Pankumu Bay and Vao, Malekula

This will be my last diatribe to write before I get access to the internet and will be able to post it—for those of you reading this do go back to recent blogs, I have added many today since my blog of Tanna 6 weeks ago. Do at least look at the pics as they are a great record of our Vanuatu adventure.
After Ambrym we decided to go back to Malekula before we go further north and see if we can go up the Pankumu River in our dingy and find Mamu’s—our lovely guide from Southwest Bay—parents who live there.
After anchoring a couple of boys come to the boat in their leaky dugout canoe. Philip, it turned out was one of was Mamu’s brother, this really is a small world. We cut an old bleach bottle to give them a bailer for their canoe and some rope to tie it up a well as feeding them cookies and the not as popular lemonade. They said they would bring us bananas the next day.
We sent them off and took the dingy to the entrance of the river; this was a very shallow bar which had waves crashing on it so after having made our way in were nervous about being able to make our way out. We went a little way up the river but the rapids and shallow sections made us decide to abandon the venture and get back out over the bar before the tide dropped even more.
Upon approaching the boat we could see a dug out canoe heading to shore with one young male in it. We did not pay much attention but shortly after getting back realised that 4 of our carving knives which hang in our galley were gone. We had locked the boat when we left but left the small galley window open and he must have reached through and grabbed them. In this culture where even toddlers run around with knives and every male past the age of 6 carries a machete a knife is a prize object. Obviously the person in the canoe!!! There was only one canoe on the beach and it was the one that Philip and his friend Erickson had come in. I knew it was not Philip by the hair of the male in the departing canoe but was it Erickson???
We immediately went into the village to find the chief who along with everyone else was at the next village killing pigs and cows for a circumcision ceremony.
We talked to a number of chiefs who assured us they would do their best to find them. We also met Rosie who was distressed that it was not Philip; most of these people are highly moral and were shocked. They also know the value of yachties to their villages.
The following morning Philip came out with the bananas but no Erickson—he apparently is sick????
Rosie was on shore so we towed Philip back and were invited to lunch, Simeon, the dad is away.
While Rosie cooked the younger daughter took us around the village where we met an old man who was 15 when the American’s were here in the war. He was one of the local boys clearing bush for their airstrips. We have met a few who remember, but their generation is dying out. When we asked to take his photo his wife insisted he put on a shirt and we took one of the both of them.
We also met Elian who had married Mamu’s cousin and moved from an island on the Banks where we will go later. She has not seen them for 4 years so we took a photo of the family which we will try and deliver to them. We did give Rosie one of Mamu.
We were met on our way back to the boat by a couple of men who think they know who stole the knives as one had been showing other boys at the festival.
They assure us they will get them back but the way they deal with things here is slow so we will come in on our way south later. They came out later to the boat to bring kava to share with us.
We left this anchorage with mixed feelings, angry about the knife but impressed by the support we were shown by the villagers and the generosity once again from the villagers, we are leaving with bananas, drinking coconuts, island cabbage and christophene –a vegetable which can be used as squash.
A fast day sail took us to the island of Vao on the north of Malekula. When we got there I went ashore as I had heard that they do carvings on the island. I was met by John a primary school teacher; one of 10 children, 4 of whom have become teachers. The parents have managed to send them all to high school by farming copra, not a mean feat.
He took me around to several carvers but the work is no where near as fine as Ambryn.
The owner of one mask I did like was not there so I said I may try and come back.
This island is French and dominated by a huge catholic church. Both the French and English had owned Vanuatu before their independence 30 years ago and have their language and religion—Presbyterian is the predominate religion in the English parts.
As I walked many people came up and shook hands and introduced themselves and I was given a shell and yet one more pamplemousse.
The beach was lined with dugouts as the island is about ½ mile from the mainland of Malekula. At 4pm the exodus from the mainland began and dozens of canoes laden with fruit, vegs and people paddled back. The wind was strong and a small chop in the channel but they paddled strongly back. The gardens which are their livelihoods are on the mainland; copra is the cash crop and vegs for their food. Daily they make the passage to go to work, up to 6 people in a canoe; as they passed us they waved gaily to us. Some are arriving at sunset and have to light the fire for cooking their dinner, they have to carry water in buckets from one of the wells for their village. There is no electricity so once they have eaten they go to bed.
In the morning at 5 30am Ken heard a knocking on our hull—“did his wife want to buy a mask?” “ No,” Ken said “my wife is asleep and does not want a mask.” He was gone by the time I awoke so will have to do without the mask----at least the lobster fishermen came at 6 30am!!!!
These people were already up and readying for the paddle back by 5 30am—perhaps we should save our battery power and go to bed earlier! !! Many women were paddling as well as the men so I am sure they would grace being topless with a grass skirt better than their fellow women from Ambrym.
After such a rude awakening we decided to get going anyway and are presently on passage to Oyster Island, a resort owned by some NZ yachties with free internet, great food and a shuttle to Luganville, the second largest town in Vanuatu. It will be nice to have some civilization for a few days while we wait for Darlene who arrives next week and I am sure will not be looking for civilization.
Anyone who has taken the time to read all of the blogs I have posted in the last day or so---congratulations—just realise that it has taken me as many hours to download it as it did to write it so we have both won the patience award!!!!!!