Natural wonder

Our flight from Tanna to Efate (Vanuatu) was not until late afternoon so we decided to see what they claim is the world's largest Banyan tree located in Leitouapam Village. From the town of Lenakel, it was a 4 km ride up a very rough road but not as rough as the cross-island road that we had been on! And much shorter of course.

Unloaded, we hiked down into the valley with our guide Samuel where he filled us in with some info about the tree. Banyan trees are considered spiritual to the villagers and also very useful. Lumber from the trees is commonly used to build homes and the ceremonial drinking of Kava is always beneath a Banyan tree.

There are male and female trees but we couldn't figure out how they know which is which. How old is this giant? It is said to have been large even before Captain Cook came here in 1774.

Banyan trees are full of aerial roots that start as new vine roots which are constantly being sent down to the ground from the large branches. Once the new vines take root, they grow to be another lesser trunk and so the tree stretches outward. If you cut off an aerial root, it re-grows several more to replace the one you cut off. This behemoth looks like a forest in and all by itself.

Only a fraction of ONE giant Banyan

Because of all the aerial roots, it's an easy tree to climb as displayed by our guide through the forest of this tree.

A bold Banyan climber

After exploring all around this huge tree, we returned to Lenakel where we had snacks on the beach. The beach is a popular place and we noticed all the activity happening around us.

As the sun was shining, the locals were out doing laundry. What! In salt water? No, there was a freshwater spring feeding shallow pools by the shore where the ladies were scrubbing away as the small children played nearby in the water. The colourful clean items were all laid out on the sand to dry in the sun.

Seaside laundry

Farther down the beach, children were cavorting in the ocean as the waves pulled them out to sea and then threw them back to the sandy shore amidst their raucous laughter. Many were stretched out and lounging on the sand too.

In another area, villagers were working with pandanus reeds that they had collected. They had them laid out on rocks to dry in the hot sun and will be made into skirts for future celebrations.

Drying pandanus reeds

Not far from the beach was the town's market. As usual, it was full of people selling and buying anything from large, luscious looking produce to dark smelly tobacco. Wares were spread out on tables and on the ground, inside and outside, wherever you looked.

Bundles of large taro

Peanuts, anyone?

We were now ready for a cup of the Island's delicious coffee. Locals had said we could get some at the Tanna Coffee Factory which was within walking distance of town. It was a very hot, lengthy walk and we finally arrived at the closed Factory where a passerby told us to just wait a bit. But no one came around so we trekked back to the main road to catch a bus to the airport, thirsty and disappointed. Jordan had been hoping to also purchase a bag of the well-known Tanna coffee but it wasn't that kind of a facility.

As we walked along the road, we once again ran into the youngsters that we had seen yesterday on the beach pounding nuts. Notice the large knife that they always seem to walk around with for their chores.

3 sisters going gardening

It was a short flight back to Port Vila on Efate Island. We finally arrived back on board our beloved Sea Turtle with precious memories of one-of-a-kind adventures. The stories we can now tell!

More sights of Tanna

Today, Joseph drove us back on the rough road across Tanna Island to the town of Lenakel (Vanuatu). This time we rode in the rear of the pickup to better take in the views. We bypassed the backside of the volcano, Mount Yasur, seeing where decades of ash fallout formed a dark gloomy plain. Even as we rode, the ever active Yasur dusted us with the gritty stuff, invading our eyes, hair, and clothes.

We felt the downwind grit

Jordan standing in front of hills of eroded volcano fallout

As we continued our drive, Joseph who knew just about everyone on the island and is related to a great many, was flagged down and stopped by a local villager. He had 2 pigs both bound at the ankles and squealing in protest as they were hauled up in the back with us. We both felt bad as we saw some blood on 1 of the pigs and when we inquired, were told that the poor porker had been chased by dogs and broke its leg. His owner needed to take it to town to see the vet.

