News – July 2008 (Noumea/New Caledonia, July 31, 2008)
- Website statistics: In June we were able to welcome on our website 39'072 visitors who did 1'194'644 hits.
- (May = 52'947 visitors – 1'445'085 hits)
- The visitors are coming from about 100 to 118 different countries!
- Record day since 12/17/1998 - the birthday of our website: 11/5/2007 = 13'407 visitors and 787'456 hits
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- Today, on July 31st, 2008, we were able to enter our 160th country: New Caledonia – a French overseas territory.
- 12 days before, our LandCruiser left New Zealand at Tauranga with Tasman Orient Line in its 13th container, while we
- flew two days later with Air Vanuatu from Auckland to Port Vila in Vanuatu. During four days, we visited there the
- capital Port Vila and inquired about a possible later car entry. The Ministry of Tourism was very helpful in supporting
- us with a letter of recommendation for a temporary importation of our Toyota.
- On July 27th, we continued with a propeller aircraft to Noumea in New Caledonia. It's interesting that Vanuatu, the former
- Anglo-French Condominium of the New Hebrides, shows more "African" spirit, whereas New Caledonia – at least its
- capital Noumea – leaves a rather modern "European" impression. This picture doesn't at all mean that there are no dark-
- skinned Kanaks to see, which count for approximately 43% of the population. It's still pretty well visible that we are in
- Melanesia – the group of islands that stretches across Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu to Fiji.
- New Caledonia itself is made up of the main island Grand Terre (6'467 sq.mi., which equals about ¼ of the size of
- Switzerland or about half of Taiwan), the Loyalty Islands (Lifou 444 sq.mi., Mare 251 sq.mi., Ouvea 50 sq.mi. =
- 745 sq.mi.) and some smaller islets (e.g. Isle of Pines, Belep Islands, etc.). It has only a population density of about 34
- people per square mile. The group of islands lies about 750 miles East of Australia and is classified as a French overseas
- territory with some internal autonomy. But it doesn't belong to the European Union, like the already visited Caribbean
- islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe (incl. Saint Martin), the South American French Guiana or the still to us unknown
- African island of Reunion. New Caledonia has its own money, the Pacific Franc CFP, respectively XPF, together
- with French Polynesia (Tahiti etc.) and the likewise Polynesian group of Wallis and Futuna.
- Unfortunately New Caledonia belongs to the most expensive countries on earth – even more expensive than New Zealand.
- The port of Noumea is said to be the most expensive at all. Said that, we had to pay US$ 1'030 to get our car released.
Our 160th country leads now together with New Zealand and Australia the "hitparade" of port fees.
We are looking now forward to discover this subtropical island, which has been sighted already 1774 by Captain Cook
- and which was annexed 1853 by France. We guess that we shall explore until mid-September the 350 road miles long
- island with its many beaches, and try to get a picture about the arising expenses, should we go with our LandCruiser for the
- adventure "Vanuatu", using the monthly operating ferry "MV Havannah".
New Reports/Pictures
- SOUTHEAST ASIA: mouse over picture shows comments
- click a picture to see details
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| + our New Caledonia Trip | Grand Terre (Noumea + South) – August- 2008 |
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| + our New Zealand Trip, 6th part | North Island – June+July 2008 |
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| + our New Zealand Trip, 5th part | North Island – May+June 2008 |
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| + our New Zealand Trip, 4th part | South to North Island – May 2008 |
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| + our New Zealand Trip, 3rd part | South Island – April 2008 |
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| + our New Zealand Trip, 2nd part | South Island – March 2008 |
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| + our New Zealand Trip, 1st part | South Island – Febr.+March 2008 |
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| + our Hong Kong Trip | Hong Kong – Dec. 2007+Jan. 2008 |
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| + our Taiwan Trip, 3rd part | Taipei-Taitung-Kaohsiung – Nov. 2007 |
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| + our Taiwan Trip, 1st part | Kaohsiung-Kenting-Taitung – Oct. 2007 |
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| + our Indonesia Trip, 6th part | Kalimantan – July 2007 |
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| + our Indonesia Trip, within the 5th part | Tana Toraja (Toraja-Land) – June+July 2007 |
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| + our Indonesia Trip, 5th part | Sulawesi – June+July 2007 |
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| + our Indonesia Trip, 4th part | Sumba, West Timor – May+June 2007 |
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| + our Indonesia Trip, 3rd part | Lombok, Sumabawa, Flores – April 2007 |
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| + our Indonesia Trip, 2nd part | Bali – Jan.-March 2007 |
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| + our Borneo Trip | Sarawak, Brunei, Sabah, Kalimantan – Sept.-Nov. 2006 |
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| + our LandCruiser on a "Rejuvenation Cure" | in Miri/Sarawak - the East Malaysian province on Borneo Engine/Body: June-Aug. 2006/Transmission: Sept. 2007 |
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| + added from a earlier visit to the USA: | Las Vegas (Millennium change) |
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| + added from our Arabian Peninsula round trip: | Pictures from Yemen (May-June 1996) |
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| + Flashbacks of our Worldrecordtour: | Pictures from "all the continents" (Oct. 1984 - April 1997) |
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