We left with Mike and Devala sailing back to the Maskelyn Islands at the South of Malekula. We had been told it is a great snorkelling area but while we were there the weather was always blustery, after having been spoilt in Fiji we only go in perfect conditions.
At 6 30AM the next morning we were awoken by a knocking on the hull. Some men in a dugout wanted to sell us an enormous lobster which we bought for $15. They told us there would be a festival in the next village so along with Mike and Devala we changed anchorages.
After arriving we were told that it would cost $50 each for the day, this is a huge amount here so when we said we would not go they then offered us a smaller version that the two men at our boat would put on for $15. We were feeling a little taken advantage of and so declined but they did say they would show us the village which we agreed to. When we got ashore another “chief”—you are never sure who is or not sometimes—invited us to an island feast of chicken, lobster and a string band in the evening for $10 each. We felt this may be legitimate so agreed to come back at 5pm and continued our tour of the village.
They are preparing for a huge conference of Presbyterian Churches of Melanesia and women are weaving sleeping mats for all who will come for the 5 day festival where they have to apparently feed and sleep all of the delegates. The women always work together in groups and here they were all sitting on the ground as they weave and discuss world affairs???—maybe local gossip??
Our guide, Tom was quick to advise us that he was taking us around the village but would hope we would pay him something as he needs to send his kids to high school. It is difficult for us, we know they do have to pay to have their children go to high school and I am sure there is great pressure to somehow come up with the money but we have never had anybody ask for money from us at all—especially to tour a village—we were starting to have a bad feeling about this village which seems to have much more infighting than we have come across before. Between us we gave him some money and went back to our boats.
We came back in to the “Island Feast” which turned out to be rice, chicken, no lobster—perhaps they had sold us them this morning—and no island band. By this time we were feeling less than charitable!!!
The following morning Tom came out and firstly offered to take us snorkelling, (presumably for money) after being questioned this apparently would be right beside our boat---I think not!!! He also asked if we could print up his advertisement to send to Port Vila so he could advertise himself as a tour guide---rather than promote him to any other unknowing tourists I told him our printer did not work.
We then decided that the vibes from this village were so negative that it was time to move on to a new area. Mike and Devala bravely decided to stay one more day to try and find the real chief and advise him that his village would not win with these tactics.
We would go up the coast to Port Sandwich—after yet another British Earl—and they would come a day later.
Port Sandwich
After our negative experience we sailed the few hours to Port Sandwich anchoring beside a coconut plantation but decided not to go ashore, feeling that we needed a break from locals for a while. A French and French Canadian boat came in and went ashore so after a while we softened and decided we would at least go in as there is a road on this part of the island which we could walk along—we have not had a road since Efate.
When we got ashore a man from the plantation came to meet us telling us that if we came back at 3pm tomorrow his father who loved yachties would be there and they would have vegetables for us.
It turns out the 77 year old Ezekiel loves cruisers and has been welcoming them for 20 years. He is lovely--shouts a bit as he can't hear well any more but reminded us a little of Ken's dad.
John, the son lives nearby with his wife and family and works the plantation with Dad. They grow, dry and ship copra from there which is made into coconut oil and exported--China???.
When we got there at 3pm with the French and French Canadians along with Mike and Devala who had now arrived we were invited into a building where in the middle of the floor was a huge pile of fruit divided into piles for each boat. We each had a huge bunch of bananas, some of the enormous pamplemouse, drinking coconuts, cucumbers, green onions and eggs. We had all taken in soap, rice children’s clothing and tea but felt very humbled and a little overwhelmed.
Dad, who is very religious, took us to his little chapel where he prayed for us--in bislama--pigeon English which was very cute—we could translate the bit about not too much wind, big seas and Jesus Christ picaninny of the big man. He showed us the ships bell which he rings--only his family is ever at his chapel--it was a bit tarnished so we offered to come in the next day and try and polish it for him and bring him some reading glasses so he could read his bible.
The next morning we go in and he said he had been waiting for us (probably since 7am!!!). We gave him the glasses which did help him see but I am sure he will never use--never mind and we improved the bell as well. He then wandered out and grabbed a big stick and started chasing the chickens--I asked him what he was doing to the chickens and his reply was "chicken dead"--he was going to get one for us!!! I immediately said in my best bislamic that "we no needum chicken"--his answer was "I know you no needum chicken but I want to killem chicken for you". Luckily--we thought --the chickens were too fast for him but he was very frustrated--I am sure he remembers when he could killem chicken easily.
It was Ken’s 60th birthday and upon getting back to the boat Mike and Devala had tied a large bunch of balloons in our cockpit with a bottle of prosseco---we will share it with them along with birthday dinner that night.
We spent the next few hours on a dingy ride up the mangrove river with them visiting a small settlement we had seen when Ken and I had kayaked past the day before. We had seen some villagers that day and they had said for us to come back tomorrow. They almost never have yachties visiting so when we showed up were very shy and did not know what to do with us now that there were 4 of us. We asked if they had some cabbage--which is like spinach and they came out with a huge pile wrapped in a banana leaf tied with a root--normal packaging here!!!---We gave them soap, sugar and tea and hopefully they were happy with that--they gave us yet more pamplemousse as well.
