27
Sep

by osseous

World First in Exotic Destinations ? South Pacific Island Resort Offered in Raffled

Right now people are looking for exotic and different destinations, on shoe string budgets.

Everything in the known world is crashing around their ears, with the stock market in the biggest bear market, for a very long time, with the ‘r’ word floating around. No-one can afford to be rash in their investments or spending. Every cent spent must count, as extra cash is in short supply.

There is however, one exotic destination that has something very special and still in everyone’s reach. It has some of the last untouched wilderness areas in the world. People still live in custom villages, the way their ancestors did hundreds of years ago. A place where you can breathe the fresh air and see the brightest stars in the tropical night sky. That place is Vanuatu, in the South Pacific.

The charity, YouMe Support Foundation in partnership with winaresort.com is raffling a boutique resort in the capital of the island nation, Port Vila, only three hours by plane from Sydney, Australia.

Funds from the raffle provide non-repayable education grants for geographically and financially underprivileged children. A return airfare and one week’s accommodation is included in the 1st prize.

Later this year someone will become the proud new owner of Seachange Lodge. With it goes a tax-free income. Retirement waiting on a South Pacific island.

The raffle will assist children who cannot help themselves. “Unless we get outside help, our students will never have a chance to go to high school,” Mr Harris Apos, the Banks Area Secretary in Vanuatu said. “They will never have the opportunity to live their dreams of being a school teacher, doctor, mechanic, carpenter, or nurse. They simply have to stay in the village on the remote island.”

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The Prime Minister Mr Lini, admitted, “The government does little to assist these people,” when he visited the area recently. “Sometimes all that is needed is only $US500 to bring a classroom into use.”

One exercise book is shared between several pupils and pencils broken into three pieces to give them something to write with. Qualified teachers are in the minority and often it is the recently graduated primary students who assist the younger ones. Many parents cannot read or write.

In 2006, the nation of Vanuatu, made famous by A Michener’s ‘Tales of the South Pacific’, (and the film ‘South Pacific’) was voted the Happiest Country on Earth, by the British New Economics Foundation’s (NEF), Happy Planet Index.

“The Index was based on life expectancy and environmental footprint, to rank the countries”, according to Adrienne Wilson, writing for Gadling.com on July 15th 2006.

Yet the local schools are without resources of any kind. Most of the children will never leave their villages.

“We really appreciate our guests, who since 2004 have helped us to send desperately needed school supplies to these isolated areas,” said Richard Tendys, the current owner of Seachange Lodge. “For those of us who use the benefits of the 21st century without a thought, it is good to invest in some children who hardly know the technology, that can help them, even exists.”

Vanuatu has never become commercialized like some of its South Pacific neighbours and so has maintained it own unique blend as an exotic travel destination.

YouMe Support Foundation (http://youmesupport.org), in partnership with http://winaresort.com raises funds to provide non-repayable education grants for geographically and financially underprivileged children. Their current project is to raffle the boutique resort Seachange Lodge, (http://seachangelodge.com ) in Vanuatu.

You can contact the author Dr Wendy Stenberg-Tendys on [email protected] , or Phone (678) 26551, Pacific Standard Time.

More South Pacific Articles

26
Sep

A few nice south pacific images I found:

SOUTH PACIFIC / Broadway in Bryant Park 2010 – Manhattan, NYC – 07/15/10

Image by asterix611
Broadway in Bryant Park 2010 – Manhattan, NYC – 07/15/10

South Pacific at Southern Maine Pride

Image by samm4mrox

25
Sep

Some cool south pacific images:

South Pacific Sept-Oct 1991 Philippines 0077

Image by osseous

South Pacific Hotel

Image by Velvet Android
Not bad eh?! Stayed on the tenth floor

25
Sep

by Karsoe

Coconut Oil Builds Athletes in the South Pacific

Coconut oil is good for strengthen your immune system, hair care, skin care, diabetes, stress relief, bone strength, maintaining cholesterol levels, weight loss, digestion and metabolism, relief from kidney problems, heart diseases, high blood pressure, HIV and cancer.

As long as the island people in the South Pacific stayed with their island food, they were healthy. Today the food is killing them.

Ignorance pays the price.

