Variety in Vanuatu

We have certainly had variety here but I have to admit I haven't fallen for the place. I can't put my finger on it. Has it been invaded by us western tourists a little more than I was expecting? Answer: No. Have the people been friendly & welcoming? Answer: Yes. Have I had some amazing experiences? Answer: Yes. Then what is my problem? Answer: I have no idea.

Maybe I haven't spent long enough in the country but something was missing for me. I rarely felt the urge to stay at an anchorage longer than we did or felt a true connection with the local people. It's not to say we haven't had amazing experiences or met some fantastic locals. I just haven't had that buzz or truly stepped off that worn tourist track. Vanuatu certainly isn't as populated with tourists as Fiji or Tahiti but they certainly know how to charge the Westerners for a glimpse into their life. My hope is that as we go further north into the Solomon Islands & over the northern side of Papua New Guinea where fewer cruisers sail we will be enriched with local experiences. Only time will tell!

Their way of life on these islands is so primitive & basic. It is interesting & certainly enlightening. Seriously can any of you men imagine walking around wearing nothing but a banana leaf to cover your penis! I don't resent their outrageous prices for the camera happy westerners who rock up & ogle at their way of life, but I am left with a feeling that we haven't seen the real them or their true way of life. Maybe the people of Vanuatu are the British equivalent with an air of reserve & it takes awhile for them to really accept you & to truly relax in your presence. Unfortunately we haven't got the time to spend longer here to truly penetrate the country & mentally we are ready to move on. Sometimes you connect with a country & sometimes you don't. On the plus side no time is wasted & Vanuatu has given me some fabulous memories, maybe I'm just getting greedy & wanting more than my allowed quota!

Watching Bobby paddle an outrigger in circles whilst the owner, Nelson ate my freshly baked lemon cake & drank coke. We had earlier traded a paint brush & thinner for his lemons. We then went about our daily chores on the boat whilst he sat reading (out loud!) the local paper. There was something comforting about hearing him read whilst I went about preparing dinner in the galley. Nelson took us to the best snorkelling spot (perfectly clear waters but bloody freezing) & showed us around the camp that the US tv show Survivor used a few years back. He was just happy hanging out (although I think he will have told his wife he had been working hard tending to their vegetables) & we were happy to share the afternoon with him. He did leave Bobby a little baffled after he had spent time digging out his photo printer & printing a photo. Upon presenting Nelson with a photo of him & Bobby on his outrigger, Nelson asked “What about the photo of me & your wife?” he he!

A perfect night at anchor in a calm flat bay, no other boats, a fantastic meal & cocktails (with ice!), followed by a lovely sunset & a movie in the cockpit under the stars. Yep it's the things we normally dream about that are my reality (sometimes it's also hell, normally on passages!)
We climbed an active volcano on Ambrym beginning the walk at sunrise & ending it at sunset barely able to stand! 11 full hard hours walking up & down hills & valleys, over ash plains & balancing on the edge of the lava ridges. It was breath taking to stand at the rim of the volcano with molten lava below crashing like waves on a beach. Through the sulphur that billowed up & left its mark for miles in the blue sky, we could see the glow & bubbles of liquid lava below. I was speechless staring into the mouth of planet earth & then I was speechless contemplating the walk we had to do to get back! Our guides were amazing. We rock up with all our walking gear, loads of water & food, they turn up in bare feet carrying only a machete! If they became thirsty they cut open a coconut & if they got hungry they found a banana. They even carried the backpacks of those that were struggling (Dad, you'll be happy to note I carried my bag all the way up there & all the way back. I remember being told “Only take what you can carry”, those DofE expeditions held me in good stead!).

We then sailed over to Homo Bay on Pentecost Island as I was desperate to watch the land diving. Pentecost is home to the original bungee jumping. It only occurs in the months of April, May & June & is now typically put on for the tourists. I was in two minds about going. It goes against what we have discovered we want out of this trip. To pay extortionate amounts of money for the locals to put on their costumes & do something they would otherwise not have done just to entertain the white man normally makes me want to run a mile but, my curiosity got the better of me. I was assured by the Peace Core volunteer working at the village that the young boys are not forced to jump & willingly do it. For most she said the chance to wear the namba (a penis wrap that covers nothing but the penis) is apparently the highlight for the kids. All I have to say on the matter is that I certainly had my years “ball” quota in a matter of hours. My heart was in my mouth watching them prepare to jump. They jump from this rickety structure which looks like it is about to collapse with only yam vines tied to their ankles. Their hair is meant to touch the soil below as they fall to fertilise the yam crops. The soil below is loosened & cleared of all rocks & stones. Women are not allowed within 20 meters of the structure. Although exceptions are made for the paying tourists we were certainly not allowed to touch the structure. I'm glad I have seen it & the money goes back into the village but there was a false feeling to the event. I couldn't get out of that village quick enough. The children all had the worst snotty noses I have ever seen, a layer of green snot rested on every top lip we saw & the girls decided they wanted to continually stroke my hair, which trust me is not pleasant when you have just seen them picking & killing nits off of each others heads!

