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Vanuatu

February 2023
A 15-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more
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  • skip's retirement travelVanuatu
    Day 4

    Ekasup Cultural Village

    February 4, 2023 in Vanuatu

    Ekasup Cultural Village is a place where the old Melanesian way of living in Vanuatu is brought to life by local people in traditional dress. This is not a working village, per se. There are no houses. No one lives here. But there were men, women and children being children all wearing the traditional grass clothing.
    In the 1st picture is an elder welcoming us to the village. We had followed a guide blowing a conch shell to this point where warriors challenged us. This was followed by a peace welcoming.
    The 2nd picture demonstrated food preservation. This process developed in response to cyclones knocking out all vegetation so the all crops were either destroyed or lying on the ground. Bananas and breadfruit in this circumstance are dried and wrapped in banana leaves; then buried in the pit to the right. With proper care, the food would keep for years.
    The 3rd picture shows 2 different traps. One is a rope and tree trap that catches and lifts whatever is caught up in the air. The guide is pointing at it. The other is a type of basket trap at the other side of the picture.
    The 4th picture shows 2 fishing methods unique to Vanuatu. To the left is a pole with a bundle of vine at one end. This is used only occasionally for large groups as the vines deplete the oxygen killing all fish. So a large harvest is gathered. This could easily result in overfishing if used too much. The other method, also detailed in the 5th picture, is a fishing net used for bait fish. The net is made is made of the web of a specific spider. There is one by the guide's hand.
    The 6th picture is of plants used for medicine here. This is only of few known examples. I'm told that 85% of their plants have medicinal uses. However, most of the knowledge is very closely held so as not to destroy their heritage.
    The last picture is what would be the village meeting house. Here they shared dance and song (see additional posts).    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelVanuatu
    Day 4

    Ekasop Traditional Music and Song

    February 4, 2023 in Vanuatu ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    These are traditional instruments. We were told that using bottles became part of the music tradition essentially as soon as they were introduced a few hundred years ago. The same is true of the guitar.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelVanuatu
    Day 6

    A Look Around Efate Island

    February 6, 2023 in Vanuatu ⋅ 🌩️ 27 °C

    Efate is the largest of the 80-some islands of Vanuatu. The capital of Port Vila is located here.
    The largest part of Vanuatu's economy is tourism. So, most of these pictures are places tourists tend to go. And they give a sense of the place.
    The 1st 2 pictures are the Rarru Falls and cataracts. The 2nd picture is downstream of the falls and contains a couple of the cataracts. The water at the falls is deep enough to swim and even jump in. Perfect on a hot day.
    The 3rd picture is a funky roadside attraction. It is located where the World War 2 US naval base was located and contains bits and pieces of what was left after the navy departed. That's the point of the slogan on the wall.
    The 4th picture is of what is called the blue lagoon. It's another deep hole for swimming just near the coast obviously named for its color.
    The 5th picture is at the Nisanu Hot Springs. These are natural geothermal springs said to be therapeutic. There is a slight odor of sulfur. Mud baths are available.
    The next 3 pictures are all of different coastal locations to show the variety of the island.
    After tourism, the next largest part of the economy is coconuts. This is about the only export. And I'm told Port Vila generates about 60% of their electricity by burning coconut oil. Put that all together and that's a lot of coconuts. The 9th picture is a coconut grove that's part of the crop production.
    The last picture looks over what had been a magnesium mining operation before independence. Operations ceased many years ago, and I'm told that the probable environmental costs of mining will likely preclude the mine being restarted.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelVanuatu
    Day 7

    Eretoka and Lelapa Islands

    February 7, 2023 in Vanuatu ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