Until recently many people in the South Pacific didn’t care about what they were eating and a huge amount of unhealthy products were imported to satisfy peoples craving for the new and exciting western food products.

Western food was considered to better than the island food and everyone rather bought canned fish than the fresh fish from the ocean.

The price for unhealthy eating of processed western food now has to be paid. The people in Samoa have the highest rate of diabetes in the world and the hospital is full of people waiting to cut off their toes, feet and legs.

The athletes know better

At the same time as the Samoan people are one of the unhealthiest people in the world, they are also producing some of the best athletes.

Samoa is a tiny South Pacific Island nation with just 180 thousand people and still they won the World Sevens Rugby tournament. They have also produced a heavy weight boxing champion, David Tua and a world famous wrestler, “The Rock”.

Samoan sports athletes are today back to a well balanced island food together with coconut oil that is vital in all the cooking. The taro root in Samoa is as important as the potato in the western world. Taro has a natural steroid which is a reason why people are growing big.

What kind of body are you building?

What side are you on when it comes to building your body and future. Are you building your body on processed junk food preparing for your diabetes doom or are you making a choice for fresh balanced food as building stones for a healthy body?

For your health you need fat. The fat from coconut oil and butter is not only healthy, it is vital. Eat a lot of vegetables and fruits. Enjoy fresh good quality meat and fish. Avoid all processed food and stay low on grains if you like to develop a good looking healthy body.

You don’t need to be a sports fan to develop a strong beautiful body but you do need to move. Go for a long walk or work in your garden.

You have only one body that you carry with you all your life. Put in a little extra effort making the experience light and enjoyable rather than heavy and troubled.

 

Get more articles like this in our FREE Newsletter about alternative healing and life changing ideas.

Looking forward to continue talking to you.

Mats Loefkvist

http://www.alternative-healing.ws/newsletter.htm

 

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25
Sep

by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center

My South Pacific Cruise

For the first time in many years I took a proper holiday. I went on a cruise to the Isle of Pines, Ouvea and Noumea in the South Pacific.

We cruised on the P&O liner Pacific Dawn. I travelled with four of my children aged 23, 22, 19 and 14, and the girlfriend of one of my sons.
My husband stayed home with the numerous pets.
From the moment we arrived at the International Terminal at Darling Harbour in Sydney we were made welcome. Our bags were whisked away and in just a few minutes we had registered and received our cruise cards. Everything you buy on board such as alcohol, duty free etc is paid for with the cruise card. Food of course is included in the cost of the cruise, but there are other venues on board such as a steak house, Italian Restaurant and Ice Cream shop where food can be bought for very reasonable prices. When we sailed in April 2008 the minimum cash to put on the cruise card was 0.00 and any unspent money can be cashed in on board at the end of the cruise. Alternatively a credit card number Mastercard or Visa can be registered to the cruise card.

After registering we went through customs and straight on board, where we were told that lunch was being served. We boarded about 12.30pm and the ship left Sydney about 4pm.

Our Staterooms (not called cabins anymore) were excellent. We had twin rooms with ensuites, flat screen TV,lots of storage space for luggage, a safe for valuables, lounge chair, table and dresser. Very comfortable.

I shared a room with my youngest son, minors have to be with an adult. He had first dibs on which bed to have. We actually got a free upgrade after booking so we ended up on a higher deck than we paid for.

After checking out our staterooms we met the others for lunch in the Bistro. The choice of food was overwhelming and delicious.

We had all ended up on different decks but that didn’t matter at all. Every stateroom has a phone so we just swapped numbers and called each other whenever we had plans to meet somewhere.

After lunch we went out on deck for the farewell party. Great live music on deck and what a spectacular sight it was leaving Sydney. We were convinced that the ship wasn’t going to fit under the harbour bridge it looked so close, but of course it did, much to our relief!

We all had dinner in the dining room the 1st night. There are no set times or sittings on the Pacific Dawn for the Dining room. You can just make a booking like a normal restaurant or turn up at the door to see if a table is available. The bistro is also available for dinner, they have the same menu but you serve yourself.

If you don’t want to put on too much weight on the cruise it’s probably best to eat in the dining room where the portions are controlled. The bistro is great if you can control yourself. For those of us watching the waistline there are plenty of healthy options for every meal (including vegetarian) you just have to make healthy choices.