As we bumped merrily along we noticed, not soon enough, the swine's contingent contribution to the truck bed was a mix of pee and blood!! Yuck! It got on our backpack and some of our clothes. Once in town, we were lucky enough to find a place to wash and rinse out the few soiled items.

We went back to the cute Silae Restaurant, the 1 owned by Mary where we had lunch when we first arrived on Tanna Island a couple of days ago. We were disappointed that she wasn't there but a few minutes later, she showed up as her staff had quickly gone to her home and said her friends were there to see her. How sweet!

Mary stayed and visited with us as we ate and told us about a German boat with a family of 5 that a couple of years ago had crashed on the rocks just a few meters away. They had anchored in a bad spot for the predicted westerly and then in the night dragged anchor, heaving them on the rocks where the boat was destroyed with a large hole on starboard side. They survived and the next day the village hauled what was left of the boat up on dry land so at least they could camp in it. The village all helped them out until they gained passage back to Germany, defeated. Upon taking a close look at the boat, Jordan said the fibreglass was very thin.

Mary looking at lost dreams of island visitors

We next booked a small inexpensive cabin on the waterfront. We luxuriated in fact that this one even had its own toilet, sink, and shower - but a very cold shower!

As the day wound down, we walked the palm lined beach to the sound of crashing surf passing the ever present dugout outriggers and collected pockets of shells. This shelling is becoming therapeutically addictive!

We came across 3 youngsters pounding something on a large flat rock and they told us they were breaking open yummy nuts from the tree. They had a large knife as earlier they had been working in the family garden quite a distance away. As the setting sun signaled a day's end, we suggested they leave for home as it would be getting dark soon. They were unconcerned and we gathered they surely knew their way around pretty good. It's quite common to see kids out n' about on their own.

After a cold supper, lights were out at 21:00. Power is very expensive on the islands so is not used unnecessarily.

Sights of Tanna

Yesterday before going to see the awesome Mount Yasur Volcano of Tanna (Vanuatu), we walked the short distance from our cabin to the tidy neighbouring Kastom village. It took little imagination for us to conger a fantasy that we were time travellers, cast back in time to an undiscovered people.

The genial folks here live in the old traditional way, without electricity or piped water (they have a central well and pump) and their huts are woven bamboo walls, raised a foot or 2 off the ground and of course all have the thatched roofs. We felt a rare peacefulness in this scene as the subtle sounds of the distant surf lulled us into tranquility.

Peaceful village

The gracious villagers told us we were free to look around and even take pictures if we like. These youngsters at the busy 'town centre' were sucking the tasty juice from bright red flowers and offered us a sample too...

Yummy for my tummy

It was not unusual to see naked toddlers being carried by their slightly older siblings or just running around carefree. In a central clearing, the women and girls were weaving palm fronds for the thatched roofs amidst the prosaic cluck of hens and the smolder from their outdoor cookery.

A timeless scene

Off to the side, close to the large Banyon tree, were the vestigial remnants of yesterday's oven where they made their laplap. It's an in-ground oven where the food is wrapped and cooked by hot rocks all smothered with big leaves and sand.

One of the huts served as a meager store. We peered inside the dimly lit store and were surprised at how little it contained but remembered that they were want for little.

A meager merchant

Later that day we visited a different Kastom village a few miles away where we met Chief Jack. The village was immaculately landscaped with walkways lined with vegetation. A tall tree fern stood near the entrance. The top of tree ferns are always larger than the base as they are turned upside down and replanted before carving.

Jordan with decorative fern tree

The Chief and a few villagers performed a ceremonial dance for us where the men wore not much more than penis sheaths made of bark and the women donned grass skirts of dried pandanus reeds...

Taking a rest between celebratory dancing...

Adorable young learner...

