Vanuatu

Vanuatu

Monday, November 19, 2018

Having stayed in an airport hotel overnight, we boarded the shuttle to Melbourne Airport at 6:30 am. It was a short and pleasant ride, shared with a couple from Ohio who were on their way to New Zealand for a 7 month sabbatical.  We had two flights ahead of us, first a short 1 hour flight to Sydney followed by a 3 hour flight out over the Pacific to Port Villa, Vanuatu. Both flights were quite pleasant, especially since I napped for a good portion of both of them. (I really think that all our activity in Australia had truly tired me out.)

After landing and making our way through immigration and customs, we quickly located our driver who was ready to transport us to our accommodation, Coco Beach Resort. He was a very friendly and talkative man who was studying engineering at a small college in Pittsburgh. He had received a scholarship and was now home for the Christmas break. He still has 7 semesters of study ahead of him. While in Vanuatu, he drives a tourist vehicle, transporting passengers to and from the airport as well as taking small groups on day tours to various parts of the island.

As we left the airport, our driver gave a running commentary about various aspects of life on Vanuatu. We learned about the weather; we learned about the school system – a dual track system with French or English as the language of instruction; we learned about Sundays being a holy day when everyone went to church and shops are closed (a lot of 4 part harmony in church); we learned about fashion – the mommas do not like it when tourists buy and wear the island dress; we learned about the market – it has grown so large that some of the mommas had to move and start a new one; we learned about great snorkeling sites; we learned about traffic rules and speed limits (happily for us they drive on the right); we learned about parking protocols; we learned about the ferry system; and, we learned about the friendliness and helpfulness of the people who live here. Imagine a culture where everyone stops to let another vehicle into the line, no matter how slowly it is moving.

Coco Beach Resort is not very far in distance from the airport but it took almost an hour to get there. The road passes through the main street of Port Villa, the capital city of Vanuatu. And everyone stops to let cars in and pedestrians cross. That was a lot of stopping!

We enjoyed the conversation and the information as well as the opportunity to observe the landscape and Port Villa, itself. Once we have our car rental we will go exploring on our own. We asked our driver if he would return next Monday to take us back to the airport. Another delightful trip awaits, I am sure.

Coco Beach Resort is a little piece of heaven. We are in an ocean view cabin. The cabins seem relatively new and well equipped with a modern bath, coffee making equipment, a bar fridge and mosquito netting around the bed. There is a wonderful ceiling fan along with an air conditioner.  The restaurant and bar is only a few steps away and there is a lovely sand beach and a cement walkway into the water. The coral comes right up to the edge of the water. Snorkelling is a primary activity here.

We settled into our room and had a short catnap. It had been an early start this morning. Then we explored the landscape of this lovely little resort before heading to the bar for our welcome drink and our information briefing. Stewart is the resort manager and an Aussie from Queensland. He is a chatterbox and tells some great stories. As he went along, he did manage to answer all the questions we had.

Internet is a bit of an issue here. The only location where it works reliably is at the bar and restaurant. It seemed such a hardship to be forced to sit oceanside while we read our email and wrote this blog. As the daylight dimmed and the sun set, it was particularly tedious as other people joined us and took their place at the rail. NOT!!! There was almost no else there. What a spectacular location!! There is even a particular place in the water where fish of many species gather. They are so vivid and plentiful, you can actually see them and take photos from above the water.

We are south of but quite close to the equator (17.7 S) so when the sun sets, it goes down quickly and dark descends soon after. There were still boats plying to and fro on the water, their lights bright against the dark sky and landscape. We watched one small ferry travel out into the water until its lights, ever shrinking, disappeared over the horizon.

It was time for dinner. The menu was varied and the food we ordered was excellent. Jim had homemade chicken soup followed by snapper with a spicy sauce and loads of vegetables. I ordered a calamari salad as a starter followed by chicken curry with rice. We both enjoyed our dinners.

Back to the cabin and early to bed. No need for air con but the ceiling fan was great.

