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NüfNüf Go Round

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    Alexandria Bay Track

    August 4 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    A lovely day for a hike!
    The track was only supposed to take around 1–2 hours and be an easy hike. It was — I can confirm.
    What took me by surprise, however, was the sudden warning sign about a quarter of the way in. Apparently, a dingo had been sighted in the area. They also recommended not hiking alone… because of said dingo.
    But what was I gonna do?

    I was fine — otherwise I wouldn’t be writing this right now — but I’m not gonna lie, I was rather tense for the rest of the hike and very relieved when I didn’t run into the dingo in question. (Though I will be in the area again for other hikes, so fingers crossed 😬.)

    The hike itself was beautiful, and it was my warmest day in Australia so far — 25°C! That’s the winter I came here for.

    Alexandria Bay has an impressive beach with astonishingly high waves that crashed into the rocks on the right side quite beautifully.
    (There’s a 20-photo limit per post — that’s the only reason you don’t see more than three pics of cool wave-rock collisions!)

    To end the day, I went back to the main beach and enjoyed the sunset with my camera.
    And a chocolate thickshake. (Mixing things up!)    Read more

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    Noosa

    August 3 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    The day has finally come.
    After around seven weeks with Ben and Celeste, I’ve moved on to a place a little closer to the ocean — just the way I like it. I mean, I still have to walk about 3 km every time I want to get to the beach from my hostel (at least I know I’ve earned it)…

    Ben and Celeste kindly drove car-less me to Noosa, walked me to the hostel reception for check-in, and then we shared one last car ride to the beach, where we enjoyed a little breakfast and said goodbye. I shall miss them. And their cat. And the chickens. Especially the egg hunts (like Easter every day! Awesome!).
    The cows… Cute as they were, they moo very loudly. That didn’t quite agree with me — though they did seem appreciative when I fed them toast. My hands felt honoured to be covered in cow-slop by their surprisingly blackish-blueish tongues. But I digress.

    Noosa.
    I explored all day. I really enjoy hiking everywhere and feel oddly disappointed when places are too far away not to walk. Turns out, though, Noosa Heads isn’t actually all that big. Still, covering 13.5 km for the day just by walking back and forth is a decent effort.
    And of course, as soon as I was let loose in Noosa, I found my way to places that sell milkshakes… I’m at the point where I’d seriously consider joining a self-help group for vanilla thickshake addiction management. As long as they provide the drinks. 😁

    After a long day of hiking and exploring, I took a few wrong turns (not my fault — Google Maps sucks) and finally made it back to the hostel.

    P.S.
    I added two pics I took back in Ocean View about a week ago, when neither the moon nor clouds were in the way.    Read more

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    Still here!

    July 28 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    What happened in the past few weeks?

    While it wasn’t anything too exciting, the first two weeks of July were truly delightful! I got a house-sitting job for the neighbours while they were away on holiday. That meant I had a beautiful place to myself — well, almost. I shared it with Lilly and Lloyd, the two adorable doggies who graciously allowed me a small corner of the bed. And then there was Chelsea the chicken, as well as Duko and Kodee, the two horses.

    It was a welcome change from my usual style of travelling to have animals — especially the two pups — around for company. There was only one incident. Apparently, Lloyd (the Yorkie) had grown so fond of me that he felt the need to absorb my scent — one chewed bra at a time.

    I first caught him happily gnawing away at my bra. I rescued it in time and moved it somewhere safer. Or so I thought. It got quiet again — never a good sign. On my second investigation, I found a slightly damp T-shirt in the jaws of the furry culprit. Silence followed. The third time… it was my bra again! I still have no idea how he reached it after I’d placed it far higher than any Yorkie should be able to climb.

    But that wasn’t the end.

    The next day, I was enjoying a quiet afternoon when it dawned on me — silence. Could it be? My track record of catching Lloyd red-pawed was 4 for 4. This time, he had somehow managed to get hold of the same bra — the one I’d buried deep in my backpack. I found it clenched between his teeth. My first instinct was to try and salvage it, but something felt seriously wrong. Apart from a few gaping holes, the fastener was completely gone — about three centimetres of fabric missing from each side, along with the metal hooks.