Fire and ice

We were finally at Tanna (Vanuatu) to see the fiery cauldron of Mount Yasur, the world's most active live and most accessible volcano! We had first been told of this volcano by other cruisers (SV Red Sky) when we were in El Salvador and have been looking forward to it ever since. It would be the opposite of our experience at Ventisquero San Rafael (a glacier) when we were in Chile on January 23, 2012.

As we approached the volcano by vehicle, the lush landscape changed to black ash dunes from centuries of ash drift.

Joseph our driver took us up a bumpy steep narrow road almost to the top. The last bit we had to ascend a stair pathway as we watched shooting hot rocks and rising ash drifting into the sky above us. It was still daytime (16:30) and we were the first to arrive. We sat on the high outer rim of the volcano crater to watch the spectacle. Those are Jordan's feet at the front of the photo.

Some hit within 60 m (200 feet) of us

Looking about 60 m down into the crater we saw 3 vents, each hissing gas and spitting hot magma and ash...

2 of 3 vents spouting

Then about every 10 or 15 minutes, a concussive eruption would shoot molten rocks skyward, higher than us by about 60 m. We were instructed to keep our eyes on these hot missiles as it was possible they could reach us. We watched what appeared to be a new vent form down inside the crater as the mounds of ash rolled and curled out from the volcano looking like dirty puffy clouds forming.

New vent

As impressive as this was, it was nothing compared to what we soon would see as the sun set and the sky darkened all around us. In the daylight, the flying debris looks black even though it is molten, however at night, it all shoots up like brilliant red fireworks. The evening show seemed as if there was so much more glowing red lava spurting every few minutes but it was only because of the black night contrast.

Slowly getting darker and more brilliant

We listened to the large BOOMs as the concussions sounded. Everyone would unconsciously lean backward as the sound crashed, your body feeling the reverberations of the cannonade. A rat-a-tat followed as the lava landed, sounding like a soldier's machine gun.

3 vents

Boom!

It was spectacular, amazing, mesmerizing. You couldn't take your eyes away. Nowhere else would you be able to get as close to such a show. A sight not to be missed! Two ineffable and unforgettable highlights of our lives: FIRE of Mount Yasur and ICE of Ventisquero San Rafael. Hopefully, pictures are worth a thousand words!

Port Resolution, Tanna

We had a long and horrendous voyage from Port Vila (Efate Island, Vanuatu) to Lenakel (Tanna Island, Vanuatu) on a cargo freighter. But upon our arrival on September 3rd, we were quite hungry so we went in search of a place to eat. We came upon a thatched hut they call a restaurant owned by the most friendly and gregarious Mary who treated us as though she had known us all her life. This is a tiny place with a couple of tables and benches.

Merry Mary and Jordan outside of her restaurant

She quickly served us up 2 large plates of delicious fish, rice, and veggies that we gobbled down. Mary chatted with us, giving us some local info, and asked us all about ourselves. She asked if we had come by plane and we said No, on the cargo freighter Maiko. The Maiko??" she said, The Maiko?! She found it hard to believe that we had actually arrived via the Maiko.

(And throughout our stay at Tanna, anytime someone discovered we had come on Maiko, we were looked at in disbelief. The Maiko?! they would say as though maybe we meant to say By airplane. The upside: when we negotiated a price, we weren't viewed as a typical tourist.)

As we also felt our passage was a bit too adventurous even for us, we decided to buy plane tickets for our return. With plane tickets in hand, we found a pickup truck for a ride to Port Resolution on the other (southeastern) coast of Tanna. The distance wasn't that far (41 km) but the road is in extremely poor shape. Our driver, Joseph, loaded with supplies and people, averaged 20 to 30 km per hour and the trip took about 1.5 hours. He only charged us 2000 Vatu, not the traditional 5000 Vatu (subtract 2 zeros for approximate Canadian price).

Port Resolution (not really a port but a small bay protected from the southeasterlies) was named by Captain Cook - after his ship Resolution - when he anchored there in 1774.

