Voyageur - Log day 122 - Port Vila - Boom town!

14 July 2010
I can honestly say that Port Vila is the only place in the whole of the Pacific which has prospered in the four years since our last visit. Tourism is booming here. The hotel and casino has now opened. Last time we saw it, it was an empty shell, security guards, its only clientele. New shops abound. A real estate office sells holiday homes and building plots, not cheap either. An altogether livelier more colourful vibrant place than the one we remembered. So for that reason we were interested to see how much the rest of the island had changed as a whole. Just as I had hoped it had changed little. Once out of the capital it was back to the rustic, simple country way of life. Three boatloads of us, (Tucanon, Ciao and ourselves), piled into a minibus for our island tour. There is not a huge amount to see around this island except to appreciate the quietness, remoteness and the prettiness of the landscape. Vast coconut plantations, give way to fertile grasslands, where beautiful cattle graze(Vanuatu is famous for its export beef), then on into lush rainforest territory where the American vine was as prevalent as ever. Introduced by the Americans as a camouflage during WW11 it chokes, smothers and overwhelms every living thing in its path. We stopped at Eton Beach with its unusual lava rock formations. They charge a fee of 300vatu to go on to any beach here on the island. I would not mind paying if only they were kept litter free. However, picking up litter does not seem to be a part of their culture, on this island at least. Outlying villages set up stalls at the roadside selling their home grown fruits and vegetables. We stopped at one to buy produce for the forthcoming passage. One young girl was beating open a type of nut using a stone on top of another hollowed out stone. She must have been less than five years old. Her grandmother was doing the same. Placed in sacks, they were destined for the open air market in Port Vila. The machete seems to be the trademark of every man woman and child living in the country throughout these islands. Even small children wield these fierce some implements chopping open coconuts with the most amazing skill and dexterity. Lunch stop was at the Havannah Resort, a one year old boutique hotel and it was much the best meal we have had in a long time, in a long way. Typically it was run by foreigners, the locals doing the more menial work. The location was perfect, the ambience even better. I could have a few days R&R quite easily here no problem but we on the move once more in couple of days time. I think our travelling is so intense, so fast moving, I do not think it would not be long before I would get itchy feet. Besides the call, the lure of the ocean is ever present, always beckoning us onward. Time to go.....


Final days in Efate
We had volunteered along with several other rally yachts to deliver a heavy cargo of schoolbooks on behalf of VEO (Voluntary Education Outreach) an organisation set up by a New Zealander. Most of the books were destined for Tanna. Now ours precious cargo was delivered with Paul's help to the Vila Central secondary school here on Efate. Next on the agenda for me was a haircut. I always choose a third world country or to be kinder a developing country, for a haircut. Not only is it cheaper but often better, they need our money more and it is more fun. Experience has taught me this. The last time my best haircut was in Sri Lanka when I had to walk through someone's back garden to get to the salon. The young hairdresser was waiting for the Red Cross to rehouse her after their devastating tsunami. The worst haircut was in Brisbane, Australia where the young man could barely be bothered talking to me. This time Sylvette chatted happily telling me all the while about her family and life on Efate. Meantime David went abseiling down a waterfall! So we both got our hair wet! That evening Sam, Commodore of the yacht club invited everybody to his home for a "pot luck" supper, a very generous gesture on his behalf. Our last Vanuatu party and prize giving was hosted by Elsie and Brian Stoneham at their restaurant, The Waterside Bar. It was the best rally meal we have had yet. Ciao were once again the overall winners and the band played on, long after David and had to retire to bed. We were very tired having had a rather late night with "A Lady" the previous evening, very enjoyable nevertheless. Elsie's Scottish great great uncle came here as a missionary and was never seen or heard from again. These things happened in those days. They have run Yachting World, a facility for yachtsmen, which includes the restaurant, the dock and the fuel pontoon, for very many years now and it was just an ideal place for us to prepare for our final 1000nm passage on the Pacific. Oz, here we come....

Susan Mackay