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

We both slept well last night and awoke feeling refreshed. A coffee in the room made a great start to our day followed by breakfast at the restaurant. We shared a tropical fruit platter with toast (banana, pineapple, mango, papaya, coconut, watermelon and apple). Jim had another coffee but I opted for fresh lime juice as my beverage.

As we have the last several weeks, we phoned our grandchildren at 10 am. We are still in the eastern Australian time zone, so 16 hours ahead of Waterloo. It was suppertime there. We had a nice chat with Karen and then spoke with each grandchild in turn. Clara wanted to know when we would be home; Edward was excited about a new magazine subscription we had given him and he wondered when the next one would come; Wesley was excited about the weekend he had spent with Iain and Elaine when they took him to Legoland in Toronto. It is fun to chat with them now that they are all able to carry on conversations with us. All is well at home except for a couple of colds and some significant snow on the ground.

We spent the morning admiring the scenery from the restaurant as Jim did some research and I worked on organizing photographs. Before long, it was lunchtime and a new menu board had arrived. This time the choice was easy – raw fish and vegetables marinated in coconut milk and lime juice. Jim and I both ordered the same thing and ate every morsel of it. It was like the ceviche we have had in other places but a little bit milder, more gentle on the palate.

Back to the cabin for a very short nap and then it was time to go snorkelling. The water was a bit cooler than we had anticipated but nonetheless, very pleasant. And the air temperature was a perfect 27 degrees. The sun had disappeared behind some clouds so, although we applied sunscreen, there was little danger of burns on this, our first day. We stayed fairly close to shore in a sheltered area and, surprisingly, encountered many species of fish. Many colours, patterns and sizes. Some were familiar and others were new to us. We were in the water almost an hour (I guess it really was not too cold) and were very happy with what we had seen. A large blue starfish was on the ocean floor and spectacular piece of purple coral was growing on a coral wall.

Soon after we exited the water, the car rental representative arrived with our car. We chose a small SUV because some of the roads are pretty bumpy and filled with potholes and regular rental vehicles are not permitted to travel on them. Because an SUV has higher clearance than a regular vehicle, it is not as prone to damage and thus, we are allowed to take it on some of the more rugged roads.

Jim drove into town to get a SIM card for his phone and some tonic for our gin. I remained at the resort, happily sitting seaside reading my book. The sunset was magnificent. And Jim arrived back just before dark had fallen.

A pre-dinner drink was followed by another menu that provided difficult choices. Tonight Jim had prawns with rice and I had pork chop with salsa and lots of vegetables. Both meals were, again, very good. We have met a retired couple from Calgary and enjoyed a conversation with them that extended well beyond our meal. Grandchildren, travel, parenting adult children, global warming, politics and Australian connections (they have just spent 5 weeks in Australia) were all part of the conversation. It was lively, informative and fun. A great way to finish our day.

Back to the cabin for another early night.

Wednesday, November 21, 2018

After a leisurely sleep-in, we made our way to the dining room for a scrumptious breakfast. This morning, Jim had fried eggs and bacon and I had an omelette that I am sure was made with pure cream. And we shared a tropical fruit plate with 9 different kinds of fruit. I think this will be a daily event.

I began to feel a bit under the weather during breakfast and went back to the cabin for a short rest. That rest turned into an epic sleep … I finally got up again at 4 pm!! I still did not feel terrific but we had booked to go to a nearby resort for a Melanesian Buffet so we proceeded to go.

The resort, Breakas, was lovely, more elegant than ours but the snorkelling on site was not as good. What we did have a was a great view of many, many local people out surfing, perhaps an end of the day activity. The surf was moderate so we were able to see some spectacular spills and some reasonable rides. It was fun to watch from our vantage point on the beach.

We arrived at Breakas in time for happy hour (2 for 1) and indulged in two tropical drinks each. They were yummy but heavy on the alcohol. We cancelled our wine with dinner. The Melanesian Buffet began with a tasting of kava, a local drink made from ground root stalks mixed with cold water. Each diner was offered a healthy portion of the drink and we were all instructed to drink it together in one go. I was glad to have asked for a smaller portion as the taste was disgusting. Even a smaller cup led to an immediate numbing of the tongue and a sense of drunkenness. Happily, there were mango slices available to wash it down. Another life experience I only need once!! {As a postscript, it is notable that in Port Villa there are 60 kava bars serving a population of 20,000. 400 metric tons of kava are consumed each year. Clearly some people enjoy it!! Kava was created here and spread to Fiji, Polynesian, Society Islands, Marquesas Islands, Hawaii and New Guinea.)

