Vila Chaumieres Port Vila

That evening we flew back to Port Vila. It was approaching the end of our vacation and we were definitely on a high after our experiences in Tanna and Santo. But before flying back home we made time to finally visit the Mele Mele Cascades, and we were glad we decided to do it. From the entrance to the cascades, the path took us up through forested cover, passing fast flowing small cascades and slightly turquoise pools, up ...

Hello!!
I have just arrived at Jess and Sam's in Vanuatu!! And yes Dad, I am safe and comfortable. The trip could not have gone smoother. I met up with the Cornwell's on Saturday night and they could not have been nicer. I know my car and all my belongings packed up inside my car have been left in good hands. I left very early from Portland, OR on Sunday morning and got down to LA around 8:30am. Ryan, my cousin ...

... the waitress brought everything out haphazardly. No crimes. Just left a few things left behind. Longest journey was about an hour, in the back of a ute when the pajero was waiting for spare parts. The rest were scenic flights, booked at a moments notice. So it really was paradise, a place that was so beautiful that almost anything can go wrong before you actually get upset. I cant really write about places like that, I have to have things go wrong. I could put some ...

... board wanting to go in the completely opposite direction, but the driver decided we were going our way first! It's a short boat trip to get onto the resort, on which there's little else to do but eat, drink, snorkel & dive. At a warm 30 degrees the snorkelling has been a regular activity so far to cool us down. We are also taking the chance while we are here to ...

... going to be Fiji, however I missed my plane & their isn't another for 2 days, oh no I'm trapped in paradise. This has meant I will miss the boat for my trip around the islands. So now I have a 13hr stop over in Fiji before I fly to New York. I was hoping this entry would not be as long as I'm only covering the trips I'm doing but it doesn't seemed to of worked out that way. Note to self... Stop writing so much. Will be seeing you very soon guys Laters Love you Taymar & James xx

... it costs about $3-400 dollars per year to put a child through primary school, which obviously limits how much schooling many people can have. He would like to have gone farther, but "there was no money." Now he drives a taxi from the hotel where we stay, and seems to be doing pretty well. He speaks three local dialects, Bislama, French and English - quite impressive. We quickly arrived at the beach where Hideaway Island was not hidden at all, but clearly visible only ...

... by having people chew it into mush, spitting the hard parts out into leaves. The mush is then placed in a container, and water is added. The liquid is stirred then filtered through coconut fiber. Nowadays the root is sometimes just pounded into a powder with water added (what we had). Apparently chewing provides a stronger brew since saliva seems to enhance the active ingredient of the root! It doesn't taste good, we discovered as we each drank from a coconut shell. Tatiana tasted ...

... sides and then hurtle yourself off a log into the water. When I say hurtle - most of us whitefellow edge cautiously over the log and then scream like a bunch of girls as we topple in! I've added some pictures of the Ni-Vanuatu (term for locals) hurtling with great skill and totally fearless! I only have a week and a half left here and then off to Oz for a month. I will be very sorry to go as I've made some great friends of the expats and the Ni-Vanu. The pace of ...

... just outside, etc. The resort has 12 bungalows, and nobody is in sight. It is the only thing in sight, and there's a 180 degree view of the ocean from the little bluff below. The reef is exclusively theirs it seems. There's coconut crabs in their little sanctuary (never eat these - they are going extinct and live 50 years. Again, never eat these! We walk to our bungalow through the lush landscaping and leave our things. There are no locks. The local villagers are made co ...

... looked forward to time ashore. We will be spending ten days in Port Vila doing some ship's maintenance before our voyage to New Caledonia, and then on to Auckland, in this time crew are each given three days off. I am looking forward to this, as I will be taking my Open Water Dive Certificate at Hideaway Resort! A big hello to family and friends and the journal will continue in ten days time once our new voyage crew join, see you then! Noreen (Daisy) - also see www.sorenlarsen.co.nz !!