Two months at home in Warsaw were a long but necessary break from my Watson travels. Fortunately, now the leg is like new and two days ago I finally boarded the plane – which this time took me to New Caledonia, a French overseas territory whose population within the next decade is to decide (via a referendum) whether the island should remain a French dependency or become an independent country.
New Caledonia is one of the French territories situated furthest from the Hexagon. Located about 1700 km east of Australia and approximately the same distance north of New Zealand, the island can be reached from France via South Korea or via Japan, duration of both itineraries being over 25 hours.
For me arriving in NC is like opening a new chapter. I am above all thrilled that I could come here despite the fact that just three months ago I survived an accident whose consequences might have totally changed my Watson, if not life, plans. Luckily, today I am back on my track, and actually – I happened to arrive in Nouméa more-or-less on the day I would have arrived here had there been no complications.
Moving from Europe to the South Pacific has been like meeting a snowman in the desert. There is a 9-hour time difference between Warsaw/Paris and Nouméa, and the local summer is shifted with the European winter (so now we are entering winter here, or what is called “la saison fraîche”). Yet, more than that, moving from one Watson destination to another always implies new discoveries, new friends, and new adventures. Some of my reflections – to follow…
Two months at home in Warsaw were a long but necessary break from my Watson travels. Fortunately, now the leg is like new and two days ago I finally boarded the plane – which this time took me to New Caledonia, a French overseas territory whose population within the next decade is to decide (via a referendum) whether the island should remain a French dependency or become an independent country.
New Caledonia is one of the French territories situated furthest from the Hexagon. Located about 1700 km east of Australia and approximately the same distance north of New Zealand, the island can be reached from France via South Korea or via Japan, duration of both itineraries being over 25 hours.
For me arriving in NC is like opening a new chapter. I am above all thrilled that I could come here despite the fact that just three months ago I survived an accident whose consequences might have totally changed my Watson, if not life, plans. Luckily, today I am back on my track, and actually – I happened to arrive in Nouméa more-or-less on the day I would have arrived here had there been no complications. 
Moving from Europe to the South Pacific has been like meeting a snowman in the desert. There is a 9-hour time difference between Warsaw/Paris and Nouméa, and the local summer is shifted with the European winter (so now we are entering winter here, or what is called “la saison fraîche”). Yet, more than that, moving from one Watson destination to another always implies new discoveries, new friends, and new adventures. Some of my reflections – to follow…
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