The buffet had a wide variety of salads, curries, beef kabobs and fish. I have to admit I was not feeling up to a full meal so I nibbled at some salads and a bit of beef and rice. Jim seemed to enjoy his meal much more than I did and asked how I would feel about returning tomorrow night. Time will tell.

There was also a performance featuring the culture and music of one of the nearby islands. Six musicians dressed in traditional costume played guitars (3) and other homemade instruments – a set of bottles filled with water tuned to specific pitches, a set of white plastic pipes (PVC) cut in various lengths to create specific notes, and a large box with a string attached to a stick (much like a washtub bass in a country band). Together they created magnificent music beginning with some very traditional tribal tunes and moving to more current music. Their voices blended softly and the harmony was magical. After the songs, they demonstrated several traditional dances and then one more modern dance to show that their culture is alive and evolving as time passes. They closed off the show with an a cappella hymn in their native language for which they removed their head gear and asked the rest of us to stand as they sang. It was very moving.

The evening was a perfect temperature. We were under a clear dark sky and a full moon. Stars twinkled and waves softly broke on the shore. What a lovely way to end the day.

It was a short but bumpy drive back to our resort. The roads are not in great repair, to say the least!!

Off to bed. Tomorrow will be a new day.

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Today was supposed to be a new day. I had had lots of sleep yesterday and had also slept for 8 hours overnight. We got up, made our way down to breakfast and enjoyed the fresh fruit platter we have had each morning. I ordered scrambled eggs on toast and before they arrived at the table I was overtaken by a dizziness that I do not believe I have ever experienced before. I got clammy; I had to hold my head in my hands; I felt nauseous and, at one point, I thought I was going to have to lie down on the floor in case I fainted. These sensations lasted for several minutes, a very uncomfortable time for me and for Jim. Finally they abated enough for me to return to our cabin where I remained for the rest of the day. So much for enjoying this island.

I was well enough to work on our Australia photo book and made quite a bit of progress. An afternoon nap also helped me along.

Stewart, the hotel manager, had the staff provide some rice water for me. It was literally the water in which the rice was cooked. It was warm, refreshing and contained some starch which was intended to rebuild my energy. I have to admit that I appreciated the gesture and drank quite a bit of it. And, by later in the afternoon, I did feel much better.

Jim had taken a couple of walks during the day, visiting nearby resorts and comparing them with ours. Coco Beach ranked pretty well compared to others. He also had a long afternoon nap.

By dinnertime, I was feeling quite good again so we decided to go back to the Breakas Resort for their Polynesian Night tonight. We ordered lightly from the menu, forgoing any exotic food that was available. And we thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment which included a complex fire dance and several hula dances as well.

We were back ‘home’ by 10 o’clock and settled in for the night.

Let’s hope that tomorrow is a better day.

Friday, November 23, 2018

It was definitely going to be a better day. Having slept the night through, I awakened feeling great and full of energy. A breakfast of scrambled eggs and tropical fruit went down well and I was ready to go.

We were dressed to snorkel so we immediately went into the water and travelled along both sides of the channel that had been blasted out to create a dock for our resort. The coral that was taken from the sea was used in building the resort as breakwalls, surfaces on buildings and interesting walls in the bathrooms of each cabin. The texture both inside and out was rough yet interesting, especially where tiny streams of light showed through where the mortar had not totally sealed the irregular coral chunks.

The water this morning was spectacularly clear and it was easy to see the wide range of fish and the newly grown coral as the blasted area regenerates. It will take decades for the coral to regain its original magnificence but the fish seem to find it appealing already. Tiny coral caves along the walls and irregular coral formations provide refuge for the small fish when danger lurks. Many of the fish are species we have seen in other tropical areas but some of them are new to us.