    Luckily, the vet was still open. I drove there rather quickly with both Lilly and Lloyd in the car. Since I couldn’t rule out Lilly’s involvement, the vet induced vomiting in both dogs.

    From the waiting room, I suddenly heard the vet and assistants exclaim, “Oh, Lloyd!”

    The vet showed me what he had swallowed: all the missing fabric, in one piece. Hooks and all. How on earth did he manage to swallow that??

    (You can look at the photo at your own discretion. 😄)

    At that point, I was very glad I’d erred on the side of caution and taken them in.

    But apart from that, I had a fantastic time in the house with my new furry friends and was honestly a little sad to leave it behind. I also grew quite fond of Yvette and Mick, who had entrusted me with their animals and home.

    The next two days, I tried my hand at babysitting. “Baby” being relative — the kids were 7 and 9 years old. But wow…On the first day, I was there for 7.5 hours. The boys had tablets and TV for entertainment. Even though I kept trying to interact with them, it was utterly futile. Nothing could separate them from their screens.

    I was pretty shocked, to be honest.

    On the second day, they were only allowed to use the TV. The younger boy actually asked me to play chess with him (I’d been offering the day before as well). Mid-game, though, he suddenly reached across the board and began putting all the pieces away. When I asked why, he simply said, “I feel like watching TV.”
    The rest of that day was fully screen-centered. I tried offering a round of UNO, but when I said “UNO or TV,” well… I never stood a chance. 😄

    Not sure I need to do that again — the dogs were definitely quieter! (Although the house where I babysat did have two very adorable donkeys.)

    After almost two months here in Ocean View, it’s time to move on in the next few days. Where to? That remains to be seen — but the next adventure is calling.    Read more

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    This chess set is made entirely of beeswax!

    Half a Year and Dayboro Show

    July 6 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Today marks exactly half a year of travelling for me. Time really does fly (mostly, though not on the kumara farm)!

    With beautiful weather and some tangible warmth in the air (it’s been pretty cold the past few weeks!), Ben, Celeste, and I set off for the Dayboro Show. It’s a kind of agricultural fair featuring entertainment and local competitions in categories like baking, honey, best fruit, photography, etc. There were also plenty of animals.

    Apart from farm animals like cows, chickens, alpacas, goats, and sheep, there were also a few snakes — including a snake show presented by (what a coincidence!) a German, reptile-loving James May lookalike. He introduced the crowd to about nine snakes in total: red-bellied black snake, tiger snake, king brown, eastern brown, and taipan among them.

    The three deadliest, by the way, are:
    3. Coastal taipan
    2. Eastern brown snake
    1. Inland taipan

    Most people in Australia who die from a snake bite are killed by the brown snake (responsible for about 66% of fatalities between 2000 and 2016). That’s quite a number — but let’s take a look at another, more illuminating one: about 2 people in Australia die from a snake bite annually. So… in comparison, about 1 to 2 people die from a dog bite every year. 🐍🐶

    My favourite part of the show would have been the petting zoo… if it hadn’t been full of children. I also had my first gin tasting today. Those two events are not connected.

    Also, don’t trust everything you read. 😄    Read more

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    Veiled in Mist

    June 23 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    It’s been a couple of rainy days here.
    Not exactly ideal, but it did offer the perfect opportunity to capture some cool photos!

    Since Celeste and Ben’s beautiful home is perched on a hill, it’s often surrounded by low-hanging clouds that gently drift through the garden, cloaking everything in thick, billowing mist.

    I’ll admit—I had a lot of fun taking moody, atmospheric shots—especially of cobwebs.

    It was honestly hard to decide which ones to post here because—in all modesty—they’re all so cool! (Yep, there are more.)
    (Though I was kind of glad not to meet the residents of those webs…) 😄    Read more

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    Dreamworld

    June 22 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    What an awesome day filled with childlike fun! Though, for safety reasons, no camera/action cam this time. 😕
    I got to join Ben, Celeste, and their youthful entourage on a trip to Dreamworld—a theme park between Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Dreamworld isn’t just a haven for rollercoaster enthusiasts; it’s also a paradise for animal lovers.

