“While most people are able to speak at least some English,
officialdom is generally in French only and most local
websites do not offer English versions”
Although the official language is
French, most of the population also
speak English to some degree.
However it is a good idea to always
start off a conversation with at least a
French greeting (“bonjour” during the
day, “bonsoir” in the evening) and
finishing with a thank you (“merci”).
The other essential phrase is “Je ne
comprends pas” which means “I don’t
understand”, followed by “parlez-vous
anglais?” (“Do you speak English?”)
Learning a few other phrases also
usually brings a smile and a willingness
to help, rather than just rambling on in
English and getting the Gallic
stonewall. Just remember that for
most French words the last letter is
silent, so parlez is pronounced ‘parlay’- i.e. without the ‘z’.
on my smartphone when I was Speaking French or English?
stumped.
Another source of help in this
social media age are the numerous
unofficial sources of information.
My primary go-to was a blog written
by an American expat living in
Noumea entitled New Caledonia
Today at https://newcaledoniatoday.
wordpress.com She has blogged
on such topics as: what to eat, local
etiquette, food prices and what to do,
and many of the questions you may
have will likely be covered by one of
her posts.
At the end of our trip it was really
hard to get on the plane and fly
home. I found the snorkelling and
scuba diving to be the best I’ve ever
experienced, far superior to the over-
commercialised Great Barrier Reef.Driving around the main island was
interesting and there are numerous
tourist attractions that do not involve
water.
Overall the costs were not excessive,
with café and restaurant food prices
similar to that of any city back
home. The Gallic charm, despite its
frustrations, works its way under your
skin and I found myself peppering my
conversation with French words for
weeks afterwards.
I have already booked a return trip
for July, although the locals tell me
that is the ‘cold’ season – daytime
temperatures average 20^0 C and it
gets as low as 18^0 C at night! The sea
temperature remains constant at 23
degrees and diving can still be done
without needing a wetsuit. The perfect
midwinter break – I can hardly wait.72 trade aboat.com.auNoumea, New Caledonia