This is our favorite anchorage in Vanuatu so far. It has a nice
protected bay with pretty snorkeling. At the head of the bay is a sand beach
from which the village stretches out. At the edge of the bay a beautifully
landscaped waterfall cascades into the ocean feet from our boat, with a
delicious restaurant next door.
We enjoyed a fantastic chicken dinner sitting immediately beside the waterfall. I don't think I have ever had a dinner setting with as much ambiance. We were all surprised at how beautiful the presentation of the food was considering it was cooked in a large cast iron pot over a small open fire under the tree next to the restaurant.
Many days we climbed up the waterfall to reach another swimming
pool, and to hike to nearby villages. One day we were guided by Barry up the
waterfall to spear freshwater shrimp. We brought our masks and snorkels and
dove right in after the elusive shrimp. By the end, Gigi was getting really
good, so she has made her own spear. For about 2 hour we actually hiked
straight up the waterfall river, a very wet and slippery endeavor. Lots of fun,
but not always the safest.
The lush water taro gardens.
The following day Barry guided us to the bat cave. It was a little
more than 2 hours up, and some places were just slippery mud, so Barry cut a
notch in the mud with his bush knife. The jungle we passed through was
extremely lush, filled with gorgeous tropical plants and tempting Tarzan vines.
These vines are used by the locals for the land diving, the precursor to bungy
jumping, but way more dangerous.
The cave was huge and bats tiny. As we entered we could hear the
squeaking of their sonar, then as we shone our lights up we could see the whole
ceiling moving. The guano made walking very slippery. The far end of the cave opened
up to the jungle above and down into a very deep abyss presumed to lead down to
another cave that exits further down the mountain. We didn't get too close as
we didn't want to be the first to test the theory. Near the exit of the cave
was a squat tunnel, where Gary, Axel and Sam ventured, as they entered thousands
of bats came flying out, scaring all of us. Our guide picked up a bat and put
it in the kids' hands, they said that was the highlight for them. They had soft
fur and seemed to be shivering when we held them, then they would fly off
inches from our faces.
Although the hike down was easier, we were all exhausted by the
end of this 5 hour adventure. Definitely more tired than if we hadn't had ciguatera,
but happy that we had gained back most of our strength.
Before the hike we had asked about getting some bread, we were
told the official baker was out of flour, but Barry's brother would ask around
for us. When we got back Sam and I had to walk into the village to get the
bread made for us. Bob made it in a large cast iron pot with wood fire both
under and on top of the pot. Because he had made the bread specially for us, we
had to buy the entire batch, all 27 little loaves, more like large buns. It was
incredibly good, fresh from baking, we were starving from the hike, so we devoured
half of it right away.
The people of the village have been extremely friendly and have offered
lots of services, such as laundry, which I jumped on immediately, and
vegetables for sale. Gary and Sam were offered kava, and Gigi and I tried a
little. The kava in Vanuatu is much stronger than in Fiji, here it really
affects you. Sam couldn't talk straight after 5 cups.
We have met some very interesting people, especially the school
teacher, Charity, and he husband, Justin, who is on the elected chief for the southern
portion of the island and represents it in parliament. He has a tough job being
the liaison between the village life and the politicians in Port Vila. He was
extremely interested in the fact that I study air pollution and climate change.
They know that they should be concerned about climate change, but they don't
know what it is or how to deal with it. I went to the school to talk to all the
children and the 3 teachers about climate change. My lesson was received well,
but I hope it didn't scare them too much. I explained the science on a high
level and tried to emphasize the importance of preparing for changes, but not
panicking about the changes.
While I was in the village one day I saw all the school children
receive immunizations for measles and rubella. They have a dispensary, but only
one nurse for half the island, so she is really busy. I gave her a few pairs of
reading glasses, since she sees the people that most need these items. I also
gave Justin and Charity each a pair and they had tears of appreciation as
glasses are hard for them to come by and both of them like and need to read. Axel
generously gave Barry his machete, since Barry's was almost worn out.
Gary helped a few of the villagers solve their boat and solar
panel issues. When they found out what he did for a living, he instantly became
a very popular guy. Sam and he took Justin out fishing and caught a big eye
tuna. We tried a little tuna already, but tonight will be our first fish
dinner. Since it is a pelagic fish, we should be all good.
We had a very rewarding visit to the village of Asanvari, between
its spectacular natural beauty and amiable people. We are all a little sad
knowing we may never see this place again, but happy to have been fortunate
enough to get to know the people of Asanvari and understand a little of their concerns
and pleasures.
Calm winds and fair seas,
Julie
I would be interested to hear from anyone who has information about the micro hydroelectric system that we built at Asanvari Village back in 2005. My contact details can be found at www.espcat.co.nz
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