A Change of Scenery

It was time. Time to move on from New Zealand and my three-week-long Auckland-based confinement (after four weeks of being stuck in Kaitaia—with plenty of kumara).
Eventually, I did manage to sell my car—after a lot of desperation and the trials and tribulations that come with mercurial potential buyers. (Anyone who’s ever tried to sell something online will know what I mean.) It wasn’t a fair price, but in the end, the need to move on was too pressing.

And so, I moved on—to a place I hadn’t even known existed a month ago. Originally, I had planned to go to Fiji, but then I was informed of a Dengue Fever outbreak in the region. After checking the symptoms, I decided to avoid it.
So, I ended up in Vanuatu. First stop: Port Vila on Efate Island.
First of all: it’s warm! Finally! And it smells so much better than Auckland.
I couldn’t help but be reminded of Bali—but it’s still very different. It’s not nearly as touristy. (The quality of the roads is similar, though slightly better here—so far.)
That also means Port Vila doesn’t have much to offer in terms of transportation or shopping. The shops are pretty limited—catering more to daily needs than to tourists.
When I step out of the hotel and want to explore, I have to hike for a while. Realistically, you need a car or scooter here. In Bali, everything to entertain you was just outside your door. A mix of both would be ideal.

But after getting a first look around, I’m definitely enjoying the change of scenery and the tropical vibes. I had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the sunset over the harbour—and for the first time in weeks, I felt truly relaxed.

Until I noticed I’d kind of been ripped off by an unofficial tour guide who was trying to lure hotel guests in in the lobby of my hotel. He insisted on a larger deposit for a tour the next day and was quite relentless about it.
Too late, I realized something was off. The hotel staff are now doing their best to help and possibly reimburse me, since what he did wasn’t exactly legal—pretending to be from a legitimate company, flashing what looked like real credentials, and agreeing on a price only to later claim there were about 20,000 VT (around 150 EUR) in additional entrance fees—which wasn’t true.
By then, unfortunately, the deposit had already been made.

The good thing about situations like these? They come with a steep learning curve. 😄Read more