Day 10: (23 May 2011):
- Wake up, give 10kF. Tell her to get something for Sophie as well. 3kF for dinner, 1/3 of 7.5kF for groceries (although some might be for family), + petrol, + niceness.
- Photo together. Pay. Sarah buy salt/oil combo. Sophie's mother gave us niaouli/eucalyptus oil combo as gift.
- Boris drive to Koumac to pick up friend. We go. I pack: bit late, missed sandwich making.
- Cows on drive.
- Arrive just when Sarah's bus arrived. (11:30am). Sarah give me lunch, juice, pomme canale. Find there is bus for Puebo at 1:15.
-Sarah going to attend some kind of traditional wedding on Ouvéa. I wish I could see.
- Boris find friend after a while. The spraying urinal. Arrive after bus does.
- Go to snack, they buy lunch. Drive to park to eat. Sandwich with stale bread & spiced meat/fat. Good, large bone. Grapes, cake. Talk to Boris's friend about video games. Games also expensive in NC. Broken English & French.
- Arrive back, prepare bags, bus arrive in a while. Bus much older this time. All others Kanak. Understand why Christelle surprised I take bus.
- Bus pretty full, use middle folding seats. Eventually, completely full. Sea of people inside.
- Some rust, upholstry peeling, sweat smell, even with open windows. Cracks on window.
- Up mountain: Niaoli forest. Vallies, see far. Bus struggle on steeper roads.
- Very small roads. Like hiking in a bus. Detours to pick up people from seemingly random places. (Drop off too)
- Descend after Ouegoa: see large lagoon & long vast coral barrier in distance. Learned this is supposed to look like a shark head.
- Pass a village with church. Puebo? End of line. Driver say Puebo was behind. For sleep, recommend to hitchhike ~10-15 km down road to a campsite.
- Lots people around. Say hi. Ask one who say hi if there is place to sleep, recommend same as driver.
- Some kids. Ask. Some recommendation. Walk slowly, no cars. Decide look at map. Kids walk past as I look at map. Walk along with kids. Slow conversation. They decide help me hitchhike. A few cars past. They told me to put stuff down on simple shelter.
- Chat, ask Qs about China. One opened a sprouting coconut for me to eat.
- Show me river. Mountains. Pictures with me. Invite me stay if no car stop.
- Eventually, decide stay with them. A car stop, told them they offered, so let them go on.
- Walk to their place, they help me carry things. Guava. Mandarin orange. Meet more.
- Show them how to use chopsticks with grass. "Yokohama" capital of China?
- All help set up tent. Dance down the road. Short kung fu demo. Clap. Chopsticks.
- Tour me of tribe: Tchamboene. Football field, petonk, church, etc. Mosquitos, back to change.
- Sit on rock by road to wait for store. Many Qs about China, etc.
- Say hi & introduce to some. A car drove by, thought is store (?). Run.
- Later: store late. Store arrive, stop (flagged). Van with shelves. I get in, told to get off. Bought Baguette & cheese. Stars wonderful. They not know name of galaxy. Show Southern Cross.
- Sat in house. Got pop. Share bread & cheese. Put bread on floor. House for the kids! Simple, one bed, one mattress, kitchen sink area & bathroom. Kids very responsible! Dim flourescent bulb. Some mats. Kanaky flag. Some dresses? Windows. Charge phone. Kids play with my shoes.
- Tear tent down. Raining. Bread put away, use bag of reef shoes. Kids play with.
- Prepare sleep. 4:30 wake up set. Bus: 5am? 6am? 7am? Sleep @ 8:30pm.
- Mosquitos & rooster. Boris's (Bobo) mom come in. Ask if ate, offer food. Shake hand.
- See stars outside window. Uneasy sleep. Mosquitos.
Pictures available at: http://mandarinmanmarktravelbriefs.blogspot.com/
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