    Eretoka, known locally as Hat Island, together with Leap Island and a portion of the mainland, is the only UNESCO World Heritage site in Vanuatu. Eretoka and Lelapa are adjacent islands off the coast of the main island of Vanuatu.
    The historic significance of the islands now known as Vanuatu relates to a famous chief, Roi Mata, who is thought to have lived around the turn of the 17th century. It is his domain that makes up the world heritage site.
    At that time, there was more or less constant war among the tribes of the islands. Roi Mata is credited with ending the conflict and bringing peace to the islands. However, one tribe on Lelapa Island was unhappy with this. So they lured Roi Mata to a feast where he was killed.
    The villagers buried him in what is known today as Fels Cave (see the 1st picture) which the village used as a safe refuge.
    However, people feared his spirit. So he was reburied on Eretoka. The burial site is the 2nd picture. The legend had it that he was buried with his 20 wives who were said to have been buried alive. Excavation of the grave site confirmed that the legend was true. The chief's remains are now in the national museum, but all the wives remain in the grave.
    The next 3 pictures all look at Eretoka. The 3rd picture is taken through the rain and shows the whole uninhabited island. You can see why it's called Hat Island. Pictures 4&5 show more of the island.
    There is excellent snorkeling here. The coral at Hat Island is in excellent shape, at least in part because the island is uninhibited (ie, no pollution). I don't have an underwater camera. So no photos. However, in the last picture (as well as the picture of Fels Cave) were provided by the local guide. Highly endangered giant clams are found near the coast of Lelapa Island. Those are in the last picture.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelVanuatu
    Day 9

    Louino Primitive Cultural Village

    February 9, 2023 in Vanuatu ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    This is a village of the Yakel tribe on the island of Tanna, another island of Vanuatu. They have maintained their cultural traditions even to today. I'm told that a previous chief prohibited kids going to school. So they were raised and educated in the traditional way.
    The 1st picture is as we approach the village that is way off the beaten track out in the mountains. The road was impassible due to rain. So we got as far as we could and still had an hour walk.
    The 2nd picture is our welcome snack. This is traditional Tanna laplap, in this case made from taro by the village woman preparing the servings.
    The 3rd picture is of the main meeting area of the village along with a small craft market whose purpose is to support the village children.
    The 4th picture is some of the village children gathering together in the open space surrounded by a group of houses. I'm told there are 7 families of several generations living here together. The kids were gathering to shows a few of their games. There is another post of a video of them.
    The 5th picture looks at 2 types of taro with island cabbage at the far right. The 6th picture is the traditional means of starting a fire. The man rubs a stick in a groove until a spark forms which then lights the fire.
    The last 2 pictures are of the preparation of kava. Kava is a plant whose roots are mildly intoxicating. The roots are ground and sometimes eaten raw. Usually, the ground root is mixed with water with the resulting "tea" drunk. This is a male only activity. Females traditionally do not partake of kava, and they are excluded from this part of the village.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelVanuatu
    Day 9

    Traditional Yakel Dance

    February 9, 2023 in Vanuatu ⋅ 🌧 25 °C

    The people of the village are wonderfully warm and welcoming. In addition to the kids having fun showing some of how they play, the men danced for us. The women didn't directly participate, but they did dance around the outside. I was invited to join the goodbye dance, but didn't think to give someone my camera. Maybe it was intentional. Who can say? 🤔😅Read more

  • skip's retirement travelVanuatu
    Day 10

    Mount Yasur Volcano

    February 10, 2023 in Vanuatu ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Mount Yasur is said to be the most easily accessible active volcano anywhere. A road winds up the mountain to near the crater, followed by a short but steep walk to the rim. I'm told that lava is visible bubbling around, but the crater was filled with smoke when I was there. It is obvious in the pictures.
    The 1st and 2nd pictures look at the volcano from a distance. You can see the smoke above. The volcano isn't very tall at 361 meters, but it is visible from the ocean. It's red glow is said to have drawn Captain Cook to the island.
    The next 5 pictures are the best I could get from the rim as I tried to catch moments when the smoke dissipated a bit. There was a lot of rumbling and some explosions, some of which sent ejecta almost up to the rim. It was close enough to see through the smoke. The usual state of Mount Yasur is at level 2 activity. At level 3, access to the mountain is cut off.
    The 9th picture is a view from the rim across one edge of the crater. The 10th picture is in the visitors' center and shows some of the science about the volcano.    Read more

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