There is so much to do on board. Or if you like you can do absolutely nothing and laze around. They have the best walking track at the top of the ship, what a great view. The gym was also popular and I must admit I didn’t go everyday like I promised myself.

My youngest son frequented the teen’s room where they had PS3’s, so he was happy and he also made some new friends.

THE ISLANDS

The places we visited were just beautiful. The sand on the Isle of Pines, and Ouvea was so soft, like talcum powder and the water was aqua and absolutely beautiful, even someone who doesn’t much like the beach could hardly resist having a dip.

Noumea was a little bit of France in the South Pacific and I could practice my poor French on the local children. A very nice place to visit, we actually went on one of the tours so we could see more of the island.

Don’t pack beach towels like we did, because they are supplied on board. Blue and white stripey towels, which you are allowed to take on shore, saves taking up valuable luggage space.

That’s what I liked about this holiday, just unpack once and enjoy, no dragging luggage around with you everyday. Shopping on board the ship was very good value. I bought jewellery, clothes, duty free and of course I couldn’t resist buying a P&O teddy bear.
The first day of the cruise we took a travelcalm pill just in case we were seasick the first night. We weren’t sick but I did feel a little bit off but I think that’s because I drank two rather large Pina Coladas before dinner. I don’t usually drink so I wasn’t use to it. We had no sickness for the whole cruise thank goodness, the sea was very kind to us. The sea is so calming when it’s not angry.

There is one formal night on the shorter cruises and at least two on the longer cruises. So pack some formal clothes if you would like to be part of that. If you don’t want to have a formal dinner, the bistro is available still and you can wear just casual clothes(not swimming gear).

The photo shop staff take lots of photos on board and on the islands and also make a video of the cruise, so have extra money available if you would like to purchase the photos.

The art on board is amazing and available to purchase at the regular art auctions.
It was a really relaxing and very enjoyable holiday, and I’ve booked again for July 2009 this time though my husband is coming along. He will absolutely love the cruise especially all the food. He’s never been overseas before, so this is a nice relaxing holiday for him. This next cruise is a little longer and we’ll also be visiting Vanuatu and Mystery Island. I’m very much looking forward to the trip.

I forgot to mention that the staff on board are very friendly and nothing is too much trouble for them. We saw no evidence of bad behaviour on board. The mix of passengers came from all age groups. There were older people, young families and honeymooners. Our cruise was booked out, but because the ship is so big and has so many venues it didn’t feel overcrowded at all.

My older children had a great time and of course frequented the night club and other venues more than me. My daughter managed to get through a whole week without her mobile phone, the holiday was worth it just for that. Of course as soon as Sydney was in sight, the phone made an appearance. What did we do before mobile phones were invented!

Some Tips for great cruising:

Take a lanyard to hold your cruise card, the staff at the registration desk will put a hole in it for you. P&O lanyards are available to buy on board for about .00.
Don’t overpack like I did
Don’t pack beach towels – they are provided
Pack sunscreen,insect repellant(for the islands) and a sun hat.
Healthy food is plentiful if you’re worried about putting on weight.
Use the gym or walking track if you overindulge.
Take travel sickness pills especially for the 1st night if you tend to get motion sickness.
Don’t forget the camera.

You don’t need to take your passport on shore, but take it if you would like it to be stamped on the islands.
Try to go to the stage shows, they are wonderful.
Relax and have a great holiday.

http://www.squidoo.com/mysouthpacificcruise

 

Mum of five working full-time night shift. I love to write, and will read just about anything. I have interests in sport, music, politics, human rights, the environment and health.

