Underwater Post Office - Vanuatu

Pacific Ocean-Vanuatu-Underwater Post Office-Hideaway Island This island is actually a small good value resort. Vanuatu Post office have been very clever putting this underwater Post office . It is about 3/4 meters down. I had got cards posted there before from friends who were scuba diving. I decided to free dive down . It was not easy , as I was floating to much. But it took up to about one hour with practices . The Post box itself is very narrow so water does  not get in. So it was difficult getting the cards in the box. But in the end I managed it . 

This is the back of the card. First up it is preprinted with a stamp. I wrote the card with my normal pen  but soon realised with my wet hands that the ink would run. So I had to put some of the writing in pencil. So at leat I can genuinely say that I posted this direct in the underwater Post box. For your information you can just buy and post this card in the main Post Office in Port Vila , without going anywhere near Hideaway Island. 

Mask Festival - Kokopo

Pacific Ocean--Bismarck Archipelago-New Britain-Kokopo Visited here especially to go to the Mask festival which is held once a year in July. It was amazing. On the first morning went to the beach and this is exactly what I seen. It was so colourful . Amazing. 

Kokopo is now the main town in East New Britain. Rabaul was mostly destroyed in the volcano eruption in 1994.. There is a post office there as well, but town a lot smaller. Kokopo is 20 km away from Rabaul. 

Kokopo - Bismarck Archipelago

Pacific Ocean-Bismarck Archipelago-New Britain-Kopopo This card is titled Kokopo Beach Bungalow Resort, which is were I stayed. The view however is of Rabaul which was the old capital before it was mostly destroyed my a volcano. This is my favourite part of Papua New Guinea. Lots to see and very safe. 

The Post Office in Kokopo which is the capital of East New Britain , had a very small selection of stamps. The Post office was not busy , but very helpful. 

Autonomous Region of Bougainville

Pacific Ocean-Bougainville-Buka I think this is a great card. It shows the map of The Autonomous Region of Bougainville. I visited Buka Island as that is the one with the main airport . You fly from Port Moresby via Kokopo in New Britain . From Buka you can see Bougainville Island . The capital in fact is Arawa, which is about a 3 hour drive from the top of the island. All the talk was about independence , but I do wonder will the vote really happen. 

As you can see this card has been through the wars. Something got stuck to the top of the card . I could find no only a couple of postcards for sale at the post office, but they were showing other parts of Papua New Guinea ! I had purchased these cards before I got there. 

Boungainville - Papua New Guinea

Pacific Ocean-Papua New Guinea-Bougainville-Buka Island This card is a little worse for wear. I think it got rained on or fell into water . This is the part of PNG that is due to run a referendum for independence in June 2019. Speaking to the locals here they unlike New Caledonia are in favour . So this could be the next newest country?  

The staff at the Post office on Buka Island were super friendly. They only had a few stamps to sell, but I had got extra stamps from the philatelic bureau in Port Moresby. 

Port Moresby - Papua New Guinea

Pacific Ocean-Papua New Guinea-Port Moresby The capital with a population of about 1 million. Speaking more languages then any other capital in the world. Before I got here I was told how dangerous Port Moresby was. To be honest there is  not a lot to see in this city. The museum was closed when here. I stayed at the airways hotel which is beside the airport. I did get a taxi down to the building that houses the Philatelic office and it is also the main business address of the Post office. It is not the main Post office. But you go through security gates in the taxi so felt all safe. PNG has much to offer but all the best parts are in other islands or cities. But in saying that I found no concern here. 

The people at the philatelic office upstairs could not be any nicer. Very helpful and had leaflets on all the latest issues. So I was able to select anything I wanted. Here you can see the philatelic postmark. 

Warhol Exhibition Malaga

Europe-Spain-Malaga  I have been to Malaga before briefly. So this time visited the Picasso Museum. One of the travelling exhibitions was Andy Warhol. So I only new a certain about this guy  and I had to have this card of one of his famous paintings Campbell's soups that I used to have many years ago. 

