Trip to Vanuatu: Day 3

We woke early again and took a walk along the beach. After the tasty breakfast, we were ready for the day's adventures. Today was a big day for me- my first ever horse ride. We were told that the island people were accustomed to 'the island time' and start when they are ready. But we were picked up by the owner of the Santo Horse Adventures, Megan-Jane Lockyer right on time.

Megan owned Lope Lope Adventure Lodge, which was located in the middle of a forest with a lot of coconut trees. The ground had beach sand and everywhere there were holes made by crabs, big enough for the horse legs to get trapped in. We were driven straight to the stables which had just four horses. Megan explained that she owned about 28 horses and most of them were rescued from abuse. I felt an instant love for these beautiful horses.

Horses in the stable

I was extremely nervous as I had never been this close to a horse before. Megan was very encouraging and gave me a lot of tips on how to hold on to my horse 'Duke'. When I approached him, he seemed calm and relaxed. As it was my first time, Megan got out a mounting step for me which made it extremely easy to climb onto the saddle. I felt taller looking down and felt more nervous. I was instructed on how to sit, hold the ropes, ride and change directions. I tried to make Duke move once I felt a little comfortable. Being a gentle and lazy horse, he just stood there yawning.

Once everybody was on a horse, we started moving towards the forest trails slowly. Duke was a follower and so there we were, walking slowly through the path, avoiding the spiders. It was a sunny day and Megan had made sure we had riding hats on, incase of any falling coconuts. She kept up a steady chatter about the plantation, the horses, the villages, the history and the tamanu trees. Tamanu oil is extremely beneficial to the skin and grows easily in this beautiful island.

Banyan tree in the forest

Gradually I felt my nervousness evaporating and started enjoying the scenery around me. Duke would stop every few minutes to bite off leaves from the bushes he could reach and no matter how hard I pulled, he wouldn't budge. The plantation also had a few fresh water blue holes which the horses enjoyed immensely. The cold water was so clear the we could see the depths of the pool. It took me a while to persuade Duke to get out, he really loved the cold water. Off we were again, through the forest and onto the main road.

Blue hole

Duke in the blue hole

For the first time I heard what the books call the 'clippity clop of a horse'. It was a distinctive and mesmerising sound. Before I could gather my thoughts, we were back inside the  forest and into another blue hole. After a little more walking and much more yawning from Duke, we reached the beach and the water was a beautiful shade of blue shining in the bright sun. The horses were at ease in the water and there were no coral reefs here. We rode in the calm waters whilst admiring the magnificence of the waters. Everything was perfect, the weather, the breeze, the endless water. I didn't ever want to leave.

Eventually we got to the end of the path on the beach and Duke got out of the water. The walk back home seemed to have given Duke new energy and he trotted happily first in line. Once we were back at the stables, the mounting steps were brought out again and I was happy to be on solid ground. The trip took about an hour and half and was entirely worth the experience. My legs hurt a little and was told this was normal the first time. Megan had fresh coconut waters waiting for us and it tasted delicious after our ride in the sun. I fed Duke a slice of fresh bread out of my hand and he gobbled it up in a second.

I had an absolutely amazing time and would recommend anyone visiting Santo to take one of Megan's tours. Megan is specially kind to first timers and the horses are very gentle, so have no fear and have a great time. I can't wait for next time I visit them again.

Megan dropped us back at the resort and we just realised that we were famished. The vegetarian burgers prepared with chips were especially tasty. We heard from the other guests that they had seen a turtle in waters close to the beach. Off we went into the water snorkelling to look for sea grass as the turtles liked to eat them. We didn't have any luck and I was disappointed as I really wanted to see a turtle in a natural setting. We took the kayak out again in search of turtles and sea grass. Alas, no luck again.

By the time we got back, we had given up on finding turtles and sat down with our novels on the cosy beach recliners. It was very peaceful to read in this setting and we let our minds wander in the books till it was too dark to read. We trooped to the restaurant for dinner. Everyone of the staff wanted to ask about my first horse ride and I was eager to share my experience. It had been a good day and I look forward to riding a horse the next time.

No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.  ~Winston Churchill

                                            To ride a horse is to ride the sky

Trip to Vanuatu: Day 2

We woke early in the Barrier Beach House to the soothing sound of waves against the beach. It was still dark out and we decided to explore the beach. The only noise was that of the wind and the sea. We walked in the warm beach water along the coast admiring every bit of the view. We were just in time for the sunrise of the day and the water looked as smooth as glass. It was the most amazing sunrise, the sun just peeking out of a cloud.

