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New Caledonia


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Feast for special ceremony, the BOUGNA goes more popular.
A bougna "hotel made".

The true bougna (of which the tradition tends to wanish itself, is prepared in a heated stone oven.

One now finds " bougna-pot " and " bougna microwaves " which can make illusion and give a small idea of what can be a true bougna of tribe ".

The kanaks were gathered in tribes after the taking possession of New Caledonia: grounds were allocated to them; each tribe is directed by a usual Chief. There are small Chiefs and Big Chiefs.

  Kanak means " man "

Tradition kanak: sometimes in the islands, to perpetrate the tradition but also to maintain the knowledge to make which is lost, the small Chief demand to build a traditional hut beside the house "breeze block and sheet metal"..

White "tribalisés".. This occurs in Lifou, Loyauté islands where the the teachers ("Whites") of the local public school belong to the tribe in which they were admitted mandatory !! and they take part in the palaver, the island being exclusive property of the tribes.

THE CHIEF

Ceremony for the appointment of a new Chief of tribe (November 1999).

At its feet, small traditional gifts: drinks, fabrics, small banknotes and I do not know too much about)

A tribe in the city..

Squats of Nouméa called moderately " zones of spontaneous habitat " ; there are a tenth including one on a private property.

 JAPANESE

The Japanese bath

Japanese have a drain in the middle of the bath room so that they have a shower before entering the water, which is nearly spilling over (it is the habit, there). The problem is that there is no drain in the bath room at the hotel and they don't care !! they have a shower outside the bath tube and heu..


This press item is well confirmed by the hotel owner, but it is necessary to add to it the history below, quite as incredible, entrusted by the owner of the our hotel: it is not rare that at midnight, she is obliged to intervene because Japanese lets run the hot water of his bath-tub with large floods; and why?? so that water keeps the same temperature, because the plug is left open at the same time!! (except the noise, hello consumption).

Small nap

At the " pontoon " Japanese, this is well known, relax everywhere, on the least occasion : in the steps at the time of a spectacle, squatted while waiting for a subway train (seen in Tokyo).
The proof (early 2003) ; on the Shinkensen (Nipponese very high speed train), at 270 km/h and 800 passengers on board, the driver slept, even after the automatic stop and the irruption of the head of train in its cabin ! it is not sleep that ?

Honeymoon

Honeymoon at the Meridian hotel (Anse Vata) : There, rich) Japanese in search of originality marry.

THE LOCAL PRESS "Fine criticisms " in New Caledonia, " Nice mockeries " in Polynesia. Caledonians have a particular relation with the "French metropolitans", which one still notes in the local press. see "Fines criticism" in french, but here is the translation : "I don't understand, I booked a room overlooking the lagoon and there are only stones and trash, shout the metroplolitan (French) ; but Sir, it is the low tide. The man finally calm down. final word of the press : there are some who dont know travelling" (no comment !!)

A shoot in a running car.
.


"It keep hanging outside the door of the car..". "back mirrors attack" : several back mirrors of parked vehicle have been toned on Sunday at about 5 am. A drunk guy ..It seems to be an emotional problem with this part.

The mirror of our " CLIO " was properly removed the night, in front of our hotel. Beautiful work without breakage, but not refunded.

Always drink problems: A nurse assaulted
 In Yaté, during our stay, a woman was assaulted in a phone box ! (she called the cops which came to remove she from the boor, completely drunk.

A drunk man who knock at the police door !!

Right hand. Bier cans on the Ouen Toro, Anse Vata (Nouméa).

Unemployment, drink and drug are the plea as everywhere.

Beverage, drug.

Preferably, be aware of what could occur on a place you do not know very well, because glazed leaflets most often cover up the reality ; If you enquire well and be cautious, mainly at night and the week-end, there is no reason to dramatise too much,  and have some niece days in these countries.

THE FRENCH PRESS July 2000 - " Fig ": The three provinces signed an agreement on the distribution of the shares in the capital of the mining group Eramet-SLN (Company nickel) that the state their gave. " it is a historical stage in the process of decolonisation and of emancipation of New Caledonia ", a freedom fighter declared adding : we have given nothing ".

Delivery service  ; the " disk pack " originates in the meal for the minors.

 

It is usually sold to anyone and the Caledonian are not deprived any. Delivered to residence, it must cost around 50/60 French francs.

What's on today ?

Emissions on the "tele" of " TOM " are fresh and natural.

Television

 One benefit from the French review of metropolis, "on live" or almost : one is accustomed to see the morning at breakfast, the almost direct "20 hours" of the day before in Paris !!

THE KAVA
Truth kava is not bottled. It is a sort of herbal tea "in fashion" prepared with plants and appreciated for its relaxing virtues. (Vanuatu origin).

Some say that it is better drinking it of a blow (because of the taste); several " cups of them " would be more effective to feel the effects. 

there are several spots, but I know a squat at bas of allotment Veyret (road Anse Vata) where you can find it, in the evening : If you are fond of it..

 

POLYNESIA

The Polynesia, with Ma' hoïs, is very different from New Caledonia : the language, culture, the territorial government. The Polynesian is spoken from the Zealand News to Hawaii while passing by the Easter Island, whereas to New Caledonia, one counts 30 languages and even more dialects. They do not understand from a village or from one valley to another. There is also a strong independence movement in Polynesia..