There is also a large blue starfish in the area that plays hide and seek with us. Each day, it moves a little or a lot to a new location and we set out to find it. So far we have been successful.

After snorkeling, we got organized to go on a ‘road trip’ over to the north side of the island to a highly reviewed location called Back to Eden. Although the total distance is less than 40 kilometres, we knew it would take about an hour to drive there due to the rugged conditions of the roads and the traffic in Port Villa. People are very friendly when driving and stop to let others past or in from a side street or parking space. There are pedestrians and dogs all over the roads and vehicles also stop to let them cross. Pedestrians typically walk on the side of the road with the traffic so, often, they have little awareness of the traffic coming from behind.

As far as rugged roads go, this has to be the worst place we have driven. Potholes the size of a washtub litter the roads, sometimes extending all the way across the tarmac. Vehicles swerve to miss them, sometimes with success, sometimes with an uncomfortable bump. We found it useful to follow a ‘local’ and do whatever he did to avoid the holes.

As for the unpaved dirt roads … well, there has recently been a torrential rain and, since Vanuatu is quite mountainous, the ruts in the roads reflected the path that the torrents of water followed on their way down the slopes. Some ruts were long and wide, suitable for driving in; some ruts were narrow and winding necessitating crossing them several times. Since the roads are quite steep, it was more treacherous going downhill that uphill. My leg grew tired riding the brake.

And road signs are non-existent. Jim was following his GPS and giving directions. Turn at Winston Churchill road. And how was I supposed to know where that was. There were no signs at all. We have been here now 5 days and have not seen a single sign. Nor are there any traffic signals. Occasional stop signs and yield signs are installed in Port Villa and there are many uniquely designed roundabouts. Thank goodness the speed of traffic is generally slow and everyone does seem to look out for one another.

After much bumping along, we arrived at Return to Eden. We did not really know what to expect but we were certainly not disappointed. What we found was an expat couple from Australia who have moved to Vanuatu for their retirement years. They have built a lovely home with a large screen-in dining area where they offer meals to visitors. They also provide guidance with snorkeling, offering two options. One is a guided tour of the coral garden that grows in front of their waterfront. The other is to swim and snorkel independently in the sea in front of their home. They have landscaped their property beautifully with mostly native trees and plants including many tropical fruits.

We had planned to have lunch at Eden. After a short peruse of the menu, we both chose porkbelly. It was served with three fantastic salads. Excellent. We inquired about the Vanuatan cuisine and were told that the menu in no way reflects what the locals eat. Restaurant menus are generally designed to appeal to the tourists. Vanuatan natives tend to grow their own food in their gardens and rely heavily on fruit, root vegetables and fish. Coconut water and milk are used for flavor and liquid in combinations of food. Lap lap is the favourite local dish. It is a baked pudding made of grated yam, banana, manioc, or taro that is mixed with coconut milk and salt, then baked under hot stones.

After we finished our meals and chatted with the proprietors, we headed out to go snorkeling again, this time with a guide, Alan, who promised to show us giant clams, coral pools, gardens of anemones and giant turtles. What we had failed to realize is the amount of swimming that would be required to achieve these viewings. After some difficulty getting into the water because of extremely slippery rocks, we made our way to a coral pool, at the bottom of which were several giant clams that were about 100 years old. Alan swam down and touched their shells which they immediately opened. It was amazing to be able to gaze down into their shells and see their flesh and their colour. They were all different from one another.

Shortly after that, it became clear that this was a longer swim than either Jim or I had realized. A significant portion of it was going to be over very deep water, a condition which causes Jim to panic. He can swim for a long time as long as he can touch bottom but take the bottom away and he totally loses confidence. He became ‘stuck’ on a tower of coral and could not move from that safe perch. Alan had gone far ahead of us and when I finally caught up with him, I suggested that he go back and swim with Jim to reach the next location. He did that and eventually the two of the arrived at another place where Jim could perch. It was then that Alan expressed his dismay at both our inabilities to keep pace with him and that the best idea at this point would be to simply head back to his beach. That was 400 meters away. Alan headed off and Jim and I remained together and slowly made our way across the water to the white flags on the beach.