25
Sep

60 second audition leads to stardom?
TRABUCO CANYON – He had no agent. No manager. No experience in this. But he loved to sing. So Michael Johnstone stepped off a subway and into a cattle call audition for the national tour of South Pacific. The odds? About nil. “You walk in and all…
Read more on Canyons, Coto, Ladera & RSM News

PokerStars returning to the Philippines
(PRESS RELEASE) — PokerStars .net, the world’s largest online poker site and title sponsor of the Asia Pacific Poker Tour (APPT), has announced a return to the beautiful South Pacific island of Cebu in the Philippines for the fourth leg of Season 4 of the APPT.
Read more on Rolling Good Times

Francis T. ‘Bill’ Schaefer; Delaware River Master
Francis T. “Bill” Schaefer, 97, a U.S. Geological Survey employee for nearly 50 years who oversaw the apportionment of scarce water resources in the Delaware River basin during the 1970s, died Sept. 15 at his home in McLean. He had complications from congestive heart failure.
Read more on Washington Post

23
Sep

by kcolwell

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Target Drug and Alcohol Abuse in the South Pacific

A Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour is targeting drug and alcohol abuse in Tonga, an island nation near Samoa in the South Pacific.

In an interview with Radio Tonga News on the island of Tongatapu, Mathew Andrews, the leader of the South Pacific team, explained that the tour concentrates on providing services to address the precise problems that exist in the countries they visit. With drug and alcohol abuse among Tonga’s youth a critical concern to officials, non-profit groups and individuals, the tour will be providing workshops to combat this substance abuse and addiction.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers will also offer seminars and courses in conflict resolution and natural disaster emergency preparedness—subjects that have proven popular throughout the South Pacific countries the tour has thus far visited.

Demand also runs high throughout the region for training in the study technology developed by Scientology founder,L. Ron Hubbard.  The tour recently held a training session for students and teachers in one of the colleges on Tongatapu.  “Thank you for this very important program,” wrote one teacher who completed this training.  He went on to state that the program enabled him to “solve problems of teaching and learning on the part of the students.”

Another teacher wrote, “I would suggest that all teachers who are so-called quality teachers should have this in mind where they are teaching. Many teachers tend to use corporal punishment,” he continued, “due to the lack of strategies or methods on the part of the teacher.”

The Goodwill Tour also provides workshops on how to improve communication skills, and training in Scientology Assists, a technology that addresses the mental and spiritual aspects of a person’s physical difficulties.

Having already provided similar guidance and training in Fiji and Samoa, the Scientology Volunteer Ministers South Pacific Goodwill Tours will be in Tonga for three months before continuing on to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Linda Wieland writes for the Scientology Press Office in Los Angeles, CA.

Taken from the movie version.Music was written by Richard Rodgers, the lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. It was sung by Bloody Mary to her daughter, Liat, about having a happy life. South Pacific was shot in the Hawaiian Islands, with shots of the tropical Tioman Island off Malaysia’s south east coast. In June 1982, The Damned’s guitarist Captain Sensible scored a #1 single on the UK singles chart for two weeks with his version of the song. Honey Bun at: www.youtube.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5

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23
Sep

by Kim Smith

Scuba diving in South Pacific

Try some scuba diving in the South Pacific islands, the next time you want to try out something different in your vacations. It’s the best possible way to spend your vacations around the world. You will get to experience rich marine life like sharks, turtles, whales and rays when you go out on your scuba diving trip. Besides this you will also get to experience beautiful corals. You will be able to treasure this experience for the rest of your life. Some of the ideal destinations for scuba diving in the South Pacific are Fiji, Tahiti, Hawaii and Palau.

Fiji can be a perfect starting point to your scuba diving program – it’s ideal for scuba diving as well as snorkeling. You will not feel lost even if you are alone on your trip as it is always a popular destination for scuba diving enthusiasts. You will come across some of the best soft corals in the world. There are ample resorts which cater specially to the needs of scuba divers. Facilities like scuba diving charter boats are easily available at your service. You can use these boats to explore all the beautiful scuba diving points in this area. You also have the option of contacting the scuba diving instructors in case you need a bit of expertise on your trip. Fiji is especially wonderful for fish enthusiasts as there are over 1200 species of fish besides dolphins and whales. The sea temperature out here is pretty warm. You should ideally go for a dive out here in the early morning before the wind picks up.

On the other hand Hawaii is well known for its submarine lava tubes which are present on the Big Island, Maui and Lanai. You will be amazed when you come across over 2000 species of fish. You can easily spot manta rays, dolphins, whales, eagle rays, and turtles out here. You will not get to see any soft corals in Hawaii. Plan your diving budget in advance as scuba diving can be pretty expensive out here. You can get scuba diving operators who will be at your service to teach you courses of different levels in diving.

