Poppy's On The Lagoon (2 Bdrm) Port Vila

... spiritual aura.

From the cascades we moved on to visit a turtle sanctuary. We had expected a full interpretive centre geared for full scale tourism but were disappointed to find that the place looked rather desolate and barren, and aside from us there were only two other tourists. There were about twenty to thirty baby turtles in a small purpose built rectangular basin and another fifteen or so adults in another ...

... to a grassy area on the top of a hill where I could lay out my towel for a picnic and take in the view. There were even a few glorious moments when the sun out. And just because I could, I jumped in the falls one more time before I left. Back at the house I was finally able to talk to Natalie. She was very nice but I didn't get much new information. I am still waiting for the arrival of Fifth ...

Today was all about Greg's Birthday.  Kim and I did some birthday shopping at the Bonmarche. It was the biggest grocery store we have been to with great stuff to stock up on. It is equivalent to a mini Target.  We decorated, we cooked, we got everyone together on WMD for some drinks and appetizers. Everyone showed up but no birthday boy was to be found ...

... There wasn't really much to see - we drove through the shanty town to see the true contrast of rich and poor. I felt like such a fraud sitting in an air conditioned taxi, videoing the lives of people who could barely afford a roof or food for their children. It started to pour with rain so heavily that it flooded the roads and before we had seen much at all our hour was done and we were delivered back to the ship. We once again ran the gauntlet of local stalls but they ...

... were walking into the village. They definitely know what they were doing! We were greeted by the village chief and the PC country director explained to the chief that we are PCVs seeking their permission to stay in the village, and of course the chief says okaylah.....this is just a formality, they have pre arranged everything. We proceed to this area where we were called out by name to meet our host papas and mamas. My mama is 62 and my papa is 42. they do ...

... getting on & although I could of spent all day chatting to these guys I had to get back to base ready to start my next adventure. So next stop was somewhere very special. A once in a lifetime opportunity. We headed out through the hill tribe villages & deep into the jungle in a good old Land Rover. Up & over hills, down tracks that you would struggle to walk over, yet alone drive. After about an hour of being thrown about all over the place ...

... her how it was being back in her country. She was newly married and I could tell she was choosing her words with care. She said what she missed the most was to be able to drive a car because women are not allowed to do so in her country. She said she was OK having to dress again like they do there, which prompted me to ask what I would need to be aware of if I visited her country (which I had hoped to do before we talked!). She said that I would need ...

... building of the classroom. The school recently had a fundraiser and managed to raise enough Vatu for 1 tonne of cement. They need so much more though and the money we brought just doesn't stretch that far. The government doesn't seem to help out at all and prices in town for building materials are hugely inflated by the shopkeepers. With everything being shipped from Australia, New Zealand or China the prices in the shops are much more than you would pay for things if ...

... the ocean by another wall of coral reef. Another 'world's best' here - this gets the award for snorkelling, hands down. We saw every single type of fish here - just open the "tropical fish of the pacific" book and we saw em. Anenomies, sea slugs, sea cucumbers, red fish, blue fish, orange fish, yellow fish, lobsters, etc... and best of all, no jelly fish! The coral is amazing as well... even Steve says this is better than anything he's ever seen ...

September 15, 2003, Luganville, Espiritu Santo, Northen Vanuatu. Here is my tall ship journal for the 10 day voyage through central Vanuatu, southbound from Santo through dark and tropical islands to the capital Port Vila: Thea and I headed to the markets on a 0600 hrs inflatable boat from Soren Larsen's anchorage to try and find the freshest possible produce. By 0730 we were fully loaded with greens, papyas, tomatoes, bananas and pumpkins! We made a stop at the local butcher ...