The coral we passed over was magnificent and the variety of fish astonishing. But we really did not have time or energy to linger and enjoy what we were seeing. Although we were disappointed with the overall experience, we were not disappointed with the magnificence of nature that we briefly glimpsed today. We would certainly return to ‘Eden’ but choose the option of snorkelling independently in this rich paradise of coral and sea life.

While at Eden, we chatted with Alan and his wife, Bronnie, about the availability of power in such a remote location. As a part of their construction, they have installed solar collectors and operate totally with solar power. Most of the time it works well but on cloudy and inclement days, power is at a premium. They have a battery-operated generator as a back-up system and will be installing more solar panels to support their needs. We have also noticed wind generators in various locations on hillsides close to the ocean, presumably for power purposes.

After a cup of tea and a muffin, we headed back up the long rugged laneway to the main road and turned our car toward Port Villa. We stopped several times along the way as we encountered the sights and sounds of life on Vanuatu. We took several photos of flowering trees along the road. Spectacular colours of orange and red!! We also stopped at a roadside fruit and vegetable stand to pick up some limes for our daily dose of G&T. And we stopped at a Kava Bar. We had seen several signs along the road as well as several places where there were benches and tables and a bar-like structure but no sign. This Kava bar was clearly identified and well attended. Jim managed to get a few photos all the while avoiding partaking himself.

We finally arrived back in Port Villa where the traffic increased and the quality of the roads decreased. It was a slow journey through town, especially in the market area where the stalls were just closing up for the day. Vehicles were parked helter skelter along the streets and pedestrians were moving in all directions. Somehow through the chaos, the traffic continued to move and everyone remained safe and finally got where they needed to go.

Back at our resort, it was dinnertime. Having enjoy the pork belly about 2 pm, neither of us was very hungry. I ordered some chicken soup that was not on the menu and Jim opted simply to have dessert. It was a funny meal. He saved a bit of the cheesecake for me and I gave him the soup I could not finish. We were both happy.

An early night served us well.

Saturday, November 24, 2018

We had a leisurely start to our day today. Breakfast a bit late, a lovely call with Iain and then, more snorkeling. We ventured out of the protected sea area in front of our resort and swam in a coral garden just beyond the canal to the open sea. We were both very comfortable because there was a shelf of dead coral always within reach on which we could both stand.

While we have enjoyed the snorkeling the last few days in the protected pool, we were astounded at how different and more thriving the coral was just beyond the canal. It was varied in structure and colour and there were deep pools with much larger fish swimming in them. We also saw some species of fish out there that we have not seen closer to shore. We will definitely go out there again tomorrow morning when the tide is low.

Today was uncomfortably hot and humid. We both took a nap around lunchtime under the fan in our cabin. Then we took refuge in our air-conditioned vehicle and headed to town. We toured around exploring different areas – commerce, business, residential, embassies, tourist shops, shipping terminal and the ex-pat area. There are about 2500 Australian expats who live in Port Villa. Not surprisingly, the roads and services in that area of town were far superior to those found anywhere else. Rumour has it that well padded pockets lead to good service in this country.

We found a couple of very interesting buildings. One was a totally new building being funded by the Chinese Government. It is a large and elaborate convention centre which will serve this international capital city well. The other, just slightly down the hill, is the Australian consulate which was at one time the primary supporter of Vanuatu enterprises. This balance of power seems to have changed of late. It was good to note that, in the absence of a Canadian consulate here, that we are able to seek assistance at the Australian offices if needed.

We paid a visit to the local hospital. No, we were neither ill nor injured. Before we left Australia we had cleared out some boxes that had been stored at our friends, the Morgans, for years. A few things are going home with us but most of the contents went to the trash or to the collection of items for next year’s church fete. All except for a pair of cotton sheets. As only Jim can (he is pretty remarkable in his research for our trips), Jim learned that the hospital in Port Villa is in need of clean sheets to provide patients as they leave the hospital and return to their homes. So, Jim brought our pair of sheets with us and we dropped them off at the hospital today. Hopefully, some recovering patient will be able to make good use of them.

