VANUATU CODA: Epi and Efate

Lamen Bay on Epi Island served as a one-night stopover on our way north two months ago, but we returned to spend a couple of days there on our way back to Port Vila. It’s a spot well known for its resident turtle population and frequent visits by a dugong.

Sure enough, the turtles were easy to find—and they were unafraid, munching leisurely on sea grass as we floated above them. There was also some first-rate snorkeling, with attractive coral formations and a huge array of colorful fish very near our boat.

Unfortunately, our timing was poor for the dugong. While we were there, one patrol boat and four cargo ships came in and out of the bay, the cargo ships’ activities amplified by the large number of small boats speeding back and forth with supplies. Things finally quieted down the afternoon we left and the dugong returned, but no matter how far we swam, it was a wild dugong chase; we got to see a face and flippers from a distance, but didn’t get to float over him. Though we could probably have been successful the next day, a change in the weather meant we had to head south while we had a chance.

Ah well, it was worth a try!

I would have preferred a photo of a dugong in this space,
but the cargo ships are pretty interesting too!

So we are now near the end of our long loop around Vanuatu’s many islands, having arrived back at Efate Island. Before going into Port Vila, we spent a few final days in nearby Havannah Harbor, catching up on some maintenance in peaceful anchorages there.

Our final instrumental interlude included a special treat: the village at our last anchorage was very musical. They had a washtub bass (large plastic tub outfitted with a stick and a cord) and a small ukulele; people took turns playing those instruments, and when they weren’t playing, they were improvising clapped rhythms and singing their hearts out. We played for each other, and jammed together in our style and theirs.  What a fun finale!

Then, a truly Grand Finale. We made reservations at a beach restaurant very near Second Wind in Port Vila to celebrate our 43^rd anniversary, noticing they made a note of the special occasion. When we arrived, they had set up a beautiful table just for us—a lovely gesture. But we were astounded when they seated us in the middle of the evening’s entertainment, a spectacular fire show! It was a celebration beyond anything we could have imagined, and a sensational way to bring our adventures in this phenomenal country to a close.

How to leave Vanuatu? How to say goodbye to a country so full of gorgeous places, exciting activities, and fascinating customs? 

More than anything, we will miss the people. Ten years ago a United Nations study proclaimed the ni-Vans are the happiest people in the world—and that must still be true. We received the warmest welcomes possible and made friends everywhere we went; the closeness felt extraordinary.

Magic lives on in Vanuatu!

VANUATU: Malekula and the Maskelynes

Kastom (custom) dancing brought us to Banam Bay. These men are part of the Smol Nambas on Malekula Island, meaning they traditionally wore small penis sheaths (as opposed to the Big Nambas, who wore larger leaf coverings). Though the dances were not quite what we expected—fewer men, and no women’s dances—it was still an interesting variation on others we had seen, and we were glad to see the traditions being continued with boys involved as well.

For us the main attraction to Banam Bay was the children. Throughout Vanuatu the children are independent, fearless—and happy. Laughter is everywhere! We played with the kids, traded with them, walked with them between villages while they showed off their tree climbing and nut gathering skills. When Katelinn passed through Vanuatu on her circumnavigation, she described “children dripping off of me”, and we had the same joyful experience. There is a lot right with a place where all the children are bright and curious, and such fun to be around!

Trading fishing line, hooks, and colored pencils
for pamplemousse and bananas

Playing pat-a-cake
Art started the game, joined by fellow cruisers
Dina from Canadian S/V Good as Gold and Murray from Kiwi S/V JAMS

Learning how to eat cacao beans from the shell

July 30 is Vanuatu’s Independence Day, and we wanted a taste of small town—rather, small village—celebrations rather than attend the city-style activities in the capital, so we chose to be in Banam Bay for that day.

They combined it with their annual Children’s Day, honoring the kids by giving them gifts of balls and sweets. All the children lined up and adults moved along the line shaking hands with everyone—and sprinkling talcum powder on them for good luck!

