Oct 3-9, 2015 Asanvari, Maewo Island

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