Trip to Vanuatu: Day 4

Breakfast was so extraordinarily delicious today that I had second helpings of everything. We had an early start for the day. Julie, the resort manager had arranged a taxi for us to travel the east coast of the island. We had a minimum of three locations in mind and a fourth if we had time.

Tusty, our driver was an extremely friendly local from another island of Vanuatu called Tana. As soon as we took off, he told us ask him anything about the island, good or bad. He was an encyclopaedia of the islands. He told us about the history, the customs, the traditions and a lot of other interesting things. They have a tradition that says every person has to have an "adoptive" father on every island and this father would deal with any problem the person had. Tusty told us about their unique wedding procedures which was fascinating. Apparently, when he decided to marry a girl of Santo, he had to get his "Santo father" to talk to the bride's father and if Tusty could pay 80000 vatu($950 AUD), he could buy her as a bride. He talked about the education, villagers, farmers and politics.

The scenery on the way to our first destination was mostly forests on both sides. There were also a lot of coconut plantations everywhere. We drove for a while before reaching the Champagne beach. The beach was apparently disputed property between two families and we had to pay a small entrance fee to go in.

Clean white sand beach

White sand beach

Dolphin Island on the left and Elephant Island on the right

Champagne beach is the cleanest beach in the world and had white sand. The beach faced two islands. The one on the left was called Dolphin island as it looked like a dolphin's nose and the one on the right was called Elephant island as it looked like an elephant's trunk. They were as magnificent as was the water. The water here was a pale blue and looked like sparkling champagne in a glass; the coast is shaped like a Champagne glass and hence the name.

We rushed to put on our snorkelling masks and taking our trusty noodles, we jumped into the water. The water was warm and cold at the same time and it felt amazing to see many schools of fishes quite close to the shore. Here also there were a lot of coral reefs but as the depths increased, we slowed down. We saw all sorts of fishes here, blue, green, yellow, black, silver and a strange looking fish thin as a needle(which I found later was called the crocodile needle fish). The corals here were shaped like huge rocks that we could sit on. We explored these for ages till the waves got stronger and I wanted to return to the beach.

Hubby dear wanted to explore the reefs a little longer and so started I started swimming towards the shore alone. Though I was asked to go over the reefs as it was shallow, I chose to go over the sand even though the waters were deeper here but the waves were calmer. I saw a few fishes but I was concentrating more on swimming as I felt like I was gasping for breath and didn't notice them till I saw something dark on the ocean floor. When I focused on the dark spot, I realised I was looking at a lone turtle on the sand. My fears vanished immediately and I was drawn to the turtle's movements. I felt so peaceful as I watched it wading ever so slowly on the sand. I floated on that spot for a long time making sure I wasn't dreaming or imagining this beautiful creature, which was an epitome of gracefulness. When I looked above the water to call hubby dear, it vanished but I'll never forget what I saw all my life.

Reefs we snorkelled in; view from the quay

When we finally made it to the beach, I was ecstatic about what I had seen and a little disappointed that he hadn't see it too. It had been a magnificent sight. We went along the beach for a walk as we had it almost completely to ourselves save for a small family. There was a quay where the cruise ship would be anchored in the next few days and the view from here was stunning. We spent around two hours on the beach before setting off to the next destination.

We saw many coconut shelters on the way. Tusty stopped at one of them. He explained that coconut farming and fishing were two main occupations on the island. The people did not climb the trees to collect as they were very tall and instead waited for them to fall off. They peeled off the hard shell and put the soft skin on top of a big furnace to soften them. Once the skin was soft, they would load them up in sacks and transport them to the town where they would be pressed to obtain fresh coconut oil.

Coconuts being softened on top of furnace

We arrived at Port Olry ready to jump into the waters again. But waves were rough and we could only explore the reefs just beyond the beach. Even here, there were a lot of tiny and big fishes. As lunch time approached, we could not snorkel anymore and settled to have food instead. I ordered this amazing veg pizza that was pretty good and filling. We took a stroll along this gorgeous beach from which I could see the other side of he Dolphin island.

Port Olry beach

Dolphin Island

Tall coconut trees

Waves at the end of the beach

I could not decide which beach I like better- Champagne beach or Port Olry. Port Orly had a small tree house and a small room for tourists to stay right on the beach. The beach had white sand again and was dazzling in the bright sun. There were many fishermen on canoes battling the strong wind in the water. There were hammocks to lie on and a cute wood carved table for two.

Hammocks on white sand

Table for two

After the stroll we got back to the little restaurant and the topic of coconut crabs came up with Tusty. We said we had never seen one and the lady there immediately brought out a live one from behind the restaurant. It was massive to say the least. It had a black hard shell and was a navy blue colour on the bottom. This crab usually picks the coconuts from the ground and breaks it down to eat the flesh within. The pincers on it had teeth like structures. Tusty told us to find a coral and when it was dangled in between the pincers, the crab snapped the coral like it was a mere twig. After admiring the beautiful and scary creature, we started towards our final destination.

Tusty holding the coconut crab

Tusty stopped at a local market on the side of the road. It was more of a shelter with a few fresh vegetables and fruits set by the vendors. The children playing behind them looked so happy without any toys and even waved at us. Tusty got us a few fresh coconuts to drink from later.

When we got to Nanda Blue Hole, we were the only visitors. We had to pay a small entrance fee and had the blue hole all to ourselves. The blue hole was blue in colour and had fresh water from the stream. There were many freshwater fishes but just one species. The blue hole was at least 70 feet deep and I was terrified of getting in even with my noodle. After persuading myself I put on my mask and got into the water still holding onto the wooden platform. At this time, Tusty threw a little piece of coconut into the water and suddenly hundreds of fishes swarmed near me and I forgot to be afraid.

Reflection of trees in the clear water

I let go of the wood and starting pushing myself towards the fishes. They were of all sizes and swam along with me. I looked down and couldn't see the bottom. Fear seized me again. I forced myself to face my fears and snorkel forward. The water was cold and  I felt like every cell in my body was awake. I snorkelled for a few minutes before fear took over again and I went back up the platform. It was only when I got out that a hermit crab was pulled off my dress from behind me. The restaurant had provided us with a fruit platter of papayas and bananas, which was refreshing after the swim. We admired the blue hole for a long time in the setting sun's rays.

It was time to go back to our temporary abode. It had been a long day. Tusty made the day so much more interesting with his intriguing  stories and chit-chat. We bid farewell to Tusty at the resort after which we had a little rest and then had dinner. It had been an great day full of experiences that we will never forget.

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.