Picnics, Vanuatu-style: families with baskets of food, sitting on woven mats under the trees

Little did we know we would become part of the program!
Once the officials learned we knew their national anthem,
we were seated on stage and became part of their entertainment for the day.

Men and women generally don’t dance together, but one grandma scooped Art up and the “old folks” provided much hilarity!

Almost without exception people have Westernized first names, but I had never met another Nancie (or Nancy)--until this area, where there were four of them! This Nancie and I spent a fair amount of time together, so she was dubbed Young Nancie and for some reason I was dubbed Old Nancie.

Spontaneous moments like this one, hanging out with a family at their home before the festivities began, were often the best…

...and made parting a sweet sadness.

MASKELYNE ISLANDS

Evoy! (Hello!)

The Maskelyne group, a cluster of reefs and islands at the southeast corner of Malekula Island, has its own language and customs.

The islands are mostly small and flat, so families paddle their outrigger canoes to a separate island--"the garden island"--to raise their crops. That makes for a lot of paddling!

The Maskelynes were the only place we saw outriggers fitted with sails; this canoe was on Awai Island.

Uliveo, the largest island in the group, is home to three substantial villages, with about 1,000 people and the group’s only school. They also foster a giant clam sanctuary, creating a man-made island and oasis 25 years ago to protect the three remaining species (the largest ones have sadly become extinct, though we saw some of the enormous shells on display). We were heartened to see such active stewardship and supported their ecotourism efforts by paying to swim in the sanctuary one afternoon.

Because some places are tabu—and also to protect visitors from getting lost—all villages provide a guide for walking around their lands. We were accompanied by Philip a few times and he later invited us to his home for lunch—not a frequent occurrence with visitors, so we felt honored.

On the menu was laplap, a traditional dish made of grated roots—cassava or yam—mixed with bits of fish and some coconut milk, wrapped in leaves and baked in a stone oven. Philip was pleased to have caught a squid out on the reef the previous night, so fresh squid smoked on the fire was a real treat.

A lovely presentation in their eating area

Meriam and Sera in the cooking area

In return we invited his family to our boat, expecting his wife and two daughters—then nine people showed up at the dinghy landing. Ah, extended family; we should have known! Crowded but festive, it was their first time on a “yacht” and we all had a good time.

Binoculars provided much entertainment

The clan on deck
(without Philip, who was taking a picture of his own)

We play for schools almost everywhere, and often the men hanging around by the water end up with a spontaneous mini-performance when they see us off-loading our instruments from the dinghy. Women are working in their homes, yet enjoy the music as much as anyone—so we seek them out on their turf.

When we asked about trading for a lobster,
Andre brought us 4 of them!

Water world

We wanted to stay longer in these lovely anchorages, but as always, weather dictated our itinerary. Strong southeasterlies on the way meant it was time to sail back across open water towards Port Vila.

Pelan! Sippa! Sippa humbat!

(Goodbye! Thank you! Thank you very much!)

VANUATU: Ambrym

Ambrym, island of magic...

Actually, most of this country seems to possess magic, but with two active volcanoes turning the skies orange and the sands black, Ambrym is the epicenter of magic in Vanuatu.

We timed our arrival to attend the Fanla Festival, an occasion where the famous Rom Dance is performed not for tourists—though we were expected and welcomed—but for their own annual “grade taking” (status) ceremony. And what a spectacle it was! In amazing masks and costumes, ritual dancing gradually incorporated the younger men who had purchased their way into the ranks with cash and pigs.

The first day of the festival included several dances, sand drawing, string games, weaving, magic tricks, and displays of beautiful carvings:

Throughout the day, Paramount Chief Tofor--Chief of Chiefs on Ambrym--radiated wisdom and contentment...

We weren’t necessarily wise, but we were content! Lunch was root vegetables cooked in coconut milk, pawpaw (papaya) and pamplemousse, and fresh coconut water to drink

The day’s final activity was the unveiling of the Rom masks. Each mask has distinct colors and designs, which are unchanged from one generation to the next.

