3/1/20
Very early Uber ride to the airport, then a flight to Auckland. It felt a bit nerve-wracking in Auckland because of Corona virus. New Zealand only has 2 reported cases, but still...Many people, mostly Asian, are wearing masks. I definitely used a lot of hand sanitizer. Then we had an Air Vanuatu flight to Port Vila, Vanuatu. Our hotel is only 300m from the airport, so we walked to it, and were drenched in sweat in that short distance. We then took a "bus" (whenever you see bus in my posts here, they are referring to a minivan, which is the Vanuatu form of public transportation) to Port Vila town to meet Ben (a mountaineer with the USAP). We had burgers at a seaside restaurant and walked along the seaside path.
3/2/20
The hotel in Port Vila was so trusting! You didn't pay until checkout, and if you check out early--like we did--you just leave the money in a deposit box. They have no credit card number or any info on you in the event you sleep and dash.
Walked to the airport early in the morning and flew in a tiny plane (twin otter) to Malekula island. The pilot of the plane said "the safety sheet is in the seat pocket, but it will be most useful for fanning yourself." One guy left his phone in the terminal and when we were about ready to taxi, he said, "Pilot, can I got get my phone quick?" So we all waited while he left the plane and grabbed his phone. There were nice views on the flight, and we could see the islands of Epi, Paama, and Ambrym. We landed at a tiny, tiny airport with no buildings. We hopped in the back of a pick-up truck to the tiny main town of Lakatoro where we visited the tourist info, had some local lunch, walked to the ocean, and hung around. In the afternoon we hopped into the back of a pickup and rode 40 mins North. On this island, pickup trucks are the public transport b/c the roads are dirt and not very good. In town we had met a man named Etienne, and we stayed at his bungalow. His wife Lynn welcomed us with fresh grapefruit (Vanuatu had the best grapefruit ever!).
We then walked to a small nambas village where we learned about their traditional way of life. Malekula has 2 main tribes, the big and small nambas. Nambas refers to the penis sheath: one tribe uses a large sheath and the other a small. It has nothing to do with the actual size of the penis. We watched them do some dancing and tasted some of their food. The men wear only leaves on their butt and a penis sheath in the front. The women wear only grass skirts and are topless. Very interesting to learn about. Not long ago, they were still cannibalistic. In fact, they ate the first missionaries who arrived to Vanuatu.
Lynn made a tasty dinner that we ate over the water. Our bungalow overlooks the water, and we can hear the sea crashing at night. Very hot at night with no fan! Malekula has very limited electricity, and none here.
3/3/20
We had plans to do a cross island trek, so in the morning we met our guide Jonneq. We started the trek by walking along the coastal dirt road for several miles, sometimes going off the road to walk on the beach (black sand) or walk through the villages. At the small village of Atchin we headed inland on a trail, going up through cocoa and coconut plantations as well as tropical forest. It was hot and we were soaked in sweat and covered in seeds and such that stuck to our sweaty skin. A bit after 1pm we arrived to a village of very friendly folk. We first walked a short distance to a stream where I took a refreshing dip in some pools. Elisha washed off in a shower made from hollow bamboo as it was tabu (taboo) for women to bathe in the pools. The little creek area full of pools and small cascades was like a paradise. We then were served lunch, and we chatted with the one lady in the village who spoke English. She and everyone was very friendly! I was shown the recently deceased cheif's grave and house, but this was also tabu for women to visit.
After a big goodbye, we hiked a few more hours up, crossing a river many times to reach the village we would be staying at. We immediately went to the river to swim and jump off some cliffs into it. These villagers were also super nice! Dinner was traditional lap lap (manioc, banana, breadfruit, taro, or yam in leaves...in our case banana this time) drizzled with coconut milk. We had island cabbage with a coconut milk sauce, and we also had several other tasty vegetables in coconut sauce, taro and prawns (caught hours before in the creek) in coconut sauce. We were also served tea with a blade of lemongrass in it. Crazy how many fruit trees are everywhere. They can sit at the nakumal (gathering place)--a bench in the shade of the big village tree--and point out banana, grapefruit, mango, passion, mandarin, avocado, papaya, coconut, and other fruits completely new to us. Grapefruits are in season now and they are unbelievably delicious. Better than anything I've ever had, and I've had the Florida grapefruits in season.
The villages are composed of family units with a chief. Each village we visited, Jonneq seemed to introduce a person and say, "this is the brother of my wife, or the wife of my cousin, etc, etc". Everyone is somehow related in a way, and everyone knew everyone. No matter what, everyone you pass on the road, trail, or village, you give a warm handshake to. So walking by groups can take awhile. The villagers live in huts made of bamboo, palm, and thatch roofs. Usually there is a separate cooking hut. Pigs, chickens, cats, and skinny dogs roam around freely. Also interesting to note that the pigs, chickens, and dogs all eat coconut. It's hot, so people tend to spend a lot of time sitting under the shade tree doing nothing. Previously, and not that long ago, these people were cannibals, when it came warring clans and enemy groups, but not any more. They are so friendly! Vanuatu is known as the land of smiles, and it's easy to see why they are known as that (and would continue to be easy to see that as we continued visiting other islands). The villages are very cute, made out of traditional materials and set amongst tropical flowers and fruit.