    There’s a section of the park that functions like a mini-zoo, filled with iconic Aussie animals: dingoes, emus, kangaroos, snakes, toads—and cassowaries (a new one for me)! And of course, koalas. One of which I have befriended… and was devastated to leave behind. Or did I…? ^^

    The koala cuddle session was probably the highlight of my day — although the free-fall ride from a tower 119 meters high (that’s 39 stories!) comes in at a very close second (you can see the tower on pic 3). It was both terrifying and exhilarating. You’re pulled up slowly (it feels like it never ends…), left waiting at the top… and then suddenly —CLICK— and WOOOOSH. Down you go. Fast, about 135 km/h.

    It only lasted just under 5 seconds—but the adrenaline rush stayed with me much longer.

    Despite the rain pouring down all day it was fantastic! I’m really glad I had fun people around and didn’t have to go alone. 😊    Read more

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    Body Worlds Brisbane

    June 20 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today I was walking through Brisbane again and stumbled upon a Body Worlds exhibition by accident — and decided to have a look. Impressive, I must say! And educational. These photos only show the “milder” exhibits — there were many others, but to exercise viewer discretion, I left a few out.

    The exhibition revolved around one central theme: happiness and how you can achieve it. A few of the tips they shared? Stay active. Keep learning new things. Stay connected with people. Exercise and eat well. Find something you’re passionate about. Not exactly rocket science, but still so easy to neglect.

    While some exhibits showed healthy organs and bodies, others displayed what a smoker’s lung can look like, or the effects of a stroke. Pic 14 shows the “Orthopaedic Body,” which had “a lot of work done” — illustrating what it looks like when bones are screwed back together with plates, or after a hip replacement. You could see preserved bodies (admittedly, most of them male) performing all kinds of sports — even chess, if you’re inclined to count that as one 😄 — and various internal systems like the nervous or vascular system. They even had the three smallest bones in the human body. Where are they found, again? Exactly — in your ear.

    At the end of the exhibition, there was a big chalkboard wall that read: “Before I die I want to…” and everyone could write something down. It was pretty touching to read what people had written. A lot of them mentioned the classics: travel more, find love, start a family. Others were more specific — I remember reading about someone wanting to skydive, or marry a particular celebrity. And then there were the cheeky ones. My favourite? “Get men pregnant.” 😄

    Maybe think about it yourself — what would you have written down? 😉    Read more

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    Grand Views and New Furry Friends

    Jun 18–19 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    The past few days have been lovely, and I’ve been taking it a little easier. After the stress of getting up between 3 and 6 a.m. for about two weeks, I was still pretty exhausted and needed some time to re-energise.

    What better way to do that than by offering friendship to a few of the cute resident animals? (The friendship is still pending — not sure why they’re so skittish! That’s also why none of them have a friendship bracelet yet…)

    I’m really enjoying my time with Celeste and Ben, who have not only made me feel incredibly welcome but are also, I’m glad to say, a lot less skittish. 😄    Read more

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    Another Day in Brisbane

    June 17 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 18 °C

    Today I went into Brisbane on my own by train (it was only slightly confusing to figure out which one to take) and spent some more time exploring.

    Highlight of the day: the best vanilla thickshake ever! That definitely made me happy. 😁
    Aside from that, I came across even more beautiful architecture — and took the time to photograph some of it.

    There’s not much more to say… except that I still don’t have the beach bod I’m dreaming of.
    Mirrors in clothing stores are just not flattering — I’m convinced the fault lies with the mirrors. Everybody please agree. 😁    Read more

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    South Bank

    June 16 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today, Celeste and I went into town and strolled along the South Bank — in beautiful weather!
    We had a great view of the CBD skyline, walked across bridges, and came across an awesome public swimming pool (free!) designed like a tropical lagoon. Eventually, we ended up in the Botanical Gardens, where we had a quick look around and a drink before we had to skedaddle again.