Beach early in the morning

My favourite spot on the beach was a tire tied to a tree branch and dangling over the edge of the water. It looked perfect waving with the waves and swinging with the wind. The hole-filled beach was covered with tiny white crabs almost invisible to the naked eye and they scattered at our approach.

We had no plans and so the day was open to us. The resort provided a complimentary breakfast of banana bread, normal bread, jam and honey. Believe me, this was the most delicious and softest banana bread I've ever eaten. They also served us freshly squeezed orange juice and milk for the cereal along with a fresh fruit platter consisting of papayas, watermelons, passion fruits, mandarins and bananas grown on the island.

Neither of us being a strong swimmer were provided noodles by the office to go snorkelling safely. The beach along the resort had a lot of coral reefs close to the shore. After a short practise swim with the snorkelling mask, we took the plunge to the coral reefs. The water was warm and clean which enabled us to see everything underwater very clearly.

We saw many a school of fishes swimming along peacefully. The reefs were not at a great depth and so we could saw a lot of fishes up close. I honestly felt like I was in the movie of "Finding Nemo". All the colourful fishes in the movie seem to have been inspired by these real fishes. I loved watching the clown fishes as they were the biggest around. We also saw hundreds of sea cucumbers and star fishes of various colours and sizes. I didn't ever want to leave the water but alas we did, only to get right back in on a kayak. We circled around the reefs for a long time trying to spot the fishes we knew were floating inches below us but we didn't. We did see a lot of colourful corals though- blue, purple, yellow in some places.

After a while of trying to look past the ripples we were creating, we decided just to enjoy the waves and the bright sunshine. The water was a shade light blue on the sand and a darker shade of blue on the corals. There were so many shades of blue that I lost count; apparently the minerals present in the sand and corals give them their mesmerising colour.

It was rather unfortunate that we didn't have a waterproof camera for capturing the lovely sea creatures. At long last we got out of the water for the day and headed for a shower. We had been in the water for almost the whole day and it was the most amazing experience ever. After dinner, I fell asleep with a smile on my face as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Trip to Vanuatu: Day 1

Vacationing on an island has always been something of a dream of my dear hubby. Booking the tickets and arranging the accommodation were done on a spur-of-the-moment decision. We were to be off to a whole new country, the enchanting pacific island country of Vanuatu.

The flight was at noon but we set off as early as six in the morning by the trains to beat the traffic. We were a little too early (a trait that runs in both of our genes) and we let the vacationing mood sink in. It was fun to be at the airport again-watching people of different ethnicities, kids insisting on handling their suitcases, everyone watching the board or their watch, the arrival of different airline crews, with their colourful uniforms and wondering how lovely it must be to  fly all over the world everyday. Sigh.

We boarded our flight to Port Vila where we had a transit of an hour. I enjoy flying most of the time but hate take-offs and landings. We reached Port Vila in about three hours of starting from Sydney. The airport of Port Vila was rather small and the transit section had about six shops of souvenirs and food. We passed the hour looking at the various souvenirs. The weather was quite humid and was making me wish I had not worn jeans.

Since the flight time to Espiritu Santo was forty-five minutes, we were expecting to be flown in a small plane. But we boarded a plane that was just as big as the one we arrived in. I childishly asked the airhostess if this was indeed the flight to Santo just to make sure we weren't being flown back to Sydney. A new set of passengers boarded the plane in Santo as the same plane was being flown to Brisbane. The airport in Santo was even smaller than that of Port Vila. We completed the immigration checks in no time at all.
                                   

Alighting at Port Vila Airport

First look at Espiritu Santo

Exiting the airport, we were greeted by Calvin, one of the managers at the Barrier Beach House. The resort provides a complimentary pick up and drop to the airport. Calvin was extremely friendly on the drive to the resort and talked about the island passionately. I was very surprised to see that the car had a left side steering wheel and was being driven on the right side of the road. I was expecting the opposite as this was supposed to be a French colony. Calvin explained that during the WW2 the French and the Americans had occupied the island and the cars were mostly imported from the US.

The roads were well kept and single-laned. We saw a lot of dense green forests and very tall coconut trees on both sides of the road. Almost every local we saw had a smile when they saw us and waved at Calvin. They seemed really friendly. Calvin told us jokingly that when he first arrived on the island he was intimidated by the locals at first as everyone, including children had machetes in their hands. Apparently they were used for cutting coconuts and other odd jobs. There was a port on the way to the resort and in a few days, it would have a huge cruise ship coming along, bringing about 200 people with it.