We stayed in a small bungalow/cabin at the Port Resolution Yacht Club, somewhat of a misnomer. This may sound like a very fancy place to stay but it was very pleasantly basic. The setting was beautiful, up on a bluff overlooking the few intrepid sailboats in the bay with its beach back-dropped with verdant jungle.

Cabins that overlooked the point

Our cabin was similar to the traditional inhabitant's structures with thatched roof and thin walls of woven bamboo, however for the tourist, they made the floors of concrete. Although it wasn't the season for them, the 1 double bed and 2 single beds were all covered with mosquito nets. There was a sink with cold running water on the porch. That's it!

Hey, luxury...running water

The washroom was a short walk away along tidy lawns spotted with palms and other tropical trees. There was a clean toilet and solar shower. A tap was outside with a bar of soap sitting on the concrete next to it for washing. They kept everything nice and neat but close to natural.

We were the only guests staying there. We were served our meals in an open air room with its purring resident kitty. There was a long table and chairs and a couple of couches and comfy chairs for lounging placed along the wall. We opened the guest book and spotted a few recent yachts that we know well. The staff provided us with anything we asked for and were very welcoming.

During our dinner, it poured rain and we were feeling lucky that we had decided to wait for the next day before visiting the Island's active volcano.

As we had not slept at all the previous night (sitting on the freighter for 22 hours), we were quite exhausted and went to bed early. Good thing as lights are out at 21:00 when they turn off their generator and water!

Vile voyage

"Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." Quote from The Tempest by William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)

Due to our engine failure near the end of our passage from Fiji, we had to bypass 2 of Vanuatu's southern islands: Aneityum (aka Anatom) and Tanna. Aneityum supposedly has great snorkelling with white sandy beaches and is an easy official check-in spot.

But Tanna, with its active volcano, we had been looking forward to since we heard about it when we were in El Salvador. So bypassing was a great disappointment, but it was prudent to check into the main town of Port Vila where we could remedy the motor problem (failed injector pump).

After ordering a rebuilt injector pump from England, we had some time to kill so decided to go down to Tanna. Flights were not cheap. The other choice: cargo ship. We discovered that a couple of junk cargo freighters will carry some passengers to Tanna. We checked with 1 but it was too late for us as it was already full and leaving in a couple of hours. So we continued to check every day until we saw another junk freighter, Maiko, which made the trip south to Tanna.

Maiko primarily takes cargo but also takes 50 passengers maximum along to Tanna for 4000 Vatu each (about Cdn $40 each). The boat looked pretty rustic, or should I say rusty, but it made weekly trips. We decided it would be safe enough; after all, the locals use it, right? Well, when we say 'junk' freighter, we are being real generous, let me put it that way.

Maiko and waiting passengers

With a free taxi tide in our friend's dinghy, we boarded from the dinghy to the stern of Maiko at 14:30 for a 15:00 voyage. We had to be careful while climbing on because of several large holes in the rusty 'swim deck' of the stern. This was our last chance to change our minds but we were up for a new adventure.

Judy in upper left (her seat for 22 hours)

The ship was still being loaded with everything from sacks of rice, flour, building material, beds, bikes, drums of fuel...all arrays of island life supplies, not to forget, finally a small work boat.

Loading the hold

Just before sailing, there was a roll call for the waiting paid passengers to climb aboard, each choosing their spot on the upper aft deck for the crossing.

Time to board!

As we surveyed our surroundings, we began to see what level of luxury our booking had provided. The craft was colourful - rust red! The views from our seats were nice as the decks were see-through. We were provided with 'natural' air conditioning as we were virtually exposed to the elements. Our smiles and nods were returned with quizzical gazes from the solemn natives. We finally slipped the lines at 16:30, wondering what we got ourselves into.

Motley passengers

Within half an hour, we were out in the open ocean, beating against a stiff wind and wave action. The passengers started to take their lying positions, some on their traditional woven mats but mostly on whatever horizontal surface they could claim. It quickly became rail-to-rail reclining human cargo.