Posted at a post box in the town. A standard Definitive stamp. 

Costa Del Sol - Spain

Europe-Spain-Costa del Sol I could not resist this card. The sunshine coast and a popular tourist spot. It shows all the resorts in the right order. 

The Spanish postmark was on the bottom of this card so as it went through the Irish sorting office they postmarked the stamp. Not the first time I have seen this. 

Torremlinos - Spain

Europe-Spain-Torremolinos Typical old 70s style Spanish Resort. It is packed as it does do what it says on the tin. Long sandy beaches and loads of places to eat. The old town is quite nice. 

The Post office here had only packs of 5 stamps, so I relied on stamps I had purchased earlier. Double postmark here with the Irish post office also cancelling the stamp. 

Melilla Spanish Morocco

Africa-Spanish Morocco-Melilla This is a Autonomous city belonging to Spain bordering Morocco. Spend two day here after flying in from Malaga. Its main attraction is the fort and the excellent modernist  and art deco buildings which are amazing. I was expecting to find loads of migrants from Africa , but only a few kids who when they get to 18 are send back home.  

The old Post office is no longer in use. Looked the way I thought it would look. This is now the new one. Beside the beach. The only stamps they had on sale where stamps in packs of 5. So you cannot buy a single stamp! I have had this before in Benidorm last year. However I had stamps with me and used them. I got them to cancel the card on the spot before it went on the mail. You can see Melilla clearly.  By the way , it was very difficult finding postcards here just like it was in Ceuta . I had to keep asking around and found a tobacco shop with some. But all the others I tried no joy. 

Alcazar Cordoba - Spain

Europe-Spain-Cordoba This is the Castle of Cordoba also known as the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos. This is also a World Heritage Site. I did not visit the interior as I could not find the entrance and gave up in the heart. !! 

I suspect that all the mail posted in Cordoba is processed in Seville , looking at the postmark that is on this card. The stamp was purchased from the excellent Philatelic counter in Cordoba. 

Cathedral Mosque Cordoba

Europe-Spain-Cordoba This is the Cathedral Mosque of Cordoba one of the most important buildings in Spain and a World Heritage Site. Very different in ways and a great site to visit. 

This is a beautiful mini block of a painting by Eduardo Arrovo. Showing two painters with their faces covered in paint. They have no eyes , blind to what they are doing. A very famous Spanish painter. 

Cordoba - Roman Bridge

Europe-Spain-Cordoba This is the famous Roman bridge in Cordoba built in the first century, though it has been reconstructed many times. 

I dont put many too many souvenir sheets on my cards but this one is beautiful. Showing a plaza in Madrid. 

Andalucia - Spain

Europe-Spain-Andalucia I love map cards and I should buy more. This is showing Andalucia famous for Flamingo dancing. Very popular with tourists. 

The large stamp showing the King of Spain Felipe VI, very large stamp and on silver background. A beautiful stamp and great to have such a modern photograph . 

Alcazar Seville- Spain

Europe-Spain-Seville This is the Salon de Embajadores , Mudejar Palace , the REal Alcazar de Seville. An amazing sight. I spend some extra time in this room . 

A very clear postmark of Seville . Got this stamp at the main Post office in Seville. 

On the boat at Plaza de Espana Seville

Europe-Spain-Seville Here is another view of Plaza de Espana . There were in fact a number of tourists taking a boat trip. Though in August it is very hot. 

In Spain the Tobacco shops all sell stamps. This current one is mostly sold in those shops. It is self adhesive and covers the rate for Europe 

Seville World Heritage Site -

Europe-Spain-Seville Showing the Cathedral in Seville. An amazing building both outside and inside. This is also a World Heritage Site. 

This stamps is unusual in that it is on very thick paper and has the feeling of a stamp made of wood.