"Port Vila Vanuatu" Vanuatu by worldgypsie

Olsem wanam from the beautiful island of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean. Vanuatu* is an archipelago of 83 islands with a unique blend of intact tribal customs and communities, resorts, beaches, accessible volcanoes and beautiful underwater environments, blending traditional with modern to create one of the most unique experiences on earth. The islands here have an intriguing history comprising of isolated tribes, cannibalism, missionaries, black magic and the lasting impact of being visited by American Military during WWII. I am fortunate enough to be living on the main island Efate for 9 months and will endeavour to give you an insight into some interesting parts of the history of this unique picturesque land and the customs that are still practised in the every day life of these beautiful people living in Vanuatu, voted the ‘happiest place on earth’.

The general population here are subsistence farmers growing what they need to sustain their families and selling any excess at markets either close to their village, on roadside or in the larger provincial town markets. A trip to the market is an exciting experience for everyone, families load into trucks, boats and cars with all manner of items from livestock to woven baskets, travelling many miles to the larger markets where they catch up on local information, often staying a few days until all their produce is sold. The Markets run Monday through to Saturday mid morning and access is 24 hrs. The markets are an interesting place for tourists to explore - never seen before local delicacies with crabs stacked in heaps, fruit bats, live chickens in woven palm leaf baskets and various fruit and vegetables native to the region. Women wear modest dresses introduced by the missionaries called ‘Mother Hubbard’ dresses and create a kaleidoscope of colour on busy market days. The women sit on woven mats on the ground beside their produce and are always ready with a bright hello to greet you when you are browsing.

Life here is idyllic, with the warm sunshine and productive volcanic soil ensuring no one goes hungry. You can walk outside and pick a bunch of bananas, papaya or pomplemouse (grapefruit) that grow here in abundance. Everything is done on ‘island time’, they do have a word for quick or fast ‘kwiktaem’ but it’s something that’s not practised often. The smiling faces that greet you everywhere live a happy existence with little and in some instances, no awareness of world events. This is not a deliberate filtration of information but the lack of electricity and high cost of communication in the remote areas just make this a fact of life. The series Survivor Vanuatu was filmed on an island close to Efate and the locals had no idea of the concept or prize money involved. Vanuatu is classed as a developing country with a struggling economy that relies on aid from various countries. The main focus of aid work is with Infrastructure, Education, Health and Governance. A lack of accountability in the past has fostered many official pockets to be lined with money, not filtering to the grass roots problem spots. This attitude of custom wealth being shared with ones extended family is being addressed.

Every where you travel in Vanuatu there are picturesque scenes as the islands are surrounded by black and white sand beaches and pristine azure waters. The coastal areas are fringed with swaying coconut palms and banana trees. Stepping into the crystal clear water opens a whole new world of underwater delight attracting divers from all around the world. The island’s interior conjures thoughts of Tarzan with dense unpenetrated jungle, thick with vines covering ground to tree tops. Tourism is becoming a thriving industry on the more accessible islands, with Cruise ships visiting the shores of the capital Port Vila for six months of the year. Cont ...........

Hapi Tok Beach - Lelapa Island

The local Ni-Vanuatu people offer tours of local villages to give a taste of true island life. The harbour comes alive on cruise ship days with jet boats, parasailing and several tours around the bay on water craft. Other day trips are available to various scenic places of interest. With an influx of between 1000 to 2000 people arriving at 7am on mass, Port Vila pulses with an array of colour and activity. Unfortunately tourism is not possible in a lot of the more remote areas as lack of transport poses a problem. Some of the more remote areas may see a supply ship once a month and that depends on weather. These are the islands that require some focus with schools still in disrepair from a cyclone in 1993 and where the children use charcoal and wood in stead of pencils and paper in their school. Something as simple as writing implements and paper are not available to these struggling communities. These are the isolated people that are not in the obvious scope of donations from visitors like the communities and schools on the main island.
Many of the outer island communities’ hold on to traditional ways of living, still dressing in woven palm leaf attire. One specifically of note, the cargo cult, “John Frum Cult” on Tanna Island it is thought to have been started sometime in 1930 as resistance to the influences of the Presbyterian missionaries and rekindled again during WWII, the result of contact with American Soldiers. The cult fiercely holds on to tradition customs, an intriguing story. cont

Nemo

Vanuatu is a picturesque group of islands with warm friendly people who are generous with their time when seeking information about their life and traditions. Ni-Vanuatu people hold strong family and religious values and it’s common to see groups of families sitting under the shade of a tree talking while their children run free, or gather together to sing in angelic voices. There are no playstations or gameboys and very few televisions so most play activity is outside and driven by imagination and gathering whatever is at hand. These children with their wide innocent eyes hold the hope of tomorrow and their wide beautiful smiles melt your heart.

• Pros:Friendly people - fantastic dining - picturesque
• Cons:limited infrastructure - developing country with minimum health facilities
• In a nutshell:Smiling faces - palm trees - black sand beaches - volcanoes