Nice mockeries What some tahitiens regard as " nice jokes " is not inevitably appreciated by the tourists. A guide said to us: " It is not malicious, we are for the French, because the Americans would put us behind nettings for exhibiting us !!

" I received cement splashes " whereas I was interested in work and chattered nicely with a workman tahitian. By the same occasion, he l also received cement in his eye. All the workmen made me then great smiles while passing to side, delighted of their good joke.

In Bora, while passing close to a sitted group of young people close to the beach, we caused " nice " laughter from them : they tell some good story on you in Tahitian, knowing that one does not understand.

"there is not citrron anymore " (lemon).

In a pretty straw hut of Bora Bora, where the life runs peacefully, we order "fish à la Tahitienne". Peaceful response of managing: " there is not citrron " (lemon). How come there is not not lemon, it comes from where the lemon ? answer " from Tahiti " (*). this is the country and its problems, but also its charm if one agrees not to live in a " asepticized machinery fot tourists ".

(*) I was told later that it was perhaps not the season of the Polynésien lemon.

Nice mockeries

History (old) of the Chinese : "Chou en li (fictitious name) goes to the market on his bicycle, very happy with the good bargains which it will make this day by selling its products.
It meets in path a group of Tahitians which stops him and which, after having put it entirely nude, attaches his hands to the handlebar and the feet on the pedals". Our unfortunate Chinese, obliged to pedal to avoid falling, can only carry on his path. Arrived at the market, says one made some several times the turn before some merchants help him to get out of his trapped bicycle!!

We did not remain enough in Polynesia to note many facts in the newspapers or the day to day life. I express simply what I could feel or see. In only two days spent in PAPEETE, we saw a drunk man, from which it was necessary to deviate, and a poor wretch woman, enormous and so filthy you can't imagine, who passed in front of " the Retro ", pleasant bar of PAPEETE. It's awful because there would be so much happiness with this smiling,sweet and friendly population.

THE LOCAL PRESS
The newspaper " Tahiti Pacifique" would be independent. Others are " under the aegis of the Hersan Group.

Rae Rae, the solution when there is a shortage of women

In Polynesia, for lack of births of girls, some men are brought up " as girls " by the families; it is true that there are very effeminate men. We saw a group of beautiful young women, a little odd all the same, at a corner of a street in centre of PAPEETE, which were selling their charms; finally, that was.


THE FRENCH PRESS, July 2000 -
" the canard enchaîné ":

" tourism does not take off, because for French and American, Tahiti is very expensive, not very accessible, with its rare public beaches, its artificial money "franc pacifique", its inflation of Lexus hotels on piles which, as in Bora Bora, kill the lagoon ". Without reproducing the ground of the item, one can agree with certain points. There is often confusion between Tahiti, which manages the whole of Polynesia and the islands. Tahiti is not Bora Bora, neither Huahine, nor Moorea.

" Stop throwing your bottles of beer in my garden.." (Bora-Bora)


Unemployment, drink and drug : Think to be cautious but do not dramatise too much ; some leaflets invite to be prudent the evening, especially on the weekend.

French songs One hears old French and American songs on the radio, as if one retrogressed in time : "que sera sera" (that will be, will be. ) (266 KB) ; "dans le berceau d'un vieux château, une promesse vient d'arriver, une princesse..") in the cradle of an old castle, a promise comes to arrive, a princess...")

Song of "the gardian de Camargue" (225 ko).

 In a classy hotel, whereas the rain started to fall, the receptionist started herself to sing gently a child song : "il pleut, il pleut bergère.." . (it rains, it rains shepherdess...) and the continuation! charming.

Big and fatty

According to the tradition, the Polynesians like themselves to be "in flesh" and for us straightforwardly fatty. If a majority of them are not fat, one finds also men and women whom one can describe as obese; food "in the American way" can also play a role, just like in France where one is alarmed to see now young people " in overload weight".

Paréo and flowers on the ear The paréo (pareu) is sometimes carried but clothing is generally standardised : One sees some young women with a flower in the hair, or on the ear, but generally it is at the reception desk of the hotels, agencies; sometimes also in street and as I asked a sales woman if there were a significance in the port of the flower, she answered me: " it is finished that, it was our " grrands mèrres " (grang mother).

Effectiveness
Relaxation made us fear the worst sometimes. If one excludes a misunderstanding due to the organization of our specially fiitted travel, with a flight to Nouméa, all was very well organized. There are sometimes odd situations, as on arrival with Bora, because the driver of our bus did not have our name on his document, but knew that it took to us !! It's not really France there and it is also why we go there and some part of the pleasure.

Géo magazinr, January 2003 : "the majority of Micronésiens and Polynésiens take part in the installation of a migratory network, bound for Australia, the News Zealand, the cities of north American Pacific coast, New Caledonia and France for the French ones.

In 2002, 340 000 Polynesians resided on the Californian coast (Los Angeles) and 150 000 in Australia (especially Sydney).

"On the whole, 540 000 Polynesians live in their island of origin, 770000 form minorities autochtones in Hawaii and in News Zealand (230 000),

850 000 circulate now in and around the Pacific.

All do not return in their island, but their incomes help the sedentary families to get the modern goods of equipment.

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