Our final stop in Port Villa was to prowl through some tourist shops. Our intent was not to purchase anything for ourselves but we do know three little people at home who appreciate it when we bring trinkets from other places. We visited three shops, all quite different in nature, and finally found a few items of interest. Most were quite junky and not truly souvenirs of Vanuatu. We did manage to get two small items that will hang on our international Christmas tree this year.

We made our way back to our resort, stopping at the shipping terminal, a couple of churches, residential electrical hook-ups (scary) and a tsunami warning sign. It was still hot and humid so we spent some time under the fan in our cabin before heading down to the beach just before sunset.

We watched the cruise ship that was in port today sail out with the sunset. It was a very pretty sight. Dinner followed and then retiring to our cabin again where we turned on the air conditioner. 

Sunday, November 25, 2018

This is our final day on this island paradise. We will use it well.

Butterflies abound at this resort. The air is filled with hundreds at a time … the little yellow and white ones that we see at home and another species that is very similar except that it has black borders running atop of its yellow wings. Unfortunately, we have found it challenging to capture them with our camera because they are in constant motion, fitting back and forth, crossing the open space from tree to tree. We have also seen a much larger multi coloured butterfly flying alone through the resort. Once again, we were not able to take a photo so these memories will have to remain emblazoned in our minds. Jim did manage to capture lovely black and white butterfly which sported orange highlights.

Birds are another source of frustration. We have read that there are many species of exotic birds on Vanuatu. But none of them seem to frequent our resort or any of the other areas we have been in. Mynah birds rule the territory along with a small number of egret. We did see one multi coloured pigeon when we were at Eden yesterday. We tried for a photo but it was very blurry. Oh well …

We have been very happy with the relative lack of insects here. We came prepared with various insect repellants but have almost never used them. That is a pleasant surprise. There are some microscopic ants and flies that occasionally crawl across our hands or arms but they do not seem to bite and only occasionally itch, caused by their motion rather than biting. We have been contentedly listening to a chorus of very happy and busy geckos at night. We thank them profusely for taking care of the insects. We did see a rather large spider last night but we are assured that there are no poisonous nasties here. Some ugly ones … but not poisonous.

I have mentioned the large bed of dead coral that occupies the seabed in front of our resort. Some of it was blasted out to create a docking area at the resort. The cause of the damage was a number of ferocious storms that have occurred in Vanuatu. The islands that create this country are wide open to the fury of the South Pacific. Cyclones and typhoons roar across the open water and take landfall on these islands causing extensive damage to buildings and properties as well as the seascape. The coral is gradually growing back but it is a very slow process and vulnerable to the next storm. We are grateful to be able to enjoy the beautiful coral that continues to grow far below the surface of the water.

Speaking of storms, there are numerous signs posted along roadways and in villages close to the water’s edge about tsunamis. Clear instructions are given in three languages about how to proceed should a tsunami warning go into effect. There are also small blue and white signs along the roadways at regular intervals pointing the way to go to find protective cover from a tsunami. Happily the weather has been wonderful while we have been here. It is a daunting thought that such an event could happen on such a beautiful island.s? Yes … Vanuatu has three official languages. Up until its recent independence, Vanuatu was cooperatively managed by both England and France. It had two official languages and two separate school systems. Some villages had (and still have) French schools and others have English schools. Many French speakers do not know English and many English speakers do not know French. But they all know how to speak Bislama, a kind of pigeon anglo/French combination. Bislama is the main spoken language among native Vanuatans. It also has a written form seen on signs, menus, and documents.

Three languages? Yes … Vanuatu has three official languages. Up until its recent independence, Vanuatu was cooperatively managed by both England and France. It had two official languages and two separate school systems. Some villages had (and still have) French schools and others have English schools. Many French speakers do not know English and many English speakers do not know French. But they all know how to speak Bislama, a kind of pigeon anglo/French combination. Bislama is the main spoken language among native Vanuatans. It also has a written form seen on signs, menus, and documents.

