J Arrive en Paradise

Lifou New Caledonia Baie de Chateaubrand

Okay, you can start hating me now! The sun finally came out yesterday and it was superb. My first destination was the beach, and it was all the you imagine: a long stretch of fine white sand, green water surrounded by craggy cliffs. A few people scattered among the shade under the trees. A couple of tourists embracing in the water. I padded out on the sand to the shore- The water was the temperature of a bath, and swimming out with my mask to the dark spots, the coral was filled with all the kinds of blue, yellow, red fish that you see in the aquarium. I was floored!

I spent the day on the beach doing nothing, then wandered over to the aquatic center, again which nether had a sign or any kind of marking but I guessed right by looking at all the boats. Here I got a short lesson in a mix of French and English and took my learner's windsurf to the water. There was a school group of 10 year olds learning to sail, so they got great amusement watching me learn to windsurf while their yellow boats went out and back to the far buoys.

At last another deluge came down and since the children were getting out of the water, so did I. They swarmed the beach like little brown water babies, taking showers under the rain spouts, spraying each other with the hose, splashing in the rain; their thick curly hair flying; laughing and running in to each other. At last they swarmed me to find out how are you? and ou est chez vous? They passed me again as I rode the 12 K back to the hotel, yelling from the school bus windows BOZO! BOZO!

Although I was a bit sunburned, it was a perfect day, the one I had dreamed of for so long, and although its costing me a small fortune, at last I have my beach, the sun and the tranquility I sought starting with the gray skies of Seattle to the long roads of New Zealand. Ahhhh.....