At night the guide, chief, and some other mend of the village went to drink Kava. I was invited, but declined, mostly because the water is comes from and the shells it's served in are questionable, and I didn't want to end up with stomach issues while in Vanuatu. The Kava in Vanuatu is supposedly really strong and makes the Kava in Fiji feel like water. The people on this island live in a very traditional way, sustenance farming (and growing cocoa, coconut, and kava for money), eating their traditional foods, no electricity, and no vehicles up in the villages. They get their water from the river, cook by fire, etc.
3/4/20
We slept in a traditional hut. In the morning a down syndrome kid was spying while we were lying in bed in our hut. When we left to walk around the village in the morning, he had gone through my backpack, scattered the contents of my wallet, and barricaded the door. When we entered, he took off all of his clothes and "hid" in the corner.
For breakfast we had fruits, lemongrass tea, and break baked fresh with a fruit and coconut milk jam. On the trail today we went through the thick jungle, walked up (and through creeks), before going steeply over a pass (~1000 ft) with a view towards the ocean. We also had walked through some other villages, early in the day, one with a little mission. We descended steeply and arrived to a bit larger village where we had lunch (lap lap), took a shower from stream water piped in, chatted with the locals, walked around the village, then continued on. This time the trail was a lightly used double track (trucks sometimes go to this village). We soon arrived to the village on the coast with promises of coke or fanta. This was not to be as the tiny store only had bottles of stream water put back in the bottle and stored in the fridge.
I went for a dip in the warm ocean, then we had a 2 hour drive to our bungalow on the rough, dirt coastal road. Lynn made us a delicious local dinner.
3/5/20
Early morning crowded transport in the back of a 4x4 pickup to the tiny airport. We were the very first ones there. Easy check-in. No security. Only 4 of us total on the scenic twin otter flight to Lunganville on the island of Espiritu Santo. We're staying at a nice guesthouse. We went into town, had a local lunch (~$2.50) and visited the market where we purchased some fruit and also coconuts to drink on the spot. We hung out and chilled around the guesthouse the rest of the day. Reading a bit about the corona virus.
Very early Uber ride to the airport, then a flight to Auckland. It felt a bit nerve-wracking in Auckland because of Corona virus. New Zealand only has 2 reported cases, but still...Many people, mostly Asian, are wearing masks. I definitely used a lot of hand sanitizer. Then we had an Air Vanuatu flight to Port Vila, Vanuatu. Our hotel is only 300m from the airport, so we walked to it, and were drenched in sweat in that short distance. We then took a "bus" (whenever you see bus in my posts here, they are referring to a minivan, which is the Vanuatu form of public transportation) to Port Vila town to meet Ben (a mountaineer with the USAP). We had burgers at a seaside restaurant and walked along the seaside path.
3/2/20
The hotel in Port Vila was so trusting! You didn't pay until checkout, and if you check out early--like we did--you just leave the money in a deposit box. They have no credit card number or any info on you in the event you sleep and dash.
Walked to the airport early in the morning and flew in a tiny plane (twin otter) to Malekula island. The pilot of the plane said "the safety sheet is in the seat pocket, but it will be most useful for fanning yourself." One guy left his phone in the terminal and when we were about ready to taxi, he said, "Pilot, can I got get my phone quick?" So we all waited while he left the plane and grabbed his phone. There were nice views on the flight, and we could see the islands of Epi, Paama, and Ambrym. We landed at a tiny, tiny airport with no buildings. We hopped in the back of a pick-up truck to the tiny main town of Lakatoro where we visited the tourist info, had some local lunch, walked to the ocean, and hung around. In the afternoon we hopped into the back of a pickup and rode 40 mins North. On this island, pickup trucks are the public transport b/c the roads are dirt and not very good. In town we had met a man named Etienne, and we stayed at his bungalow. His wife Lynn welcomed us with fresh grapefruit (Vanuatu had the best grapefruit ever!).
We then walked to a small nambas village where we learned about their traditional way of life. Malekula has 2 main tribes, the big and small nambas. Nambas refers to the penis sheath: one tribe uses a large sheath and the other a small. It has nothing to do with the actual size of the penis. We watched them do some dancing and tasted some of their food. The men wear only leaves on their butt and a penis sheath in the front. The women wear only grass skirts and are topless. Very interesting to learn about. Not long ago, they were still cannibalistic. In fact, they ate the first missionaries who arrived to Vanuatu.
Lynn made a tasty dinner that we ate over the water. Our bungalow overlooks the water, and we can hear the sea crashing at night. Very hot at night with no fan! Malekula has very limited electricity, and none here.