You can also try Tahiti, but remember it’s again quite expensive when you compare it to the other options available in the South Pacific. It has a fine display of sharks and rays and a fine collection of colorful reef fish too. Head off to Bora Bora and Moorea if you want to scuba dive. Tahiti is a must for coral reef lovers. The visibility out here is very good and the sea temperature too is ideal for scuba divers. Tonga is another good option for scuba diving. You will be able to spot whales around this area.

If you are a beginner, you can choose the Cook Islands as all the dive sites are just off the coastline of Rarotonga. You will hardly need any time to reach your diving destination. Thus South Pacific is where you need to head for these vacations, if you want to have an out of the world experience.

Matthew Kepnes has been scuba diving around the world for many years. You can find out about his two favorite dive spots in the South Pacific, cebu island and french polynesia at his website.

The SOUTH PACIFIC cast runs through a rehearsal singing with the orchestra for the first time as the national tour of Lincoln Center Theaters new production of Rodgers & Hammersteins acclaimed musical preps to open in San Francisco.
Video Rating: 5 / 5

22
Sep

by osseous

A Private Island Paradise To Dream About For Your South Pacific Honeymoon Could Be Dolphin Island Fiji

A Fiji Honeymoon has to be the ultimate in the South Pacific if you can afford to go there in the first place!

What are dreams for, if not to come true, and Dolphin Island could be just waiting for you and your new spouse’s honeymoon vacation. The dream honeymoon should be spent on your own private island, waited on hand and foot, surrounded by blue seas, white sand, and no troubles in the world to come near you .

Potentially you could find all this on the seven acre Dolphin Island, which is the perfect place for either a stopover or a three day interlude in your honeymoon vacation.

Firstly of course you have to get to Fiji, which is an eleven hour flight from Los Angeles, but only four hours from Auckland, Sydney, and Brisbane. You will arrive at Nadi airport, and you can then choose how you get to Dolphin Island.

The least expensive option is a two hour drive around the coast to Rakiraki followed by a 10 minute boat trip.

Alternatively there is the helicopter and seaplane which are much quicker but not included in the price!!

Dolphin Island apart from this is all-inclusive, and it really is a private island paradise, consisting of just two dwellings or Bures, and you will be the only guests on the island at any one time.

The two Bures stand next to each other, built in traditional Fijian style, they are built up off the ground with wide and roomy verandas to maximise the sea breezes, and face the setting sun. One Bure is purely for dining, and relaxing, whilst the other one has two completely separate suites and both are air conditioned.

Truthfully there isn’t a huge amount to do at Dolphin Private Island, but most activity is naturally based on the sea. Snorkeling equipment is available as well as advice on where to most enjoy the crystal clear water and the multi coloured fish. The more energetic can paddle kayaks or sail a Hobie Cat.

On land you can walk around the island at low tide and here you get the chance to look at ancient Fijian fishing pools. If you are feeling particularly adventurous you can follow a walking trail and spend a night sleeping out in a room on the other side of the island.

Dolphin Island is truly a magical hidden island and perfect for a few days in the middle of a South Pacific Honeymoon. Just don’t expect sophisticated modern accouterments. This is simple and quite magnificent. The bures are decorated in the style of the local Fijian houses. The furniture is handcrafted, the bures have wooden beams hewn from local trees, and a dark local cloth covers the walls.

The food is exceptionally good, and of course cooked especially to please you, the only guests, in this exclusive laid back paradise that is Dolphin Private Island, home of the owner of New Zealand’s famous Huka Lodge. The management and staff also go out of their way to ensure you feel like the owners during your stay!!

If you can get to Dolphin Island and you don’t have to be on your Fiji South Pacific honeymoon. You might just be in need of a romantic break, and a Fiji Island vacation. This will do nicely!!

If you like the idea of a South Pacific Hideaway, then click on http://www.worldwidevacationspots.com/categories/Pacific-Ocean-Hideways/

Peter Stewart writes about in Kenya Safaris as well as Worldwide Vacation Spots He also recommends Travel Tennis a great Game to play on Holiday.

20
Sep

A few nice south pacific images I found:

‘South Pacific’ plate detail

Image by H is for Home