Vanuatu
11th August 2010
17 44 S 168 18 E
Vanuatu, previously New Hebrides, is a group of 83 islands. There are several active volcanoes and earthquakes are frequent. The rich volcanic soil makes for lush, green islands and provides a bounty of produce to feed everyone. To visit the villages beyond the main towns is like stepping back in time. Life is basic, homes are made largely from coconut palms with panels of woven bamboo and most of the food is grown in the family garden. Produce and crafts are traded for the very occasional chicken or a share of a pig and the men go fishing. Most of the cooking is done in earth ovens or on open fires. Fresh water from underground springs is piped to the villages and most families have their own tap. Electricity is rare but there are families with a generator or solar panel to charge a battery. There is little money about and everyone smiles.
The sail from Fiji to Vanuatu began gently, with light winds and full sail. By the end of the third day the wind began to build, the sea became rough and life was a little less fun! We had planned to go first to the southern island of Tanna to see, and climb, Mount Yasur, one of the world’s most accessible volcanoes, but with conditions worsening we had to change course and make way to Efate, the main island where the anchorage offers better protection.
Our first stop was the main town of Port Vila to do the official paperwork. It is a nice town, busy with tourists, with a good supermarket (French) and produce market where we provisioned for our expedition around the islands. Over the first few days of our stay there were 5 small earthquakes which shook Chinook in the water. It was quite weird. The only damage in town was to the duty free shop where a few bottles of spirits fell from the shelves – no great loss to the locals.
After stocking up we set out to explore. At many anchorages throughout the islands people would come out in their dugout canoes with fruit or vegetables from their gardens to trade. One man was looking for a 12 amp light bulb to use with his battery; I think we had some lobster and breadfruit from him. Others wanted t-shirts or flip flops. These exchanges often led to long and interesting conversations. There are over 100 languages spoken in Vanuatu, sometimes each tribe on an island will speak a different language. The common language is Bislama, a type of pigeon English which is fairly easy for us to follow, when spoken slowly. Then they speak English and /or French as well. (Some islands are French, some English as the land was jointly governed by the two nations for many years before its independence.) In school they learn Bislama in the early years and then at junior and senior level they take instruction in English or French. It is very impressive.
When we arrived at Lemen Bay on the island of Epi the first thing we heard was the sound of children’s laughter and this sound was the background to every day we spent there. We went ashore to pay our respects to the chief but instead met Ellison, a teacher from the school. He offered to show us around the village and we spent a pleasant afternoon chatting as we were introduced to village life, stopping by to say hello to the chief on the way. Ellison studied in New Zealand and is a very inventive man. He has designed a small water generator, which is in production, and also a wood burning fridge which is currently being developed in New Zealand.
The following day we went to church! I know, I know but we heard that the singing was really good. It was fabulous, the children, who were practicing for a Sunday school festival, entertained us with their sweet voices and then we joined in the hymns in Bislama. There was lots of holding hands and clapping and we enjoyed it immensely. We even managed to follow the sermon which was also in Bislama. It was a wonderful experience and afterwards we were invited to meet everybody. We stood outside the church with the minister and shook hands with the entire congregation as they came out – about 150 people!! As we left Ellison was waiting with a gift of bananas and papaya from his garden.
After church we got talking to an Australian couple who were staying at the chief’s house and building their own ‘kastom’ house. They invited us round for coffee and we learned that Chief Willy needed an egg whisk. When we next dropped by we took our whisk with us. Chief Willy was delighted and immediately took it to show his wife, Melanie, telling her it was lemon meringue pie for tea, and we were invited to join them. Whilst the men went off spear fishing Melanie showed me how to make banana pie and ‘lap lap’, the local dish of manioc, yams and other vegetables soaked in coconut cream, wrapped in banana leaves and baked in an earth oven. I could hardly believe it when we also cooked the banana pie and lemon meringue pie on an open fire. Andy brought some of his home brew to share; they never get cold beer so it was a real treat. Before we ate we wandered down to the Kava Bar at Chief Willie's invitation. Kava is the narcotic of the pacific islands, it is made from the kava root which is ground and mixed with water to produce a drink which tastes like mud but has a rather nice buzz! We had it in Fiji but it is way more powerful here....and it is legal!
Our next exciting stop was at Ambrym where we had heard there was to be a 3 day festival. Ambrym is a French island whose rugged coastline is dominated by 2 active volcanoes. The clouds around the island often take on a pinkish hue as the sun reflects on the volcanic fall out and the sunsets are spectacular in crimsons and purples. In the hours of darkness the intense red glow from the crater can be seen for miles around. With the wind in the wrong direction the anchorage becomes untenable as ash and sulphurous gases are swept across the bay.