    Even tonight, I’m looking forward to catching up on some sleep — while I’ve been okay during the day, I’m still feeling the effects of not having really slept that last night in Sydney…    Read more

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    Brisbane

    June 15 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C

    What a night.
    With my flight to Brisbane scheduled to leave at 6 am, I’d set my alarm for 3 am to give myself ample time to get ready and get to the airport.

    Thanks to people coming in at all hours after partying, I don’t think I really slept at all until around 1 am. Then, just as I’d finally dozed off, a guy came in at 2:30 am — drunk — turned on all the lights in the room, and just sat on his bed for minutes. The lights were blindingly bright and woke everyone up. Slightly annoyed, I reached down from my bed and turned them off again — only for him to turn them back on. By that point, I was properly angry. So, I got up way too early.

    Turned out that was a good thing.

    I wanted to book an Uber to get to the airport — usually a pretty reliable option. But for whatever reason, four drivers in a row failed to show up. One kept telling me to call him. First, he sent me the wrong number, and then, with the right one, he simply wouldn’t answer. In the end, I had to take a taxi — much more expensive — just to make it on time.

    ⸻

    I arrived in Brisbane and, after getting lost on the way to baggage claim (who puts the luggage collection for some flights — but not all — in a completely different building?), I was picked up by Celeste. She and her husband Ben had invited me to stay with them for a bit while I’m here — we met a few months ago and stayed in touch.

    Celeste drove me around and showed me the area — a place called Maleny — including the view from the aptly named Mountain View Road, which you can see in the photos.

    Somehow, I actually made it through the entire day without feeling too tired, despite not having slept properly at all. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed going to bed — a really nice, properly sized bed with no one else in the room! Well, except for the kitty cat, who’s crafty enough to bend the door handle to her will and barge in unannounced. 😁    Read more

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    Bondi Beach

    June 14 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 16 °C

    My last full day in Sydney – for now.
    Equipped with my camera in one hand and a box of ripe, freshly harvested macarons in the other, I hopped on the bus to Bondi Beach. (There were four different bus stops, and I missed a few buses figuring out which one was the right one… Luckily, with buses arriving every six minutes, it wasn’t too bad. Yes, I could have asked for help, but I decided to prioritise savouring the macarons and figuring things out myself. 😁)

    As soon as I arrived — and true to what one of my taxi drivers in Vanuatu once called me, “the daughter of the rain god” — it started to rain. Bondi didn’t look especially welcoming under grey skies, but that didn’t stop a few brave souls from swimming and plenty more from surfing. I tried to capture some of that action with my camera, and that was lots of fun.

    As for the swimmers, the ever-vigilant lifeguards kept watch from their rescue tower. Being a bit of a fan of the YouTube series Bondi Rescue, I’d secretly hoped to spot a familiar face or two — but no such luck.

    Eventually, I wandered around the cliffs on the right-hand side of the beach, then made my way back to the bus stop — where I got lucky: the payment system was broken on that particular bus, so the ride was free. Considering how expensive everything is here, I revelled in that small win for quite some time. 😁    Read more

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    Royal Botanical Gardens

    June 11 in Australia ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today I explored the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney. I intended to go straight there, but thanks to my ever-improving navigation skills, I walked in the opposite direction. Luckily, I stumbled upon an Asian mall where I found—wait for it—a place that specialises in matcha and mochi! All I’ve ever wanted! (Apart from winning the lottery.)

    Just like with the Cinnabon and the macarons a few days earlier, I feel like the Asian mall found me, not the other way around.

    After my little Asian excursion, I decided to trust myself rather than Google Maps—and what do you know, I found the Botanical Gardens fairly quickly! They’re incredibly spacious and home to a variety of birds I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. One bird, in particular, seemed just as skeptical of directions as I am—it clearly tried to nudge me in the wrong one. But I wasn’t about to be hoodwinked—I trusted the stationary road sign. As long as it isn’t Google Maps…

    Today also marked the first day I didn’t go to the QVB—fortunately, other places sell macarons too.    Read more

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    Queen Victoria Building and Surroundings

    June 10 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    In the past few days, I’ve been busy organising a few things for my stay in Australia — but one constant has been going to the Queen Victoria Building (QVB) every day. The building is kind of mesmerising: it was built for Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1898 — just three years before her death. Its stately design is matched by its impressive size: a five-storey building with over 150 shops! You can find just about anything in there — even the most delicious macarons. Though, in all fairness, I wasn’t looking for them… they found me. True story. I’m sure.

