Mazed and Confused

Question

_{This is part 3 of the puzzle series Around the World in Many Days. Each part is solvable on its own.}

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Deаr Puzzling,

Today I have admired the natural beauty of a paradise island and seen sand dunes glistening in the sun in all the colours of the rainbow.

The numbers outside the grid form a two-colour nonogram. Shade some cells in the grid in black and red so that the numbers before each row and column correctly describe the lengths of stretches of cells shaded in that colour, in order. Two stretches shaded in different colours can touch, but stretches of cells shaded in the same colour must be separated by an unshaded cell.

The answers to the cryptic clues, when ordered correctly, form a word chain. Find the shortest path through the maze and place the answers on the path in the correct order, each sharing one letter with the preceding word. Can you guess where I am?

Love, Gladys.

Solve on Penpa+

1. Bob's left air conditioner running getting meat served for breakfast? (5)
2. Celebration is close upon crossing a river on the Welsh border (3,4)
3. Clean underwater vessel transporting cargo's heading right (5)
4. Clergyman Paul who was quoted as saying "The British are coming near North Dakota!" (8)
5. Daughter schooling me for university, showing commitment (10)
6. English philosopher John essentially vaporised secure compartment (6)
7. Mass for the dead Moor; NATO has 'em signed regularly (6,4)
8. Reportedly outstanding distilled drink that's made out of sugarcane and wheat (5)
9. Vehicle that's paid for in Brazilian currency – new Tesla? (6)

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Gladys will return in From Before Caesar.

Answer 1

Gladys is visiting:

The Seven Coloured Earths geological formation in Mauritius.

First, solve the nonogram like so:

Then solve the cryptic clues:

1. Bob's left air conditioner running getting meat served for breakfast? (5) BACON = B(-ob) + AC (air conditioner) + ON (running)
2. Celebration is close upon crossing a river on the Welsh border (3,4) = NEW YEAR = NE(WYE)AR
3. Clean underwater vessel transporting cargo's heading right (5) SCRUB = S(C_ + R)UB
4. Clergyman Paul who was quoted as saying "The British are coming near North Dakota!" (8) REVEREND = REVERE (Paul who was quoted as saying “The British are coming…” + ND (North Dakota)
5. Daughter schooling me for university, showing commitment (10) DEDICATION = D (Daughter) + ED(u → I)CATION
6. English philosopher John essentially vaporised secure compartment (6) LOCKER = LOCKE + (-vapo)R(-ised)
7. Mass for the dead Moor; NATO has 'em signed regularly (6,4) MONTH’S MIND = M_O_ N_T_ H_S _M _I_N_D
8. Reportedly outstanding distilled drink that's made out of sugarcane and wheat (5) DURUM = "(DUE + RUM)"
9. Vehicle that's paid for in Brazilian currency – new Tesla? (6) RENTAL = RE(N + T)AL

Now to work out how to order them in the overlapping word chain. Note that:

1. We have an answer that begins with 'S', but none that ends with it.

2. We have one answer that begins with 'N' but two that end with it.

This means our word chain must begin with 'S' and end with 'N'.

Ultimately, this means our word chain should be:

SCRUB – BACON – NEWYEAR – RENTAL – LOCKER – REVEREND – DURUM – MONTHSMIND – DEDICATION

And it should be placed in the maze in the following arrangement:

To extract the final answer...

...read off the three columns of letters placed between the red squares to obtain the three words that make up the destination's name: SEVEN, COLOURED, and EARTHS!