The Barrier Beach House was about a half hour drive from the airport. At the entrance, we were introduced to Julie, the other manager. The resort was located next to the beach with just six cabins and twelve people at maximum capacity. It was very peaceful and quite. The breeze was cool and the water tempting us to jump in immediately. The resort also housed a restaurant and they were very accommodative to our vegetarian needs, they even had a special menu just for vegetarians. This thrilled me to no end as I had been a little worried about finding food. Julie told us that the water on the beach was always warm. They had cycles, kayaks, snorkelling masks and paddle-boats available for guests' use at all times.

Cabin from the beach

View from restaurant

Our cabin was made of wood and faced the beach which could be seen through the windows. The water was the shade of blue I had only seen in movies before. The soft waves of the sea could be heard from every part of the cabin and had a calming effect. The cabin was well equipped with towels, toiletries and modern plumbing. The staff had decorated the room with huge hibiscus flowers which grew with ease on this sub tropical land. Everything was perfect. Absolutely beautiful.

View from room through the windows

Bed decorated with Hibiscus flowers

Our cabin was the last in the row of this resort. It was quiet isolated and private. Steps leading down to the beach from the platform outside our cabin took us to the two beach recliners set in the sand facing the waters. We spent many an hour watching the sea and reading from out here.

Restaurant from the beach

As dinner time approached, we refreshed ourselves and got the dining area. The staff were all locals and extremely friendly. Julie and Calvin went around all the tables talking and making us feel at home. The tables too faced the sea and the gushing air was very relaxing. The food served was so delicious and aromatic, that we gobbled it up in no time. The day had been good. We were already looking forward to the adventures to be had in the next 4 days and with this thought we hit the sack, listening to the soft waves and breeze of the night.

So many books, so little time

Ever since I was a child who had just started learning to read and write, I have been in love with the English language. Sure, it’s not my native language, but I felt this thrill when I learnt new words or new ways to improve my grammar. As a person whose mind can’t spend too long on one topic, I spent hours in the library of my school reading books upon books on various genres. I loved the classics of Mark Twain and Charles Dicken as much as the fairy tales of Enid Blyton. There was just something that kept pulling me to read more and more stories. It was the one thing I couldn’t resist. My passion for reading fiction was born rather early in life when I would ask my mother to tell me the tales of Snow White and Cinderella over and over again. I would never tire of these stories. Maybe it was the way my mother said it or maybe it was the allure of knowing what was coming but wanting to hear it or maybe it was the story itself, I don’t know. But I could not go to sleep without hearing them. They are amazing stories after all.

When I was old enough to read on my own, I became addicted to comic books. I would read every single one I could lay my hands on. The comics I mostly had access to were moral stories or adventures. I had no idea something called super-hero comics even existed. I would read them at home and my school library. Sometimes I even borrowed from friends. This went on till I was ten. My sister kept trying to make me read proper novels. I kept refusing. One fine day, she locked up all my comics and brought home a novel from a nearby library. I had no choice but to read it and believe me, I put up quite a fight. I lost in the end. It was the beginning of a new phase in my life. I started reading my first ever novel: Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.

It took me over a week to finish the whole book but I fell in love with it. I enjoyed the way Huck and Tom prank all their friends. I realised at that moment that this is a whole new world. A person could be anything they want in a story. It was enthralling. That was the hook. I took the bait and have been hooked to reading books ever since. I gradually started going to the library by myself and started exploring the world of books. Soon I had read a bunch of classics and wanted to try something new.

The librarian suggested Enid Blyton. Once I started reading them, I was in love with books all over again. In her books I travelled with “The Famous Five” on their adventures, I climbed “The Magic Faraway trees” to visit new magical lands, I learnt how a girl goes from being the naughtiest to being a monitor. The list is endless. I not only learnt great values in life but also a lot of new ways to use sentences. It was one of the best phases of my life.

Couple of months later I wanted to read another genre. This time I was introduced to the mystery world. I started off with reading the “Adventures of Nancy Drew” and “Hardy Boys”. Gradually, I went on to read Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Three Investigators” series of books. Again, I was hooked. I loved it- the mysteries, the suspense, the thrill of catching the bad guy, the little jokes, the little romances, all of it. I just couldn’t stop reading them. To this day am still in love with solving the mysteries with the characters in the books.

