Vanuatu: Port Vila, Efate Island

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                                                   Nambawan Wota

                                                   Blong Vanuatu

                                                   Gud Wota Gud Laef

Congratulations! You can read Vanuatu's national language.

Bislama is like pidgin English; it's not hard to decipher visually (though less easy when it's spoken). Vanuatuans may lack basics like electricity and advanced education, but even the most rural villagers are multilingual: they speak English, French, Bislama, their own local dialect, and at least one other dialect from a nearby area. We were impressed, grateful (for their fluency in English) and a bit abashed (for only speaking 1 1/2 languages--or 2 1/2, counting music).

At one time Vanuatu (then called New Hebrides) was jointly administered by both England and France. Port Vila, the capital, benefits from a lingering European influence; tourism supports a surprising number of duty-free shops and good restaurants. We were there for the necessary Customs formalities, the beautiful protected harbor, and local color.

The harbor wasn't protected enough to withstand cyclone Pam;
most other destruction has been cleared, but boats are still washed ashore
(and supposedly there are some sailboats, with their crews,
sunken on the deep bottom below the mooring buoys)

Men in South Pacific island nations all wear the same thing--
t shirts or island shirts, shorts and flip flops.
Women's clothing, however, varies; in Vanuatu, most women wear brightly colored dresses
and look very festive!

The women--with their children--stay in the market all week,
sleeping on the floor between tables of produce

Multiple vendors in the market area serve heaping plates of rice, meat & vegetables
for 400 vatu ($4 US)--a "don't miss" lunch. The local paper guided us to a major annual
music festival (and can you decipher a bit more Bislama on the poster?)

On three consecutive nights we heard local string bands, reggae and Vanuatu-style rap;
with food booths, families sitting on the grass and young people dancing in front of the stage,
it was infectious fun

The Vanuatu Cultural Museum was jam-packed with fascinating displays of exotic headdresses, slit drums as tall as totem poles, body decorations and musical instruments--most of which are still used on outlying islands today. We were captivated by the sand drawing, which tells an entire story in a picture created without ever lifting the finger from the sand.

Edgar is telling the story while he draws

One of the final drawings;
they are breathtakingly beautiful, then swept away in an instant by shaking the 'sandbox'

Edgar also played a haunting melody on a long bamboo flute
and the Vanuatu national anthem on a type of marimba.
He wanted to learn an American song,
so we taught him "America the Beautiful".

Kava in Vanuatu is stronger than kava in Fiji, and we were curious about it. Rather than go to a downtown kava bar, we ended up making our way to a very tiny local nakamal up in the hills past the city--not a place that travelers would normally ever find. Neighborhood kava bars have a blue light on in the evening to indicate their business, but everything else is dark (to encourage maximum relaxation)--so unfortunately I don't have a photo. But it sure was a unique experience, being welcomed into their world and given more kava than we arranged for! (Once again a Paul Simon lyric came to mind: Still crazy after all these years...)

But the clock is ticking. It's a long way to New Zealand--where Second Wind will again spend the cyclone season--and the safe sailing time is drawing to a close; we must move on. We will head to New Caledonia, unfortunately not for exploration--not enough time for that--but for staging the tough passage to New Zealand from a place that's a little closer and offers a better wind angle than departing from Vanuatu. New Cal is reputedly very beautiful, though, so I hope to at least post a few photos from there! 

Vanuatu: Tanna Island

AWESOME!!!

Since we'd lost almost a month waiting for a part and then for weather, we considered skipping Vanuatu. The chance to get to the edge of one of the world's most accessible active volcanoes reeled us in, though--and we were glad it did!

"Is this really a good idea?"
We couldn't help but wonder, approaching Tanna Island
and watching the volcano belch smoke and steam

Anchored in a nearby bay,
we could watch spontaneous steam vents
and geysers erupt...

...and both see & hear explosions from our boat

Mt. Yasur is considered a spiritual place, and visitors are welcomed by a ceremony that includes asking for and being granted permission to ascend.

This beautiful woman placed leis on every visitor...

...followed by traditional dancing and singing

After being packed into 4WD trucks and jostling almost to the rim, we hiked the rest of the way to the top and sat near the edge as the sun set and Yasur's eruptions became increasingly brilliant in the growing darkness. Spectacular explosions, deafening roars, rumbling earth--sight, sound, sensation: a peak experience in every way.

The other main reason to explore Vanuatu is its array of fascinating cultural customs. One of these is the John Frum movement, of which Tanna is the focal point. After seeing large quantities of cargo accompanied by black American soldiers in WWII, a 'cargo cult' formed that believed  John "From" America would return and bring material wealth to his followers. During the day multiple American flags fly in the main John Frum village, but we visited on a Friday night so we could attend the weekly religious ceremony. Devotions consisted of rotating clusters of worshippers--men in the center with guitars, women around the periphery clapping--singing songs about God. It was more subdued than we expected, but with some people wearing grass skirts swaying on the sidelines and the volcano frequently rumbling nearby, it was suitably intriguing.

(not a good photo, but a flash would have been inappropriate)

A day in Ireupuow, the village nearest the anchorage, proved to be especially meaningful. The village was a loose association of several smaller enclaves; all the homes were of woven bamboo and coconut fronds, and none had electricity.

Carved fern tree figure

Miriam, our guide, earns $10 US/month
as a kindergarten teacher, yet her daughter's
middle school education costs $370 US/year.
To make up the difference, she relies on
contributions from her relatives and other villagers.

Tanna coffee is famous in Vanuatu;
even a tea gal like me thought it was delicions

Inside the coffee house

Everyone loves music, and sharing ours along the way has been great fun. We played in each enclave in Ireupuow, and the interaction was charming: people laughed and talked and clapped whenever they saw or heard something they particularly liked (similar to a jazz performance, but more exuberant). In all of our hundreds of  professional concerts, nothing has ever felt more joyful than their overt enthusiasm!

A few lingering listeners, many of whom brought us fresh papaya as we were leaving

Another pleasure was watching people ply the small bay in their dugout canoes. There was always someone paddling somewhere,

either men fishing

or children coming by to trade vegetables for treats.

From the magnificent volcano to the welcoming villagers, Tanna was a better stop than we could have imagined...

Sailing past Yasur on our way to the next island