It didn't take long for the passengers, not used to rough seas, to become seasick. There was only 1 bucket available which was not adequate for everyone to use. And to make it worse, it was a LEAKY bucket. We sat on our narrow bench seat as kids and adults who couldn't commandeer the puke pail hurled in their rolled up T-shirts, on blankets, on their dad's shoulder, or any open deck within close shot. The odorous drainage soon reached the floor by us and we moved our backpack just in time. This became the night's drama.

Being used to sailing on the open sea, Jordan and I took the motion in stride with no effects, especially since I had taken a seasick pill (Stugeron) before leaving.

Across from us, in the midst of and inconsistent with the scene of the sick and sleeping, sat a couple of young men oblivious to their surroundings. They were swaying, but not so much from the motion of the pitching boat but from the hilarity of a loud jubilant conversation. This went on endlessly for hours - with only us, I think, noticing.

With amusement, we watched as after almost every Bislama (native language) sentence they would rock back with loud open laughter or rock forward to head between knees, slapping their thighs and stomping their feet, roaring with a deep 'uncontainabl'" laughter. We thought What could they find so funny for so long? Actually we found it not unusual to hear such laughter in the scenes of Vanuatu. They are a happy people (except maybe for rough boat travel).

This chilly voyage lasted 20 hours (plus 2 hours on board before leaving) and thankfully we had brought a couple of sandwiches with us which we managed to eat while exchanging forced cheerful glances at each other in the dreadful conditions. But 22 hours is a very long time. Too long. So where could I find a toilet?

Jordan warned me and said I would not use it. Don't even consider looking in it! I didn't take him seriously, but when I saw it, I could not even enter the tiny room. Jordan described it as though it could be a scene from an exaggerated, humourous, horror movie! The evil lidless toilet bowl was covered in vomit and all kinds of 'crappy' stuff, as were its contents that it threatened to gush out upon its guest with every surging wave. And of course there was only the 1 toilet and no sink or running water.

Needless to say, Jordan stood guard while I quickly peed in a corner on deck, which was quickly washed away by the spraying ocean water over the sides. This little cutie who hardly said a word for the entire voyage was the luckiest being clad in diapers.

No worries for me!!

We had not expected the passage to take so long but the wind and waves were against us, slowing the ship's speed. When we finally arrived, it was to a concrete pier mostly exposed to the waves. As the boat bucked and rolled, we were helped off Maiko to terra firma at the little town of Lanakel on the west side of the island of Tanna. We had never been so thrilled to be back on land again!

At last, safely disembarking

The passengers, once on the pier, regained their jolly countenance and it was a abuzz with unloading activity that matched the jovial waiting villagers.

Fire dance

A 10-minute drive up the coast from Port Vila (Efate Island, Vanuatu), there is a beach area called Mele. There, right on the beach, is a fun 'happenin' bar/restaurant called, what else, The Beach Bar. On Friday nights, there is a very popular fire dance performance put on by a group of young volunteers. Fortunately, as it was packed, we went early for dinner and show and were not disappointed.

These young performers put on a captivating show that impressed all, in spite of the fact that it wasn't at all a culturally traditional Vanuatuan-type performance.

Impressive sight in the contrast of the black night

Mesmerizing swirls

They will also be offering up a circus evening starting next week. Hmmm...sounds interesting.

Around town

As we wait for engine parts, we have wandered all around town. Tree ferns are an unusual sight here in Port Vila (Vanuatu). Tree tops are chopped off and statues of ancient beings are carved in the porous trunk and displayed in gardens and yards.

Very weird tree structure

There is a very large and well stocked market near the Marina and it seems to run from early in the morning till late in the evening. Apparently the proprietors stay all night, sleeping under the tables on their home-made mats. It is nicknamed Mama's Market, probably because 99% of the workers there are older women. Some of it is totally outside in the open air but most of it is covered overhead with a roof.