Our other experience at Batnavni on Pentecost was entirely different. Dropping the hook I could see clusters of straw huts around the pretty bay. We were lucky enough to stumble upon the 2 Johns who took us under their wing & kept us away from one of the chiefs, who charges nearly £30 per person just to come ashore & sign his visitors book – see what I mean about them possibly taking the piss with the outrageous charges. They showed us their fishery, a straw shack with a few freezers, its kind of third world meets first world. Next door to the fishery was the fuel station, another straw hut! We returned the following morning to Johns house & relaxed in their yard. His wife handed over fresh coconuts, spring onions, green beans & sweetcorn & even gave me a fabulous woven bag. They wanted nothing in return & were happy to just sit & talk. We took them back to Barraveigh where I made lunch & we returned the generosity giving them some old bedding, fish hooks & a few girly goodies for the wife.

They invited us to a party, one of Johns family were holding a 1st birthday bash so I made another lemon cake as our contribution to the party. A walk to the tiny hamlet up the hill where the party was being held, passing kava, banana, yam & even pineapple plantations saw us at the Nakamal (meeting house, kinda like our village halls) sitting on woven mats in the dirt. These people made us feel so welcome,even though we made the birthday girl cry. I'm not sure she had ever seen white people before & you cannot fake the look of fear on their faces upon clamping eyes on us. Is it polite to turn up at a child's party & then make them scream in fear?? The family from all around the island were there, including a string band, 6 guys on guitars & one guy on a bass made out of a box (you have to see it to believe it). They are amazing & we were in total awe. While they played the women removed the food from the oven, a pit dug in the ground in which a pig & yams are placed between layers of hot stones & banana leaves. They then prepared their equivalent of party bags, a piece of pork & yam tied up in banana leaves. We were humbled to be presented first with our food & we noted it was the biggest parcel. To hand it back or insist we could have a smaller parcel would have been insulting. We accepted & I was thankful I had made the cake which appeared to be going down a storm. Bobby was then presently with the first cup of kava, luckily its not normal for the women to drink it so I was excused! Bobby & John were off their heads after just one cup & Bobby assures me it was the strongest kava to date. We were amazed at our luck of stumbling upon such a wonderful enriching experience & thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

We have one more stop in Vanuatu & that is the island of Espiritu Santo, home of one of the best wreck dives in the world! I will keep you posted!

safe & sound in Port Vila

Barraveigh is in calm flat waters. I've showered, devoured an amazing burger & chips, slept for 12 hours solid, been in awe at the French supermarket, marveled at the 24 hour fruit & veg market & attempted to learn Bislama English
Here begins the adventures of Barraveigh's 3rd leg of her world trip & my 2nd year of exploring wild & exotic islands. I can feel a change in myself. I'm ready to get off the beaten track & tread the road (or seas) less traveled.
Port Vila is the main town in Vanuatu & has many of the conveniences that we Westerners require but it has kept its rougher, less polished edges. It gives us hope that as we sail further north, to the other islands, we will experience primitive villages & communities. I'm absorbing everything around me & noting the huge differences between here & Fiji. The people look the same, its hard not to greet them with a huge Fijian "Bula" but pay enough attention & you'll notice they are smaller in size & have a more reserved personality that feels very English. Many braid their hair in cornrows & the women wear plainer dresses than neighboring Fiji but their personalities are just as warm & friendly. At times it feels like I've landed in Mars, watching the locals with their beautiful dark skin & afro hair play boules in the park just as the old French men do in France, walking through the market that never sleeps, reading the signs written in Bislama & buying fresh croissants.
The English & French have both left their mark on the country. Vanuatu was previously called the New Hebrides. It was governed by both the French & the English. The dual administration caused huge rivalry & much confusion. There were 2 education systems, 2 police forces & 2 currencies. When colonial rule came to an end in 1980 it was given the name Vanuatu.
Vanuatu has much history from World War 2. Due to its position in the South Pacific & the joint English & French presence, the New Hebrides was the ideal location for the American army & navy. They arrived in 1942 & pushed north into territories occupied by the Japanese. The Americans have also left their mark on this country with many wrecks making excellent dive sites & also on the older generation who remember the Americans arriving in their huge ships. A young boy of 6 or 7 asked Bobby where he was from. When he replied "America", the young boy said "America (pause). You like to fight"!!!
P.S Does anyone know where Bobby went? He seems to have been replaced by a romantic twin! I've been treated like a princess. I awoke from a lie in (8am!) to find a breakfast of croissants, pamplemousse & a bunch of huge tropical flowers awaiting me. Wow!

well done to anyone who noticed I'm holding the flag upside down!!

There goes my 100% record!

As soon as we got through the Momi Pass, leaving Fijian waters & out into the big blue I was hit by seasickness. We were both quietly concentrating & trying to get our bodies into the seas rhythm. Had I spent too long on land or were the seas much rougher than we had experienced in the past? Somehow I doubted it, the trip from Bora Bora to Palmerston was much worse than this.

