Still at Sea with P & O

Mystery Island...

Enjoyed sleeping in, ate a full breakfast, and then headed out by tender boat to the small island. Since it was my second time here I mostly just relaxed, read my book, and went for a little walk! A nice day!

Vila, Vanuatu

Vila was beautiful! This is where Survivor Vanuatu was filmed! In the morning I went on a great tour of Ifira Island where there is a small village of about 200 of the Ifira people. We paddled over to the island in Outrigger canoes, and then were served fresh mangoes, coconuts, bananas, and grapefruit, all grown on the small island! We were then taken in small boats out to the reef where we snorkeled for about an hour. I saw so many fish, the water was so clear and the viewing was spectacular! We later had a walking tour of the island, all the kids were adorable, waving, and giving out flowers! It was so interesting to see there homes, literally a whole different world from what we are used to. Later when back at the port, I met up with some others and we spent the afternoon at Iririki resort also on a private island, only accessible by boat. We swam in the pools, drank some cocktails and ate lunch by poolside. The resort was so nice, and had many bungalows perched out on the water!

Crusing out of Sydney and Island Party

Divine Island, Poum

I Slept in today which I really needed! The view from the ship of Divine and the surrounding islands was unreal! So pretty! A few of us tendered over and relaxed on the beach and went for a swim. I was a little reluctant after hearing of people sighting the poisonous sea snake (which will apparently kill you) Yikes! There were also reef shark sightings on the other side of the island. The cruise ship set up a huge BBQ and hosted a tug-of-war! Later we hiked up to the viewpoint that looked over the island!

Wala, Vanuatu

Today was wonderful! Beautiful weather with plenty of sunshine, on a gorgeous island in the middle of the South Pacific! Wala is one of the gorgeous islands of Vanuatu! I explored the island today with Andrew and Tania, who is a photographer from Toronto! We both had our pro cameras and together took probably over 500 photos! We followed an island native through their jungle on a tour where we were shown a traditional show, dancing, and where the villagers lived! Later we drank from coconuts and went for a swim! Lots of snorkeling, with beautiful coral! We explored the other side of the island where we ran into random pigs, chickens, and children playing. The water was very warm and the island people were really nice, I really enjoyed the day! So far my favorite island!!

Mystery Island, Vanuatu

The winds and weather was so rough last night that there was talk of not being able to tender today, which would mean another day at sea and no stop on Mystery Island. : ( Luckily… the weather today was okay, and I caught a tender boat over to the island around 11am. My roommate Candice and I were delighted at how pretty the island was. There are no inhabitants (the natives come over from the neighboring island), and you can walk around the island in less than one hour. Many people were snorkeling, relaxing on the beach, or strolling around the little market. Around 2pm on our way back to the boat the storm came in, we got absolutely soaked while waiting for the tender! We then experienced an extremely rocky ride to the ship, where I grabbed lunch in the Lido and watched the rain fall on the windows.

Noumea, New Calendonia

My day in Noumea was a little overcast, but luckily the rain decided to hide for most of the day! Noumea is known as the soul of France in the South Pacific, and it’s the capital city of the island! Everyone speaks French and the currency is still the Pacific Franc. A few of us got off the ship right at 8am to explore the island. There was a nice old church where a wedding was taking place; I snapped a quick picture of the bride as we walked by. Andrew from New Zealand and I rented a scooter and explored the coastline. It was great! We headed down past Lemon Bay (Baie Des Citrons), and then to Anse Vata, a beautiful beach with a French promenade. The beaches were practically empty. We packed a picnic which we had bought at the Supermarket which consisted of a traditional baguette and French Brie cheese! It was very yummy! After we ate, we headed up some windy roads to the bay of Anse Kuendu. It was the prettiest beach by far! There were horses off to the side, and a really rustic looking resort with cabins out above the sea! Something that until now I had only seen in pictures or advertisements for far off resorts! It was really nice! On the ride back we stopped to talk to some young boys who were jumping off a high bridge into crystal looking water below! The boys were so friendly, I spoke to them in my broken French and we took some photos! After telling them I was not going to jump, they kept saying “Another photo Madam!!” It was a lot of fun! Next time hopefully the sun will shine a little brighter!!! Xox

Sydney Sail Away

Leaving Sydney on the Pacific Dawn was beautiful! I had a wonderful night over in Sydney, I took a wander down to the beach in Brighton, and relaxed at the hotel. I am liking the cruise so far, but it is a big change from Cunard! So many differences, and a whole different experience! It is taking a little getting used to, and the weather has been pretty crap, but it's still great! I really cannot complain...

Leaving tomorrow!

Well here I am again with a million things to do! Haven't started packing and it's the day before I leave for Australia for a month! Why do I always leave stuff like this to the last minute? Unlike July, when I found out two days before I was flown off to Europe... this time i've have actually had plenty of notice. The worst part is I am sitting at Lisa and Q's right now, blogging when I should be packing and running errands. My computer suddenly became deathly infected with viruses and I had to drive out here so my Hero Quentin could fix it!!! Thank goodness for good friends, and Lisa's homemade soup!! xox


From Sydney I will be working a month for P & O where I will be exploring the islands Vanuatu and New Caledonia! Here are a taste of the ports I will be visiting!South Pacific Regions I hope to update on here and post some pictures, so stay tuned!!

Fish Pedicure

This is crazy! You can travel to Virginia, USA to have this done! Your toes are nibbled on by a type of carp called garra rufa, or doctor fish, during a fish pedicure treatment at Yvonne Hair and Nails salon in Alexandria, Va.

Just touched down in London Town!

From Barcelona I flew to London where I stayed with Alex for a couple days! Windsor
Windsor Castle


Parliament Buildings

London Eye and the River Thames

Watching a Cricket match in Kew
English Football Match!



Hampton Court Palace!!!!
Home of King Henry the 8th!!!