3/3/20
We had plans to do a cross island trek, so in the morning we met our guide Jonneq. We started the trek by walking along the coastal dirt road for several miles, sometimes going off the road to walk on the beach (black sand) or walk through the villages. At the small village of Atchin we headed inland on a trail, going up through cocoa and coconut plantations as well as tropical forest. It was hot and we were soaked in sweat and covered in seeds and such that stuck to our sweaty skin. A bit after 1pm we arrived to a village of very friendly folk. We first walked a short distance to a stream where I took a refreshing dip in some pools. Elisha washed off in a shower made from hollow bamboo as it was tabu (taboo) for women to bathe in the pools. The little creek area full of pools and small cascades was like a paradise. We then were served lunch, and we chatted with the one lady in the village who spoke English. She and everyone was very friendly! I was shown the recently deceased cheif's grave and house, but this was also tabu for women to visit.
After a big goodbye, we hiked a few more hours up, crossing a river many times to reach the village we would be staying at. We immediately went to the river to swim and jump off some cliffs into it. These villagers were also super nice! Dinner was traditional lap lap (manioc, banana, breadfruit, taro, or yam in leaves...in our case banana this time) drizzled with coconut milk. We had island cabbage with a coconut milk sauce, and we also had several other tasty vegetables in coconut sauce, taro and prawns (caught hours before in the creek) in coconut sauce. We were also served tea with a blade of lemongrass in it. Crazy how many fruit trees are everywhere. They can sit at the nakumal (gathering place)--a bench in the shade of the big village tree--and point out banana, grapefruit, mango, passion, mandarin, avocado, papaya, coconut, and other fruits completely new to us. Grapefruits are in season now and they are unbelievably delicious. Better than anything I've ever had, and I've had the Florida grapefruits in season.
The villages are composed of family units with a chief. Each village we visited, Jonneq seemed to introduce a person and say, "this is the brother of my wife, or the wife of my cousin, etc, etc". Everyone is somehow related in a way, and everyone knew everyone. No matter what, everyone you pass on the road, trail, or village, you give a warm handshake to. So walking by groups can take awhile. The villagers live in huts made of bamboo, palm, and thatch roofs. Usually there is a separate cooking hut. Pigs, chickens, cats, and skinny dogs roam around freely. Also interesting to note that the pigs, chickens, and dogs all eat coconut. It's hot, so people tend to spend a lot of time sitting under the shade tree doing nothing. Previously, and not that long ago, these people were cannibals, when it came warring clans and enemy groups, but not any more. They are so friendly! Vanuatu is known as the land of smiles, and it's easy to see why they are known as that (and would continue to be easy to see that as we continued visiting other islands). The villages are very cute, made out of traditional materials and set amongst tropical flowers and fruit.
At night the guide, chief, and some other mend of the village went to drink Kava. I was invited, but declined, mostly because the water is comes from and the shells it's served in are questionable, and I didn't want to end up with stomach issues while in Vanuatu. The Kava in Vanuatu is supposedly really strong and makes the Kava in Fiji feel like water. The people on this island live in a very traditional way, sustenance farming (and growing cocoa, coconut, and kava for money), eating their traditional foods, no electricity, and no vehicles up in the villages. They get their water from the river, cook by fire, etc.
3/4/20
We slept in a traditional hut. In the morning a down syndrome kid was spying while we were lying in bed in our hut. When we left to walk around the village in the morning, he had gone through my backpack, scattered the contents of my wallet, and barricaded the door. When we entered, he took off all of his clothes and "hid" in the corner.
For breakfast we had fruits, lemongrass tea, and break baked fresh with a fruit and coconut milk jam. On the trail today we went through the thick jungle, walked up (and through creeks), before going steeply over a pass (~1000 ft) with a view towards the ocean. We also had walked through some other villages, early in the day, one with a little mission. We descended steeply and arrived to a bit larger village where we had lunch (lap lap), took a shower from stream water piped in, chatted with the locals, walked around the village, then continued on. This time the trail was a lightly used double track (trucks sometimes go to this village). We soon arrived to the village on the coast with promises of coke or fanta. This was not to be as the tiny store only had bottles of stream water put back in the bottle and stored in the fridge.
I went for a dip in the warm ocean, then we had a 2 hour drive to our bungalow on the rough, dirt coastal road. Lynn made us a delicious local dinner.
3/5/20
Early morning crowded transport in the back of a 4x4 pickup to the tiny airport. We were the very first ones there. Easy check-in. No security. Only 4 of us total on the scenic twin otter flight to Lunganville on the island of Espiritu Santo. We're staying at a nice guesthouse. We went into town, had a local lunch (~$2.50) and visited the market where we purchased some fruit and also coconuts to drink on the spot. We hung out and chilled around the guesthouse the rest of the day. Reading a bit about the corona virus.
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