Snorkeler's Cove at Irikiki Island Port Vila

... buildings, sumptuous odors wafting from local restaurants, and local vendors hawking their wares greeted me at every turn. Drivers have the right of way here, so vigilance when crossing the street kept me alert behind my camera lens.<br><br>Craving more than the city sights, I wandered through a local artists' market and talked with the locals. One lovely grandma asked me how my day was. I told her I enjoyed my time so ...

Had my first dive today and what an experience. Visibility was excellent and after about 30 mins of instruction it was off to the bottom with my instructor. The reef was beautiful with a huge variety of fish. Managed to spot a school of Barracuda and a couple of large Grouper as well as numerous clown and parrot fish. Whilst I am diving Kerry is off horse riding through rainforest.<br><br>Afternoon was spent at the Cascades, a local waterfall situated not fay from ...

... base for the Americans in WWII. There are lots of wrecks around, but also a large dump for all their unwanted machinery at the end of the war. Because of the French influence the food is pretty good, not only is lobster cheap, but its really famous for its beef, since the cattle have such lush grass to graze. It makes ordering really difficult. And to top it all the locals do really good food themselves, using all sorts of roots and fruits in their recipes. One of the ...

We were introduced to the local language 'bislama'. It's a pigeon English language. Some of the vocabulary words we have learned listed below. I am not kidding. English : Bislama Bra : titibasket Bus : Bas Slut : Bas Bisexual : fifdyfifdy Helicopter : mixmaster blong Jesus Christ Saw :Pulem I kam, pushem I go, wood I fall down Violin : wan smol box blong white ...

... from the sea floor, hence hills and valleys. Better get used to the new idea of no flat plain sightseeing ! Going North and closer to the Equator I had prepared myself for warmer temperature and more humidity but.... not quite as hot and as humid! Lugging my suitcase up the few steps to my room is a major effort as oxygen lacks. The room is small, corridor like but has a fan on the wall. A little unpacking, resisting the temptation to don the ...

... People still choose today whether to send their children to a francophone, and anglophone or in some cases a bilingual school. The children were friendly and open and obviously used to tourists coming through, even young people, since Fiona and Tatiana didn't attract the attention they had among children everywhere in Africa. The students laughed and hammed it up for the photos we took, happy like children are everywhere to have an excuse to leave their studies ...

... playing on bamboo pipes, and glass bottles, accompanied by guitar, ukulele and traditional drums. Then dancers came and demonstrated several local dances including welcome dances and war dances. Some dances included three children, with whom Fiona and Tatiana talked between numbers. They were aged 9, 8 and 7 and were very friendly and happy to pose for photos. My girls discovered they were more comfortable in French than English, so they talked a bit in the preferred language. The ...

... didnt realise was just a spot to pull over on the side of the road and look across the scenery. We then drove to the great Cascade Waterfalls, which my friend aptly named dribble falls. But it was a nice 20minute walk to the top thru the forest. The fish in the ponds become quite friendly, they dont even flinch when u try splashing them away so you could get out of the water. After a nice day exploring and a tad of shopping, we once again boarded our vessel bound for another paradise.

... answer. The driver says that some of the kids, the smaller ones, have never even seen a white person - they're all black - and I believe it. Some of the smaller ones actually just stand and stare with their mouths open, so it's gotta be true. We hit the only piece of paved road on the island - about 100 feet on a precarious mountain - probably paved after some tourists in a truck loaded with flowers really did make it to their graves! At this point, we stop to take ...

... keen VCs were introduced to the basics in sail handling and had the opportunity to climb aloft. We set the mainsail, started the windlass to heave the anchor and set the jibs for a sail off anchor towards Sulua Harbor. Arriving after sunset, the island looked stunning with the glow of the moon and stars lighting the coconut palms and waves crashing on the beach. Wednesday the 20th of August gave the chance for snorkeling off Cook's Reef and a lovely ...