Once I had exhausted reading all the series of books mentioned that were in my library, I was on the lookout for a new series to start. It's a  habit I still cannot let go off- I've to try and finish all the books in a series of books before starting a new one. This was the time when I saw the first movie of the Harry Potter series. I was awestruck by the entire story. Needless to say, I had to read the series. I decided to start reading from the third book in the series -my reasoning being, "I just saw the first movie and the second will be out soon enough. So let me read the third book". I know, it was stupid because the third book had a lot of gaping holes from the previous books. So, once I finished it, I rushed back to get the first book and started properly from the beginning. I went through the books that were out back then in record time. Just like millions of other readers I fell in love with the magical world. It wasn’t just a story with magic, it was a magical story. It was inspirational in so many ways. Yes, it’s fiction. But there are so many morals and life advice in it.

I learnt to instinctively feel if I wanted to make friends with someone with just one meeting just like Harry makes friends with Ron and not with Draco.  I learnt how to be normal. Harry was famous, but he was the most down to earth person with no attitude. That’s what makes a person be happy (as opposed to Voldemort’s need for followers and admirers). With Harry, I learnt that it was ok to be who you are. You don’t have to do what everyone does to fit in. Most importantly, it’s the love Harry was capable of giving everyone. He never let it affect him that his parents were not with him. His loyalty and love was so strong that he sacrificed his life to save the entire magical community. Now, if that isn’t the best story, I don’t know what is.

From there on, I have expanded my list of genres and authors. I still love all kinds of books but can’t read one genre for too long. Was it fate or coincidence, I have no idea, but I ended up with a husband who was as much into reading books as I was and we have a little library at home just for us. Am still trying to beat his number of books read and plan to do it soon.

           “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”

           ― Marcus Tullius Cicero

    “Stories never really end...even if the books like to pretend they do. Stories always go on.   They don't end on the last page, any more than they begin on the first page.”

― Cornelia Funke, Inkspell 

Reading books is not just a way to pass the time, it is a whole new world beckoning you, tempting you to enter it. I am extremely fond of keeping the books safe and in pristine condition, no matter how many times I read them. Books are precious, not because of it's price but because of the values and knowledge they gives us.

story of getting hitched...

They say there is a first time for everything- missing your bus to get somewhere, forgetting the most important thing when travelling, tasting new dishes. Well, there's also the first time you fall for someone, hard and fast.

Weddings, ah...seen it everywhere- in the family, among friends; but when it happens to you, well, let's just say you'll never see your feet leave the ground. Mine was an arranged marriage and I must say, it was a totally amazing experience. No matter how much you tease your elder cousins or siblings at their weddings, when it comes to yours the story is altogether different. Not just because it's your turn to be teased, its the whole experience of it, the way it feels like you can't be touched by anything negative. Just pure unadulterated happiness. The one day that's yours and truly yours.

Having gone through the experience recently, I must say it was quite a bucket load of memories. And having to share all of this with someone special makes them even more memorable. From the beginning to the end of it, you are pampered by everybody. It's a total package.

The constant activity is one of the most beautiful memories of a wedding. Though months of hard work went into the two days of the wedding, though you are so tired to even talk to everybody around you, though you have to get ready in really fast (in sarees no less), though the photographer tells you to smile constantly (so much that your jaw hurts), it's all worth it in the end.

Speaking of weddings, there is a lot to be said about the iyer tambram weddings. Though I've seen a lot of them before, they all seem to some unique aspect about them. All the rituals we've got in our weddings are just incomparable to the others and beautifully crafted by our ancestors. Each of the rituals has a meaning and when believed so strongly by everybody around you, it becomes imbibed in you as well.

Best of all is the joy that spreads through you when you realize you can share all the happiness with someone new, someone who will always be there, someone you adore and who just went through the entire non stop rituals of the last two days with you, for you.

There's a big difference between falling in love with someone and falling in love with someone and getting married. Usually, after you get married, you fall in love with the person even more. 

                                                                                                                       Dave Grohl

It doesn't take long for a kid to become a teenager, takes the teenager even longer to take on responsibilities of an adult, but what takes the longest time is the acceptance of taking the responsibility of each other after the wedding. Some say this is automatic and comes naturally, but to be prepared for this mentally is not very easy. But it does get easier when you have that special bond with your spouse.

“Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”
                                                                                                             Robert A. Heinlein