Things didn't improve so we split a anti seasickness patch, kinda like a nicotine patch but you stick it behind your ear. Unfortunately it didn't work quick enough for me & for the first time ever I was leaning across the lifelines sharing my lunch with the Pacific sea. Not as easy as it sounds !With the boat hurtling down & spinning out of waves, water crashing over the port side & the boat heeling so far over to starboard that the deck was in the sea, Bobby telling me to lay low & stay clipped in. Thoughts going through my mind were; do I lean over the port side which is higher meaning I'm less likely to get washed off the boat but I am likely to get a face full of water & with the wind coming from the south I was likely to be wearing my lunch! Or do I go for the starboard side, lie really low with my face between the lifelines, less likely to get wet or covered in vomit, but a little too close to the sea for comfort. Next frustration was trying to get close to the side of the boat whilst clipped in with lines that prevent you from getting anywhere near the edge. It was all becoming a little too much for me so after a comedy sketch of Bobby holding onto my ankles we seriously discussed turning around & heading back to Fiji. It was very tempting but I knew if I went back I would never leave for a second time. We choice to stick it out & get through it together. Bobby reasoned that it wasn't unsafe it was just very uncomfortable.

I have been racking my mind trying to portray to you non sailors what it is really like out here in these conditions. Bobby best described it as a simulator that goes non stop for 4 days & nights. You can't hit the emergency button for it to stop & you still have to eat, sleep, prepare meals & use the bathroom. Washing went out the window & we had a “who smells worse & who has the greasiest hair” competition.

Every 30 minutes or so the big blue throws an enormous wave our way engulfing the cockpit & crashing cold salty water over whoever happens to be on watch. I don't even bat an eye lid any more when it happens, I just await the next one. I am living in my foul weather gear (Jon, your Elalto products have done you proud), am clipped onto the boat with my harness & am reading my book through a freezer/ziplock bag so it doesn't get soaked by the boarding waves. I do get a little freaked watching the waves that come running after us from the stern & tower as high as the bimini. All you can do is hope that it crashes before it reaches the boat & totally soaks you.
I've tried to remain positive & tell myself that this is part of the adventure but now & again (normally after I've been sick) I want it all to stop, I have a few tears before pulling myself together, refocusing & telling myself I'm earning my adventures in these far flung islands.
For now I'm watching the land on the horizon get closer, looking forward to a calm anchorage, raising the courtesy Vanuatu flag & washing my very smelly body & greasy hair.

Vanuatu, you had better be worth this nightmare trip!

Farewell Fiji

Saying goodbye was tough. Its been home, I have loved it here. If I didn't have such itchy feet to explore the rest of the world I could have happily stayed. This country & the people are amazing. Their government maybe in constant turmoil with coups & the people may not be rich in comparison to Westernised standards but if they could bottle their smiles & genuine friendship they would be the richest country in the world. We in first world countries may have financial wealth but Fiji beats us all in societal richness.

As with most of our trip, leaving was not without its own story. I headed into town to collect some last minute supplies from the market & a secret stash of goodies for those times when we both need a pick me up out at sea. I returned to the marina to discover both Bobby & Barraveigh missing! Was this a huge not to subtle hint?
We were due to check out the following day but Bobby discovered it was a public holiday. Unable to leave checking out until Monday due to an expiring visa in Bobbys passport he had hot footed it over to Lautoka with quickly recruited Bill (s/v Creola). For some reason the officials want to see the boat from their office window even though they never come aboard. The boys made it back just as the sun was setting so I didn't have to make myself a bed on the dock.#

Saying goodbye to the staff at the marina was hard. They had become such a part of our everyday life. Bobby has promised them he will return in four years time! We were both quiet as we slipped our lines from the dock, wrapped in our memories of our months in Fiji. We made our way slowly out of the marina, past the grassy area where we had watched movies under the stars & past the bar where many sundowners had been consumed before we made ourselves look forward to the adventures that lay ahead.

A final night out at the islands with s/v Creola & s/v Emelia. It was a fab sail out there, all in convoy passing one another, taking photos, lots of laughs & even a dare to take your bikini top off competition started by a cheeky Linda! Most sailors begin their experience with day sails, sailing with other boats & even just leaving the dock for the hell of going for a sail. For me its been a means to get from one country to another & these fun times are a real novelty. I had sailed all the way from Panama to Tonga before experiencing day sails!

If Bobby & I thought we were going to have a quiet night we were greatly mistaken. An offer of dinner & cocktails on Creola can never be turned down followed by chill time on Emelia with Gene (American country songwriter) on guitar & singing. Listening to the music & looking up at the stars, a prefect way to spend the last night in gorgeous Fiji. She will be sorely missed as will our good buddies Bill & Linda on Creola with whom we are parting company as our itineraries take us in different directions.