This year Vanuatu has been much kinder with weather and sea conditions so getting from place to place has been far easier and more comfortable.
We revisited the dugong in Lamon Bay. The locals said they were seeing less of him and thought he was spending time away from the bay looking for a mate .But we were lucky enough to spot him surfacing near the boat, so we had a couple of hours snorkeling with him as he fed and mooched along the bottom.
He didn't seem bothered by our presence and if he thought we'd got a bit close he just swam along a few metres to put some distance between us. Swimming with creatures like these is something I don't think we will ever tire of.
It certainly is true that many places you visit it is the people you meet that makes it memorable. This is the case in Port Sandwich. The weather was forecasted a strong blow for a couple of days so we, along with a couple of other boats, tuck ourselves up in the upper harbour of Sandwich Bay. Well, up there lived an elderly man with a small church he used for the family worship. He had a far off dream that his church would one day have a bell. When Arnie and Cam on 'Jade' hear this they decided to forfeit a beautiful brass bell they had on board to make Iziki's dream come true. We all went in, complete with drill, screws, and maintenance polish, and installed the bell. He held a short service which included the hymn 'Ring the bells of heaven' and he ceremoniously rang the bell as we all sang. He was ecstatic, for probably he has the flashest bell in the district.
He asked us all back in at 4pm as he would prepare a gift for us. At 2pm we hear the sound of a yelping pig and …..yes…… by 4pm there was a leg of pork, vegetables and fruit for each boat. The generosity of these people, who often have so little, is amazing. And I must say pigs reared on coconuts sure do have a great flavour!!!!
Daryl and Sascha did a night snorkel in Banam Bay, a first for Daryl. The thought of swimming underwater at night only being able to see what is lit up in the beam of the torch has never appealed to him. A surprise really considering all the other crazy activities he's enjoyed doing over the years!!! He said he was last in, first out and could still skite about catching a big crayfish. The really big one that Sascha spotted got away (which Sascha was secretly pleased about, as she said he looked sooooo grand in his old age).
Last year we met a local teacher on one of the small islands north of Malekula called Atchen Island. With the generosity of an Opotiki Service group we took a big box of books to him for the school. I'd also gathered stationary in the 'back to school' sales before we left NZ, so we gave him a box of notebooks and other bits.
Do you know a kindy teacher in Vanuatu gets wage of NZ$15 a term from the government!! The government promises a rise in 2010!!
Daryl and Sascha dived the famous wreck of the President Coolidge while in Santo. Sascha said it was a great experience but she didn't think that wreck dives were going to be her thing….. while Daryl thought the engine room was just amazing!!!!! Maybe a man thing…….
A Teachers Training College friend of mine, Chris, spent 3 years in Ambae, Vanuatu as a VSA teacher about ….mmmm…… 25 years ago. So we decided if the wind was right we'd sail up to see if we could find and revisit the school. Luck was with us (most of the way, anyway) and we made our way to Lolowai Bay, which in itself was fascinating, as the bay was an old volcanic crater that the US navy in WW2 blasted a side out of to create an entrance. Scenery in the bay was fantastic.
We had little trouble finding the high school, which still has NZ VSA volunteers. Incidentally the school has been running since 1902 and has so far survived hurricanes, corruption, crooked heads, unfulfilled promises and mismanagement to name a few issues. We spent a lovely morning at the school. The students seemed committed and the teachers said they work hard.
There are many teenagers in Vanuatu that aren't getting a college education because the parents have no money/ income with which to pay the school fees. Then to see the barriers that this school faces to provide an education are heart breaking.
We were quite surprised to realize that books/stationary are often not what's needed in these schools as they don't have waterproof storage and much of what is donated perishes. In fact quite a lot of what is donated, with the best intentions, isn't what is needed and can't be properly utilized. We've seen computers given to schools that don't have power???
Complex and no easy solutions.
We took photos and hope that some buildings that survived the hurricane are ones that Chris remembers.
On the next island we found a village, Asenvari, which was generating hydro power from a nearby waterfall. Daryl was impressed. Simple and effective. The chief and son knew about the system and were effectively maintaining it.
Daryl changed a seal so they now have a backup pump also. A local took us snorkeling to a spot that he reckoned would give us 20 crayfish in 10 minutes in 6ft of water. The depth was right, the other two numbers a little shy but a easy haul all the same. He also gave us a turban shell with the creature still in it which we cooked up. Who else amongst us could say they have eaten turban fritters?