Mama's Market

It is full of fresh fruits and vegetables including 2-foot long yams, nice tomatoes, live chicken, nuts threaded onto bamboo shoots, peanuts still attached to their vines, mega flowers that are huge, etc.

Fresh from the vine

Flowers everywhere

In one area at long rows of tables, women, waving off incessant flies, are selling cooked snack meals of fish or chicken and starchy taro or manioc all served on leaves (I think they call it laplap). At lunchtime, you can barely walk down the aisle as patrons choose their meals!

Which one should I try?

When not walking, we have occasionally caught a bus or taxi. The taxis are vans and they are everywhere in great abundance with van after van after van following each other up and down the one main street of town. Just wave one down and you have an instant ride for $1500 Vatu each (about Cdn $1.50).

Locals have a different definition of quality, as shown here:

Once again, we are at a dock at full moon. But this time, we don't have to jump up or down to reach Sea Turtle as at Vuda Point Marina in Fiji. Instead, we walk the plank! All boats at the concrete seawall use a plank to get to and from their boat. This can be daunting at the extreme tides or when the boat is rocking.

While tied up, we are delightfully serenaded by a small local bird, twice the size of a hummingbird, with a wide range of song. Tweets, chirps, whistles, and warbles - daytime, night-time - around he goes...

Tank you very much

After doing some troubleshooting to find out why the motor (Perkins 4.108) had quit on the last passage from Fiji to Vanuatu, Jordan discovered what the problem is. The injector pump's shaft sheared. Evidently it injected water that caused the seizure. Two possible sources: seawater entering the fuel tank vents OR water in the fuel when we filled up when we left Fiji.

We had a very rough passage and rough seas, so it is quite possible that some seawater did come in through the vents that are on the exterior sides of the cabin. We do have shut-off valves for these vents but never thought we needed to close them at sea. But from now on, if we encounter bad conditions at sea again, we will be closing them to make sure.

But the other real possibility was bad fuel (water in the fuel) from our last fill-up in Fiji. Jordan remembers the fuel attendant there said we were the last to get a fill-up before the fuel truck came to supply them, so who knows, maybe we got some stuff from the bottom of the barrel so to speak.

How can a shaft so thick shear?

Jordan has been in contact with several possible suppliers from around the globe and has ordered a rebuilt injector pump and 4 spare injectors. We will get a small credit for our old one when they receive it. (We will be sending it back on the slow boat to save shipping.) This mechanical repair will be an expensive one.

So the question remained, what's the condition of the fuel in the tanks, and for that matter, what is the condition of the tanks? They have never been cleaned out because they never have had inspection/access hatches.

So while waiting for parts, Jordan thought it not only prudent but imperative that the tanks get checked out. He had to cut 11.5 cm round holes in the tops and fabricate cover plates. Then all the fuel had to be pumped out, about 360 L, jerry jug by jerry jug, then carried to the drums on shore. The bottoms of the tanks indeed had 30 years of nasty sludge and crud build-up - to the extent that it was surprising that the fuel outlet ever let fuel through!

Drums for diesel transfer

It was a horrid painstaking procedure of reaching down with scrapers and rags, rinsing and sucking up the gunk repeatedly until acceptably clean. Then all the fuel had to be pumped, jerry jug by jerry jug, back into the happy tanks although he didn't even hear a Tanks. It was a Tankless job. Does he want to do that again soon? NO TANKS! Yes, he was wearing a tank top.

Now we wait for our package to arrive...

Mi toktok Bislama

In Vanuatu, most people speak to us in either English or Pidgin. Vanuatu has 105 local languages, as well as English, French, and Bislama. Bislama is a form of Pidgin language which enables people from different areas of the country with different dialects to converse with each other. On the surface, it seems to be a fairly simple language that even Jordan and I can understand, well, at least when reading some signs.

Do you know what the following signs are saying?