    Despite the large crowds (which I never enjoy), I can’t deny that I like strolling through the building. You never know which shop you might have overlooked. For example, on my second day, I found a Cinnabon shop. I thought it would be wise to get a small one. After three bites, I was aching for more… but I stayed strong. So today, I went back — for the six macaron flavours I hadn’t yet tried on my first day. 😄

    Sydney impresses me with its architecture in general, and so far, it seems quite clean! The only thing I’ve noticed rather strongly is how much people keep to themselves — they avoid eye contact and don’t reciprocate a smile, or they simply look away. It was the same in Auckland, really. I notice it so strongly because in Vanuatu, it was completely different.

    Yes, on the one hand, people in Vanuatu made it clear more than once that I wasn’t one of them — the bus wouldn’t stop for me, only for locals; at the airport, while standing in line for the so-called “online check-in” (which was just a regular check-in, because the website didn’t work), I was first in line and still got shoved aside or ignored four times in favour of locals. And they weren’t subtle about it.

    But on the other hand, no matter where you went in Vanuatu, it was customary to make eye contact with people you passed on the street, smile, and greet them. Depending on who you encountered, the level of enthusiasm varied, of course, but by and large, everyone followed this unwritten rule — and I was glad to join in. Whenever I passed children, they were especially happy to greet me. Usually, I was walking past them, giving them plenty of time to get excited about the encounter. But even in Tanna, when I was being driven along the good part of the road, children would wave and say hello. That was pretty sweet.

    So now, the contrast hits quite hard. And I must confess: I didn’t expect to find it so difficult to adjust to this new (but also old) reality.
    Also — getting used to walking on the left again. (In Vanuatu, you walk and drive on the right.)    Read more

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    Sydney by Night

    June 8 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 11 °C

    That night, I walked another 10 km to take in Vivid Sydney, the annual light festival currently illuminating the city. It’s actually the reason I chose to fly to Sydney instead of heading further north, where the weather would’ve been warmer. I’ve been told this winter is one of the colder ones, with daytime temperatures around 15–16°C, and about five degrees less at night.

    What’s really fun is watching how people react to the “cold”: there seem to be two distinct types. One group simply doesn’t care—walking around in shorts and T-shirts as if it’s still summer. The other group, in contrast, dresses like they’re in Scandinavia in mid-January: beanies, scarves, puffer jackets, the whole lot. It’s kinda hilarious.

    Vivid stretches across a huge area—from Darling Harbour to the Opera House, with colourful light installations and animations scattered all along the way. Some of the designs are genuinely mesmerising, and a lot of fun to photograph.

    That said… I didn’t really enjoy the experience overall.

    Why? Too. Many. People.

    If I could make one suggestion for improvement: remember those COVID-era crowd limits? Bring those back. I’d be delighted if everyone just had a 10-metre radius around them. Perfect!

    And there’s more. While kids are clearly part of Vivid’s intended audience, the experience would honestly be better for everyone if they had their own designated area—unless they’re unusually calm and well-behaved. Between the huge crowds and the sheer number of loud, chaotic children zigzagging in every direction, it was a bit much.

    One particularly ridiculous moment: I slightly bumped into a kid (maybe 4 or 5 years old)—he’d walked straight into me, as toddlers do. I said, “Be careful,” and he immediately responded by hurling foul-mouthed insults at me. Flabbergasted, I turned around and asked what he just called me—and he doubled down! Then his dad, whom I hadn’t even noticed, jumped in and started insulting me even more viciously. It was so absurd, I just stood there for a moment trying to process what had just happened and then walked on fast to get away. 😄

    Anyway—the highlight of the night? Definitely the mochi donuts. Oh, and yes—the pretty lights and their designs too. 😄    Read more

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    Sydney by Day

    June 8 in Australia ⋅ 🌬 16 °C

    After arriving in Sydney on 07/06/25, I spent my first full day exploring—without reliable navigation. There was a bit of an issue with getting a SIM card: the first guy I spoke to made it sound like I might need a new phone entirely, so I wasn’t issued a SIM. (Turns out he was talking rubbish. A different shop sorted me out, and after a few hours of fiddling—honestly, it’s a science—I got it up and running.)