We now went back to the boat only to find Ezekiel with his two grandchildren sitting in his rowboat tied to our boat---oh oh---- we immediately said--"chicken dead" and Davarla said I am not going to look at you when we get there as we will all have fits of laughter!!!
Of course Dad had waited till John arrived and made him killem chicken. Luckily it was plucked but came complete with claws and head and guts!!
We invited Dad and the two small grandkids they take care of—families seem to be spread all over-- on the boat for cookies and tea--he grabbed as many as his hand could take from the package—we do not put them nicely on a plate, just a bowl of them and they are gone in a minute. We do need to get some sweet drink though as we notice they do not like our lemonade—fruit punch will go down better—they are starved for sugar with no access to the corner store and candies and will put several large spoons in their tea.
The next day when went in to walk to the nearby village Ezekiel had been waiting for us before he started work. Once he met with us we had to promise we would come by on the way back. Mike mentioned something about a chicken and he quickly asked if they would like a chicken. We assured him we were going to share our chicken with him as we could not handle the thought of him spending his day with a big stick as chickens scattered widely. Besides the chicken although hormone free are a bit stringy and scrawny.
As we walked to the village 30minutes away with Ken’s balloons tied to his pack we gave them to the children we passed. The French school--they have French or English here--had an early day on Fridays and the home economic class cooks and sell lunch for $2 to fund raise which we enjoyed well as the chance to stretch our legs. On our return some of the children we had given balloons to were waiting for us with grapefruit.
John’s family lives in the village so we dropped in to meet his wife and 2 week old baby boy and took photos of them which we will print and give them so they will have a record of their new baby.
The following morning we went in sadly to say goodbye--Dad said our boat was big enough and maybe he would come with us--I said his family would miss him so he said it would be big enough for all of them!!!--He assured us that we would always be welcome and he would have his house open for us---
What a lovely experience after our last stopover and it has truly made us appreciate the wonderful nature of the Ni Vanu people.
To Banam Bay
The short passage to the next anchorage was only a couple of hours before we anchored at the pretty Banam Bay.
Along with Mike and Devala we went ashore to make enquiries about Jenny, Ezekial’s daughter who lived here with her husband Tom. They look after John’s two daughters while the girls attend school, it is too far to walk from his village. This is a normal occurrence in these islands where everyone walks everywhere with no roads and no vehicles. Jenny and Tom’s small son was staying with Ezekiel when we were there.
We were taken to Jenny and Tom’s house at a nearby village but they were away at their garden. Rolena who lives nearby invited us to come back to her house for lunch the next day and she would take us to Jenny’s then.
Meanwhile the local village was preparing a feast for festivities that night for a pre wedding party for a local girl.
When the girl marries the boy has to come up with at least one pig and the equivalent of $800. The girl then will move to the boy’s village to live and raise their families. This dowry system is very rigid and means many couples live together and have children while they are saving up the marriage price. The relationship with the in laws and families all appeared to be very loving and we found it odd that the father even if it appeared not to matter financially to him held out for his money before his daughter could marry.
This young couple would get married at the new husband’s village where they will live but her father would have a big party for her first—I assume they will eat the pig and he had hired a string band. All of the women were preparing lap lap, grating the manioc (tapioca) root, mixing with coconut milk adding some of the pig and wrapping in banana leaves to cook in a ground oven. The men were chopping kava root, we were invited back for the festivities but it will go long into the night so we declined the invitation.
The next day we loaded up with gifts—we are learning never to go ashore without gifts, even mentioning the word banana will get you an enormous bunch!!!—and set off for Rolena’s house. She along with her husband had spent the morning preparing lap lap for us, this time with pumpkin mashed on top which made it somewhat moister and more palatable. We were seated at the table set with a cloth and flowers while the family sat on a mat on the floor—no amount of protesting will change this. Once we had eaten here she said she would take us to Jenny’s who had also spent the morning making lap lap for us!!!
Jenny is also a lovely young woman and we enjoyed taking greetings along with a picture Mike had printed of her young son with Ezekiel. Another lunch of lap lap was consumed and we will not need dinner tonight!!!
Rolena insisted that we walk a bit further to he parent’s village, her mother has had many western people stay at her house and would love to meet us. We set off along with Rolena’s husband and two children, they are not married even though their oldest daughter is 6 but she says maybe in September if they have saved enough money to pay off her father. Her mother and father were delighted to see us and insisted on giving us at least tea when we insisted that two lunches had filled us.
We left her house loaded with vegetables and stopped off to say goodbye to Jenny who as her family tradition would dictate had collected us another pile of fruit, vegs and eggs. Rolena also had more for us and we left loaded down to go back to our boats.
These wonderful families have made our visit to Vanuatu very personal, once you meet a family they rapidly welcome you into their homes.
We need to cross to Ambrym next to be there in time for their Rom festival.
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