Staff room

Sign held up at the Microfinance Tradefair

Sign in a tourist area

To ask What's your name? in Pidgin, you would say Wanem nem blong yu? The response My name is Judy would be Nem blong mi Judy (i.e. The name that belongs to me is Judy). And of course, don't forget Mi wantem bia (I want beer).

It's nice to be able to converse in foreign countries!

Double celebration

It's always fun to celebrate a special day such as a birthday, anniversary, etc. And even more fun when you can celebrate the same special day twice, only a day later!

As we are on the opposite side of the International Date Line here in Vanuatu, we are one day ahead of our families back in Canada. On our anniversary date, we had a nice evening out, and then again, on the next day which was our anniversary date back home!

Does that mean double presents too?

State of coconuts

Coconuts grow in Vanuatu and Jordan and I have been eating them for years on our travels. The juice is delicious as well as healthy and was even used during the war as an intravenous when normal medical stocks ran out.

We have not only drunk the juice but we have of course snacked on the white "meat" raw and also fried, as discovered in Tonga. We have also shredded the white with a potato peeler and fried it with salt, which then tastes similar to bacon, as unbelievable as that sounds.

But we have discovered something new about coconuts. From a coconut that has started to sprout with new leaves starting to grow skyward, you break it open and you will find that the juice has turned to a solid, the consistency of which is totally different - not a hard solid but not mushy either. But in a kind of desiccated state.

Long sprout and desiccated flesh of coconut

The mound of flesh broke apart easily and we crumbled it into a bowl to be used for breakfast. Jordan added corn flakes, water, a wee bit of brown sugar, and coconut cream to his; and I added just crackers, water, and coconut cream to mine. As weird as that sounds, it was very delicious and we will be doing it again soon!

To purchase a sprouting coconut in this area of the country, simply ask for nafara.

Going in circles

Vanuatu is a nation of 83 islands and only gained independence in 1980. We wanted to drive around the island of Efate and so did Rod and Elizabeth on SV Proximity so we all rented a car and headed out for the day. Efate is not very big and could be circled in about 3 hours, with no stops - no roads go to the interior mountainous terrain.

Our first stop was when we spotted a sign claiming The Blue Lagoon. Sounded like an intriguing place. The Lagoon was very blue and very pretty, and Jordan snapped this lady perched on an overhanging branch taking photos.

Photo of a photo

Jeff (SV Proximity crew), Jordan, and I walked away from the Blue Lagoon in search of the ocean that we could hear crashing somewhere. We muddled through the rainforest branches and sharp lava ground and finally found the breaking waves. Mission accomplished! Upon return to the Blue Lagoon, we shared an enjoyable picnic lunch with baguettes, cheese, wine...

Pass the wine

We were trying to find a beach where we could take a dip and stopped at this picturesque one but the surf was too strong. We were also hoping to swim with the large friendly Dugongs, a close cousin to the Manatees, but were informed that they had all left the area in search for their favourite food, seagrass.

What island is that? Where are my charts?

Our final stop was at the Top Rock Site where an informative guide told us all about the area flora and fauna, including large resident coconut crabs. He showed us a wooden pig killing club and we were told that these same clubs were also used for killing humans when cannibalism was still practiced. The last recorded cannibal killing was actually as recent as 1969. But now, no worries, your only chance of being baked is by the tropical sun!

Stay away from me with that!

As we circled Efate Island, we drove past many, many villages where residents lived in thatched huts, grow their food in gardens, and raise pigs if lucky enough to afford them.

We encountered very little traffic and only had 2 or 3 vehicles pass us the entire day. It seemed so weird to be driving on the right-hand side of the road (as we do back in Canada) after driving so long on the opposite side in New Zealand. Our rented vehicle even had a large imprint on the windshield reminding you to stay on the right side of the road as there are so many Aussies and Kiwis that holiday here and they are used to driving on the left-hand side of the road.