    I visited the Queen Victoria Building (QVB), where I couldn’t resist the macarons… and loaded with more sugar than I’ve had in over a month, I made my way to the harbour. Seeing the Sydney Opera House for the first time was quite a moment. For some reason, I’ve always associated it with the whole idea of travelling—and there it was, right in front of me. Pure joy.

    I kept walking and walking—probably around 10 km—all the way to Hyde Park, and finally back to the hostel, where I had just a moment to grab my stuff before heading out again.    Read more

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    Last Full Day in Port Vila

    Jun 6–7 in Vanuatu ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    On my last full day (June 6), I flew back from Tanna to Port Vila—with a few uninvited guests in my backpack. Some cockroaches hitched a ride, courtesy of the bungalow I stayed at in Tanna. Yuck!

    For my final night, I booked an Airbnb in Port Vila, and from there it was just a 35-minute walk to the Aelan Chocolate Factory. I didn’t book in advance and decided to just show up—and got lucky! A woman working there (who seemed pretty bored, to be honest) gave me a private tour. The tour itself wasn’t exactly mind-blowing, but it ended with a generous chocolate tasting—14 different pieces, all handcrafted in Vanuatu. Not bad!

    The factory sources cocoa beans from four different islands: Espiritu Santo, Malo, Malekula, and Epi. They create chocolate with unique local flavors like coconut, kava (a mildly sedative root used in traditional ceremonies), ginger, turmeric, coffee, vanilla, chili pepper, sea salt, cocoa nibs, and nangai nuts (a nut native to Vanuatu, also known as Canarium indicum). All the dark chocolates are made with 70% cocoa and 30% sugar. Even though I’m usually more of a white chocolate fan (I know, I know—it’s not “real” chocolate), I have to admit they all tasted pretty nice!

    _____

    A Few Facts About Vanuatu

     • Vanuatu is made up of 83 islands, around 65 of which are inhabited.
    • The official languages are English, French, and Bislama.
    • Bislama is a creole language based on simplified English. It borrows vocabulary from English and incorporates Melanesian grammar structures. Despite what I’d heard, it doesn’t have 120 dialects—though the country does have over 100 local indigenous languages, making it one of the most linguistically diverse places in the world.
    • During World War II, Vanuatu (then known as the New Hebrides) was used as a strategic U.S. military base—especially the island of Espiritu Santo— because of its proximity to the Solomon Islands and the Pacific front.
    • One of the most surreal snorkelling spots in Vanuatu is Million Dollar Point on Espiritu Santo. After World War II, the Americans had so much military equipment stationed there—trucks, bulldozers, tanks, cranes—you name it. Shipping it all back to the U.S. was too expensive, so they offered to sell it to the colonial powers at a huge discount. The British and French refused, assuming they’d just leave it behind. Instead, the Americans drove it all straight into the ocean. The site got its name from the millions of dollars’ worth of gear dumped into the sea—and now, you can snorkel right over it (didn‘t get the chance, unfortunately). Rusting machines lie scattered just offshore, slowly being claimed by coral and fish.
    • A local in Santo told me that the invasive vine plant I saw everywhere on the island (see my June 4 post, “Snorkeling with Obstacles”) was brought over by the Americans to use as camouflage. Turns out that’s just a myth. The plant is native to the region, and its fast growth is just nature doing its thing—not part of a wartime strategy.
    • On December 17, 2024, Port Vila was struck by a powerful 7.3-magnitude earthquake that caused significant damage to buildings, roads, and the airport runway, as well as the harbour—resulting in the temporary suspension of cruise ship visits. The disaster claimed at least 14 lives, left many injured, and displaced hundreds; recovery efforts are still underway well into 2025.