The lengthy Rom Dance comprised most of the second day:

Throngs of Ambrym residents, from Fanla and surrounding villages, came to observe the ceremony. This long view shows the older men “sorting” the costumed younger ones coming up the ranks, with many local men watching on the far side.

After the dance, the men who purchased the masks—or specifically, purchased the right to wear those particular colors and designs, some of which are worth far more than others—made their payments to the Chief. Piles of large yams and other vegetables are at their feet; cash was given directly to the chief in everyone's presence. (I did not include a picture of the pigs they offered, which were disposed of on the spot.)

At closing, the dancers—most of them back in their regular t-shirts and shorts—invited all of us to dance together (including tourist women; it is tabu for local women to dance in this way). Not to sound too New Age, but the joining of all witnesses in close proximity, sharing the beat of drums and the pounding of feet for a length of time, was quite moving: a fitting end to an extraordinary experience.

Another major activity on Ambrym Island was our decision to join with three other cruising couples and hire a guide to take us to the top of Mt. Marum, one of the world’s most active volcanoes. It was a strenuous trek, made increasingly challenging by clouds and rain that moved in. Unfortunately those conditions prevented us from seeing the lava lake at the bottom of the crater, but spending the night near the top of an active volcano was a tremendous escapade.

The trail went first through the jungle,

then across the ash plain
(we improvised a backpack from one of our duffel bags)

Everyone who approaches the volcano--locals included--
must cast a cane spear onto the ash plain to ensure their safety

Near the top, wild cane had overgrown the coarse rubble
(deteriorating weather prevented any other photos from that point on)

The sleeping hut only held 4 people, so the other 4 of us ended up in small tents that were not at all waterproof. No one had a comfortable night, but it sure was an adventure!

Guides Robert and John were only 16 years old! But they knew all the paths, even in total darkness, and cared for us very well. OSHA would have been horrified, but we knew we were in good hands.

At our final stop on volcanic Ambrym, we anchored near a river that had formed a huge hot pool—a gigantic natural spa. Soaking in a hot bath of fresh water, doing laundry, soaking some more: aaaahhhhhhh….

Often at night the sky would glow over the volcanoes. What a sight while anchored at Ambrym!

Magic indeed.

VANUATU: Espiritu Santo

Our first stop at Espiritu Santo was at Champagne Beach, where the sand was as fine as white powder. Odd as it may sound, we rarely manage to spend time just relaxing on a beach, so our day there felt heavenly.

Peterson Bay was intriguing for its proximity to a huge former WWII base. Completely abandoned, nothing remains besides patches of tarmac and one long overgrown airstrip—but it’s not hard to imagine the frenzy of activity at this once major staging ground for the Pacific theater.

Nearby was one of the island’s “blue holes”, deep pools of fresh water that are so deep, clear and clean that the water appears blue. Gorgeous—and great for swimming!

Taking the dinghy up a river through the jungle to yet another blue hole, we swung on vines into space and dropped into the pool below. Scary, but fun!

We’d finally made our way to Luganville, Vanuatu’s second main city (after Port Vila, the capital). Anchorage isn’t great in front of the town itself so we anchored around a peninsula in Palikula Bay, reuniting with Kiwi friends Rod and Brenda and meeting new friends anchored there. A few days of provisioning and internet were on the agenda—successfully accomplished, though getting into town involved a dinghy ride, a long walk, then hitchhiking. Who would have thought hitching would become normal for us?

Art’s 2016 birthday was spent with Rod & Brenda at Bella Vista restaurant in Neiafu, Tonga. This year, purely by serendipity, his birthday dinner was at Chez Brenda (otherwise known as S/V State of Mind).

Provisioning meant a lot of vegetables and some fresh meat--oh, and 4 cases of the local beer
(hey, provisioning stops are few and far between!)