Every year the Rom festival takes place over several weeks as part of the grade taking ceremonies, where the men can improve their status in their village. The ‘Back to my roots’ festival, put on for the cruisers as part of these festivities, is three days of ceremonial dancing, including the sacrifice of a pig (which they did after we left for fear of offending). The festival is a means of raising money for the education of the children, one of the biggest pressures in this society.
Each day we walked the 3 miles or so up to the village, passing through other villages and stopping to chat to any number of people on the way. Once again we were impressed by the happy sounds of the children and the ready smiles on the faces of those we passed.
A line of tall ‘tam tams,’ tall drums carved from tree trunks, stood proud along the edge of the dance clearing. Whilst around the arena were stalls selling food, including fresh bread and doughnuts with fresh coconut to drink. Several people had also brought their wood and stone carvings to sell.
The dancers were attired in their traditional dress, grass skirts for the women and ‘nambas’ for the men. The namba is a penis wrap attached to a belt of bark with a woven band. The status of the man is defined by the amount of foliage tucked into the back of the belt. The chiefs wore a palm frond whilst the small boys were foliage free!
As the dancing got under way it was clear that this was something special. The dances were not performed for an audience but rather for the people involved. Often the drummer was in the middle of the group with all the dancers facing inwards, sometimes the activity was behind a screen, sometimes the group opened up and the men would dance individually in imitation of an animal as they offered blessings to the animal spirits. It is impossible to relate the power of thirty warriors dancing. The earth shakes as they stamp the beat and the chanting strikes a primeval chord. Over the days we became more aware of the interactions between the participants during the dancing (particularly during one dance where the chiefs took turns to stand on a bamboo tower whilst the others threw fruit at him!) and felt we were starting to get to know the people a little better. This was a magical time.
Our next stop was in Asanvari where a waterfall cascaded into the anchorage. It was a great place to bathe and get the laundry done in fresh water. The day we arrived a square rig cruise ship came. They had organised an evening’s entertainment with ‘kastom’ dancing (in woven flaps rather than nambas this time), a string band and a meal with a roast pig. Again we were treated to kava before the meal. The food was fantastic and the string band were exceptional. It was another wonderful evening to remember.
We travelled up the island chain visiting many interesting places, and meeting lots of lovely people on the way. After renewing our visas we had the task of making our way south east against the wind, back to Port Vila to clear out of Vanuatu. We sailed as much as we could but could not hold a good course and we were pushed back towards Lemen Bay. We had no intention of returning, not wanting to spoil the magic of our first visit, but soon realised it was meant to be and we anchored once more in the bay. We thought we would just stay overnight but when a local boat came by and we heard voices shout “Andy, Kathy......homebrew...” we knew that all was lost and we would have to stay.
Once again we ate at Chief Willy’s house and we were also invited for an evening of kava and food with Isabelle, who, it turned out, was the ex Secretary of State for Vanuatu; an interesting and well traveled lady.
Our Aussie friend’s, Stephanie and Justin, were coming to the end of their stay in Lemen Bay and were planning a farewell feast. We arranged to go with them to a village on the other side of the island to buy a pig. Our first stop was to meet up with Lauren, a friend of Steph and Justin who was working on Epi with the Peace Corps. She was to come with us to help with negotiations.
It was apparent that on the windward side of the island, where visitors are rare, that people do not have the opportunity to trade with the white man. The landscape is a lot harsher and the people have a lot less than in Lemen Bay, and certainly no access to a regular supply of new t-shirts. Many people wore odd flip flops which they had found washed up on the shore. The spirit of the people is the same however and we were made more than welcome. I only wish we had brought something to trade and will certainly be wiser next time.
The pig trading was done with just about all the children from the village round us. This was quite an event. A deal was struck amongst excited chatter and the very familiar laughter and it was agreed that the pig would be delivered the following day.
We ate dinner with Chief Parmasusu and his family, Lauren’s hosts in Epi, and were presented with gifts of thanks for visiting their home; a woven basket and fan for me and a Trident’s Horn shell for Andy. I can’t tell you how emotional it was. We were so happy the following day when Chief Parmasusu came out to Chinook and we were able to return his hospitality and offer gifts to him.
Our last evening in Lemen Bay saw Chief Willy, Melanie and their three children, together with Steph, Justin and their son visit Chinook for a farewell homebrew. The highlight of the event was when the dugong, a kind of sea hippo, decided to join us. She played around the boat for nearly half an hour, surfacing within a few feet of us to breathe, giving us a perfect view of her graceful movement as she dived back down with a flick of her tail. There were delighted squeals from the children and even Chief Willy said he had never had such a good view before. It was the perfect ending to our stay.
Vanuatu has certainly been one of the highlights of our cruising; there are so many more tales to tell about the wonderful people we met and their warm hospitality. But our time is up and we have to move on. New Caledonia next.....