    ______

    Some Bislama You Might Enjoy

    Here are a few fun Bislama words and phrases:
    • Halo – Hello
    • Plis – Please
    • Tangkyu – Thank you
    • Sori – Sorry
    • Mi no save – I don’t know
    • Mi glad tumas – I’m very happy

    And here’s a cheeky bonus: “Baskit blong titti” – Literally “basket for breasts,” a humorous way to refer to a bra. Bislama is straightforward—no complex words or tricky grammar. It gets the job done in the most literal way possible!

    And finally, a few low-quality pics of things that caught my eye in Vanuatu—when I couldn’t be bothered to pull out my proper camera.    Read more

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    Mount Yasur

    June 5 in Vanuatu ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    New island, new luck.
    Well… it didn’t exactly start out lucky.

    After flying from Santo to Port Vila on June 5th, I was supposed to continue on to Tanna—a quick 35-minute flight. But an hour later, we landed… right back in Port Vila. Due to strong crosswinds (about 30 knots) in Tanna, the pilot wasn’t able to land safely. So, we gained altitude and flew away. We weren’t informed until about 10 minutes before landing that we were turning back.

    The flight was rescheduled to today, and this time—I actually made it to Tanna.

    At the airport, all I saw were 4WDs. Fair enough. My next clue came when my driver told me it would take two hours to get to my bungalow. Two hours? For 36 kilometers?

    After completing about a third of the journey—on a road so good it could put the streets of Santo, Port Vila, and even Bali to shame—the road just… stopped. That was clue number three.

    From that point on, it was pure, untamed nature: rugged, rocky, uneven terrain with steep inclines, deep cracks, little rivers, and massive puddles. Jeremy Clarkson would’ve turned quite pale at the thought of driving these roads—at least I think so. What do I know? I’m just a self-taught expert in conquering New Zealand’s gravel tracks.

    When I finally arrived at the bungalow, I was greeted by a breathtaking panoramic view of Mt. Yasur, the star of the day: an active volcano with visible magma and lava. From my terrace, I could hear it rumbling every few minutes.

    (Full disclosure: the accommodation is probably the worst I’ve ever had. I’m not exactly thrilled to sleep in that bed…)

    In the late afternoon, we began our volcano tour. What. A. Drive.
    In a group of about 20 people, we were taken almost all the way to the summit—just a 10-minute walk from the furthest safe access point to the crater. At first, everyone was chatting and taking pictures. But the further we walked, the harder it became to breathe. Incredibly hard. The sulphuric acid in the air burned our lungs and eyes. There was a lot of coughing. Plus, it was insanely windy up there!

    People were just starting to consider turning back when suddenly—BOOOOM!
    The volcano let out a deafening roar. A deep rumble. Beautiful… but also a bit terrifying. Lava shot out from one of the two visible magma chambers. One lucky duck caught it on camera.

    It happened two more times.

    Sadly, I was still fiddling with the settings on my camera and action cam. I never got a decent shot—just blurry ones. Honestly, I’m pretty frustrated about that. But even so, the volcano excursion was an absolute dream come true. And despite its ruggedness, Tanna might just be my favorite place so far. There’s something about the raw, wild nature that makes me feel at home.

    (Not the accommodation, though. 😅)

    The soil across the island is black—volcanic. The mountains, the volcano itself, the beaches (which I glimpsed from the plane), and the lush forests… This is what I want nature to be.    Read more

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    Champagne Beach

    June 4 in Vanuatu ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    This beach could have been the top contender for best beach ever—if it weren’t for the storm that had started brewing by then.

    Under normal circumstances, bubbles rise from the seabed to the surface, giving the beach its name: Champagne Beach. But in this weather, you couldn’t see any of that. Just like the coral reefs.

