after all, much of which involves sitting in front of a computer - oh how so ever exciting!!! - and looking at pretty pictures (aka satellite images). Why this? ... well to draw little polygons around the area I recognise as being seagrass beds. Right now I am tackling Cuba -- which has lots of that grass --- the turtles feeding in those areas must have big fat bellies!

I can't complain though -- at least when I look out the window I see the ocean, little boats rolling in the bay, and I am surrounded by smiling faces. Plus the atmosphere in this place is motivating - everyone works very very hard but yet they also know how to stop and have a break, have a laugh and cheer each other up. A good combination :o)

In other big news -- the kind of news that doesn't hit the international press, but certainly is in capital yellow letters on the front page of the local newspaper -- gecko exports (mostly to feed snakes etc...) have been banned!!! You can see the little critters everywhere here -- and they make one hell of a noise! I was woken up with a jolt the first couple of nights thinking someone was knocking at my window. Noticing noone was there I wondered who on earth was making this loud sound -- only to find out a day later -- the geckos indeed!!!! ... and they only measure about 5cm! Kind of nice to have them around though to gobble up all the flies and mosquitoes that zoom around.

OK - it's lunch time for me now -- the picture above was from my first day in the water here, when the sun was still out ;o) (no I am not bitter about it!!)

Weekend in Le Cap

Life in the tropics I must say just adds that certain zest to life!!!
I had been missing terribly - no matter how much I love spending my time in Vancouver and discovering that life candian styleeeee kinda suits me!!!
...this however is an adventure of quite different sorts and proportions... first off it's french... and those of you that know the french just about know what that means ;o)
Truly alive and well - with highs as high as they can go, and lows obviously that can be quite dark too, though I've been lucky not to experience anyone's wrath (yet!).
Sometimes I truly feel I must be living in a dream - so surreal and beautiful this place is ... so warmly I have been received. I truly feel so so so so fortunate and lucky!!! :o)

This past weekend was spent halfway up the western part of the island - in a place called Le Cap. Jean Louis and Claude own a place there, or rather manage a 475 ha large estate for a family who now lives in France.
The place is breathtaking: undulating hills, lots of green spots, though most of the forests have been transformed to pasturelands. Driving in you see happy cows munching away on what appears like tasty grass, looking slightly bewildered at the approaching car. The 'hut' itself is basic, but boasts all the amenities you can possibly dream of - even hot water and electricity!!! Quite the luxury indeed!

Upon arrival, after a three hour drive on thursday night we had a simple dinner and went to bed relatively early as friday was field day.
Got up early the next morning - put togetehr all the snorkeling apparel, got the boat ready to rock and roll, and drove to the mangrove. From there it's a 10 min fast ride down the river to the ocean. I simply cannot put into words the thrill experience to sit on that boat, cruising through the mangove and seeing the waves crashing onto the reef a short distance away. We were lucky weatherwise too as the ocean's surface was smooth as a mirror, and there was not a breath of wind, making work rather easy. We spent about an hour silently watching dugongs and green turtles surfacing above a vast expanse of seagrass to catch their breath. Quite the clever little devils they are always popping up behind your back!!!!

Then off to work we went -- got geared up, jumped into the turbid waters and surveyed the sites we had plotted on the map the day before -- aka seagrass seagrass and more seagrass! - but exciting it was as so much more diverse than anything I've ever experienced in the Caribbean in terms of flora ... and fauna! Lots of fishes zooming around -- and here and there big coral heads with literally a million of little fishes and bigger fishes hiding out!
Lunch consisted of baguette, camembert and saucisson sec -- ah mais oui on est francais apres tout -- thus when you eat, well, you might as well and better eat in style :o) ... i have to confess I've had to call time out on my vegetarian tendencies whilst out here -- (i) i would have never survived and (ii) I probably would have been by now forced fed some form and shape of meat by flabbergasted frenchmen who would have thought I was completely and utterly mad and thus most imminently brought to reason!
More seagrass discoveries in the afternoon - more fishes and some snorkels above large coral heads --- the diversity of just about anything and everything is mind blowing --- i must grab on tight to my snorkel to not breathe in tons of saltywater from all the jawdropping I am doing ;o)
I've given up on the shooting to the surface and wiggling and letting out a multitude of sounds of excitement, realising that people here WORK in the Pacific and thus this crazy diversity and variety of things is 'normal' to them --- including the 5 sharks you see on a dive, the blue, purple, green, yellow branching corals - true FORESTS of them --- the dazzling coloured reef fishes - oh I could go on and on!!!!

...but back to my seagrasses....
so we do some more surveying, rescue a small shark caught in a drifting gillnet .... untangle, or attempt as best we can the 150m at least of net caught in the branching coral and pull it up into the boat... and drive home... welcomed by Pierre and Celine who have just arrived to join us in the celebrities that will be taking place this weekend - in honour of Jean Louis who is celebrating his 60th birthday!
Lavish dinner -- we've come to expect no less....

Saturday we go on a long hike through the forest - Jean Louis knows his estate rather well -- taking us through vast plains, dry forests, the naouili forest, and swampy bits too -- the trees are alive with birds chriping, whistling ... a true cacophony .... my friend John would be in 7th heaven!
More food is had upon return --- 5 types of cheeses, wine, grilled meat, and a huge salad; desert is a chocolate and walnut tart. Yes, quite the feast!!! as I said we are dining with the french after all! Lunch is shared with the other folks that have just arrived - Greg, Patricia, Julie and two of Jean Louis' friends, Jojo and Alain.
Before nightfall (the sun sets early here at around 5h30pm) we set out on a trek again to go see a batcave. Jean Louis leads us at a record pace - man i want to be that fit when I turn 60!!! - up the hills, through the brush - his sense of orientation is bedazzling - and into the cave. It is absolutely PITCH BLACK of course, and with our headlamps we can see millions of small bats whizzing through the cave... you can feel them brushing past you at full speed too!!! We don't stay too long -- thank goodness, caves do make me a little claustrophobic, clamber back out and take another path back down to the house. The sky is ablaze with pinks and orange clouds.... hmmmm I really do love this place :o)

The true festivities are about to begin -- champagne flows with a variety of apperitifs; red wine for dinner with raclette!!!! The food is out of this world, the stories too -- we laugh and laugh and then laugh some more. My belly aches and I am not sure if it's from all the laughing or eating!!! The sky has cleared so we go out and stare at the stars --- go for yet another walk and see LOADS of small deers -- they are considered a pest here and thus hunted.... Jean Louis dabbles in quite a bit of that too...
Finally, exhausted, round bellied and with a huge smile on our faces everyone collpases into their beds ... or tents...

The next morning we pack -- chit chat, help clean up and Serge, Julie and I set off relatively early as we want to stop by a few sites on the way home - La Roche Percee and la Baie des Tortues... quite the stunning views despite the low clouds and greyness of the sky... we have a nap on the beach and drive home, sharing stories of travels and adventures, work ... and generally conclude that we're quite the happy, enthused, motivated and incredibly lucky bunch :o)