Enough information … let’s get on with our day.

We had decided to go to church while we were here, mostly to hear the wonderful sound of a cappella four part harmony hymn singing. We checked out a few churches with respect to the time and length of the service and the composition of the congregation. We had some parameters: a 2 hour service was our max; there needed to be lots of music; and the congregation would be primarily composed of native Vanuatans rather than ex-pats.  We found exactly what we were looking for in a small congregation in the village of Pango, only a few kilometres from our resort.

Pango Presbyterian Church is a modest building with a meeting house adjacent to it. When we arrived, the elders and the clergy were in the meeting house preparing for the service. There was no one else in sight but we could hear soft singing in the air. A kind gentleman came out of the meeting house and directed us to go into the church itself. They would come at 10 am when the service was to begin. We entered the church and realized that is where the sound of singing was coming from. A substantial number of people, mostly women and children, were already gathered there singing hymns from memory. Someone in the congregation would start to sing a hymn and others would join in creating a harmony that was wonderful to hear. When that hymn ended another worshipper would start to sing and a new hymn would fill the air. Most of the hymns were sung in the Bislami language but occasionally a familiar English hymn would begin and we could join in.

At 10 o’clock promptly, a bell was rung three times and the elders and clergy entered the church. Everyone stood until the Bible was placed at the front and the leaders had taken their assigned places. The service started with the Doxology in English so we were able to sing along. Announcements followed and we were welcomed by name to the worship service today. The formal service got underway with hymns, Bible readings and prayers. One of the highlights was the children’s story when about 20 children of all ages sat on the floor at the front while the minister told them a story, using both English and Bislami. The children then returned to their places with families and remained reasonably quiet for the balance of the service.

The sermon was delivered in English. However, the preacher spoke so quickly and with such a strong accent to our ears that we were not able even to determine the theme upon which he was speaking. What we can say is that he used a VERY powerful voice and waxed on for at least 30 minutes. It gave us ample time to examine the contents of the church, the fashions of the worshippers, the amazing behavior of the children and anything else we wanted to daydream about. Frankly, it was a relief when he finished and the rest of the service could continue. More hymns and prayers and, of course, the offering. Finally two hours after we began, the benediction was given.

We were ready to go when we heard an announcement from the pulpit that invited us to stand at the door with the clergy and shake hands with each worshipper as they left. We shook hands with at least a hundred people ranging in age from older than us to only a few months of age. It was quite a moving experience as many expressed appreciation for us coming and remaining for the whole service. (Another couple was there at the beginning and stayed only for about 15 minutes.)

We truly enjoyed this worship service. Being Presbyterian, it had some similarity in structure to the United Church of Canada. While we were not able to understand very much of the content, there was a spirit of community and reverence in the building that was shared with us. People were friendly and helpful. Children were curious and respectful. And the music, which drew us there in the first place, was amazing. All up, a great experience.

We left the church and had lunch at a small café on the road leading to our resort. Jim had seafood chowder and I had a spicy shrimp salad. It was spicy, indeed!! Jim’s mango smoothie came in very handy to salve my tongue. A few photos later, we returned to our resort. The sea was too rough to consider snorkelling or swimming so I spent some wonderful time floating gently in the resort pool. I had never been in the pool until today. It was warm and clean with silky smooth fresh water. There were even patches of shade to protect me from the sun. A poolside beverage topped off the experience.

The ‘car lady’ came to retrieve our rental car and we truly knew that this idyllic week was coming to an end. Packing and dinner lie ahead followed by a very early morning wake-up call (4 am) for our flight to Sydney.

We have a day in Sydney to spend with our friend, Sandy Boyd, who I met 18 years ago when we both played bridge online. Then we fly to Dallas where we have a 24 hour layover on Tuesday. We will arrive in Toronto late Wednesday afternoon, by then eager to be home.

Thanks for travelling with us on this fantastic adventure. Stay tuned for the next destination. Jim and I are well known for almost always having a plane ticket to somewhere in hand.