    I can’t deny being pretty disappointed—the reefs I’ve always dreamed of seeing seem to have developed a habit of eluding me.    Read more

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    Snorkeling with Obstacles

    June 4 in Vanuatu ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    We drove on to a spot where three beaches meet! One of them was said to offer incredible sights for the snorkeling aficionados among us. And I did see some colorful fish and grey coral reefs—but not the vibrant, healthy coral I’d been promised.

    Because of the rain and increasingly strong currents, I wasn’t able to swim out far enough to reach the proper snorkeling spots. But my driver promised me another chance.    Read more

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    Lunch at Port Olry

    June 4 in Vanuatu ⋅ 🌧 27 °C

    Lunchtime! What a fantastic beach—truly! If only the weather had cooperated. As soon as we sat down to eat, the skies completely opened up. The rain was so heavy that the island in the background disappeared entirely. We kept moving our table further and further back to avoid the rain lashing against us and our food.

    For lunch, I asked my driver to request a traditional meal from the kitchen. He was thrilled and ordered for me: Coconut Crab (see before-and-after pictures!) with savory papaya and… kumara! Not gonna lie—it triggered me a bit 😅. But it turned out to be a delicious meal!    Read more

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    Nanda Blue Hole

    June 3 in Vanuatu ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    I booked a tour for the day—a day that turned out to be incredibly rainy. It began with a heavy drizzle as we arrived at another Blue Hole—this one much deeper, reaching up to 28 meters! Maybe the two videos give you a sense of just how vast it is.

    While this stop was still enjoyable despite the rain, the mood gradually shifted from the next stop onward.    Read more

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    New Island: Riri Blue Hole

    June 2 in Vanuatu ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    A very early start today! I had to catch the plane from Port Vila to Espiritu Santo, an island about 45 minutes north of Efate Island by air. It’s absolutely stunning—possibly the best place I’ve ever been. I say possibly because, for most of my stay, the weather didn’t exactly cooperate. But today, I had a few lucky moments of sunshine.

    My accommodation for the next two nights is at Matevulu Lodge. (I asked the lady in charge if I could live there forever for free—she laughed at me in French. Technically not a no.) The little hut I had was dreamy, and just outside it was my own private access to the beach, with two hammocks—one of which I later used for a nap.

    The resort provides kayaks for free, and since the tide was high when I arrived, I kayaked to the Riri Blue Hole—a lagoon with unbelievably clear, blue water. The last lagoon I saw on Efate Island was nice, but this one was on another level. It reaches a depth of about 8 meters at its deepest point. It’s hard to comprehend that kind of depth because the water is so clear, it seems just an arm’s length deep.

    Before finding the Blue Hole, I came across a much broader, not-very-blue lagoon. I actually thought that was it, paddled around a bit, and was about to head back. That’s when I heard a local calling out to me. Eventually, I paddled over, and he explained that the real Blue Hole was about 10 minutes further, just past the bridge. I thanked him and was about to head off, but it turned out he was there to collect the entrance fee (which I had known about, but honestly, sometimes it feels odd to pay just to see nature).

    For most of the way, I was completely alone, though later I was joined by two other people. I went snorkelling and saw some beautiful fish!

    After changing islands and exploring, I took that aforementioned nap and enjoyed some dinner. Then the weather turned. From that point on—it was constant rain.    Read more

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    Eden on the River

    June 1 in Vanuatu ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    This place—the third and final stop—felt quite divine.
    The layout of the fauna seemed almost perfect, especially with that frame of light in the center and the towering trees surrounded by such lush greenery. The bridge wasn’t secure at all—one wrong step… . I was clutching my camera extra tight! ^^

    Since it was still quite early in the day (around 1 p.m.) when I got back to the hotel, I decided to hike to a sushi restaurant—an hour and a half on foot.
    The things I do for sushi…    Read more

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    Blue Lagoon

    June 1 in Vanuatu ⋅ 🌬 27 °C

    The name pretty much says it all.
    Second stop: Blue Lagoon.
    It was very blue water in this… lagoon! Not great for snorkeling (yes, I tried), but truly beautiful. There were lots of opportunities to jump into the water using various ropes.

    Fun fact: the Blue Lagoon happens to be a spot where both fresh and salt water meet.    Read more

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