If like me a month ago you didn't know this place existed here's some quick facts: 83 islands, 200K inhabitants (Melanesian not Polynesian, characterised in a nutshell by very dark skin, large noses, huge afros), independent since 1980, located west of Fiji and north-east of OZ, and mark this: voted Happiest Country on the Planet! The survey was not based on richness but on life quality and ecological footprint; basically Vanuatu's people are happy, live to nearly 70 and do little to damage the planet. Simply had to go and check it out. Apparently cannibalism was still practiced here until early 70s, so the government made it a taboo topic as there are still people alive who ate human flesh. “Contrary to popular cartooning, people weren’t put in huge pots surrounded by vegetables but were cooked in underground ovens. White folk, apparently, weren’t considered a delicacy, being too salty. And, according to research undertaken in Vanuatu in the 1920’s, the best bits were the buttocks, inner upper arms and thighs”. After all these readings you can imagine I was a bit apprehensive when walking in absolutely pitch dark to get to “town” on my very first night there. Well, not only I did not make it to the table, but I've found the Vanuatu people extremely friendly and sweet.
Everybody says hello down the road, while the moment the sun goes down it becomes almost mandatory to say “goodnight” to every single person you meet. After a few days my new friends even brought me to drink Kava - the local intoxicating-relaxing-non alcoholic-drug-like beverage - with them at the Kava bar you see here.Because of English and French domination most people speak one of the two languages, while the official language is Bislama, which is a Pidgin English that I've found particularly amusing as it's written down like an Italian would write down English. Some examples? Us is yumi (you+me), or mitufala (me+two+fella) or even yumitrifala; if is sapose(suppose) while nothing is inogat (I no got). End of lesson one. Here's the test now:
After few days in Port Vila, the buzzling capital with more than 20K people, I went for a tour of the island. Apart from great landscapes and stories the highlight was visiting a kastom village. You go down a river on a canoe, then a man will play a horn (a big shell actually) to alert the villagers that the “white people” are arriving. As you land you are literally attacked by the warriors, until the chief will come and explain you come in peace. Of course it's all organised, and we knew what was going to happen, but still having 20 plus warriors coming at you screaming from every corner of the jungle was for a second or two a bit scary. You can really imagine how difficult would have been for missionaries or explorers in the old days.
Another tribal ceremony that I was luck enough to see was the Land Diving, from which the idea of bungee jumping started. It is basically jumping out from a tower made of wood, but you use lianes instead of a cord, and if they're too long you basically die crashing on the ground,
but hey, if they too short you bounce back and die impaled. It takes place only April to May for that's when the lianes are elastic enough. They discovered when the Queen of England visited, it wasn't April or May and a man died splatted at her feet. To see this kastom you have to go to Pentecost Island, there's a 20 seater plane operated by Vanuatu Air and not only you get to land on a gravel runway, but you can walk and smoke on the runaway (watch out for the odd bikes or planes).The plane that goes to Tanna Island instead is even smaller (9 people and a bunch of flies), and if you're lucky enough you might have a landing on grass if (like in my case) they have to pick up a person or a pack in one of the islands on the way.
The trip to Tanna is worth though because on this island you have one of the most accessible and active volcanoes in the world. The guides bring you to the safer side of the rim (depending on where the wind is blowing from), and you can look down straight into the heart of it. Trips are usually at sunset so you can see the beautiful red lava fountains as it gets darker and darker. I though it wold have been impressive to see, but the real impression was actually from the sudden and incredibly loud noises (lava bits were often not the only ones jumping in the air) and from the ground shaking below your feet. After those two trips Port Vila was great to chill out, and on the flight to Auckland I felt like I was flying business class, being used to touch both sides of the plane just stretching out my arms!
