Isaka Village Stay

As minimal as the amenities were, it was really cool to stay here. I stayed in a family home in the village of Isaka, which has about 300 people. Right across from the house was the Isaka school, an elementary school that serves lots of the little communities in the area.

My first night, I got settled in, and hung my damp laundry up to finally dry. Mai, the wife of Grem who lives there, made me a home cooked dinner of “Tanna Soup” which consisted of yam and taro and taro leaves in a salty sauce. Simple but filling.

At one point, Grem’s father came by and said hi. He mentioned that he was the high chief of the whole village! It was a bit of a strange interaction, which he ended by saying “you’re welcome” and when I didn’t say anything right away he said “I said you’re welcome” and so I said thank you for letting me stay in your village. Which was fine, but I hadn’t totally clued into the fact that that was the vibe yet haha. A lot of adjusting for a tired travel brain lol.

At a little building up the road I could hear people singing once it got dark. I went up to watch, and they were singing worship songs in English. Super cool to witness and very similar to the songs from the famous John Frum cargo cult in a village just on the other side of the volcano. Lots of villages used to worship John Frum (a mystical white character from America who is depicted as bringing wealth and prosperity of they worship him) but most have since been converted to Christianity

After watching the songs, I went back to the house to sleep, after killing a giant spider in my room. And early bed, lights out by 9pm.

Spending a few nights here, I got used to the discomforts and it was quite the experience. Mai cooked most of my meals for me and was very welcoming. Although there is definitely a sense that, as a white tourist, they’re always trying to get more money out of you. I definitely paid more for transportation than a local would, I guess as kind of a tourist tax haha.Read more