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!