When my working-holiday days in NZ is almost coming to an end, I decided to leave the icy-cold winter weather behind and head to the far-flung, sun-drenched Vanuatu island.
“Wait, where?” you might ask. Not a lot of people know about this country, which includes me at first. I only heard of this tiny island when I was in NZ. Basically, Vanuatu is a speck of dust among the vast Pacific Ocean, floating right above NZ.
Here’s a reference map from The Almighty Google:
What sparked my interest to go there is because of this book, “Getting Stoned with Savages” by J. Maarten Troost.
In summary, the author talked about his life living in Vanuatu and Fiji with his pregnant wife, while trying to adapt to the traditional ways of life of the locals. One of them is drinking “kava”, a strong traditional drink extracted from the roots of a plant.
According to Wikipedia:
Kava is consumed throughout the Pacific Ocean cultures of Polynesia, including Hawaii, Vanuatu, Melanesia and some parts of Micronesia for its sedating effects.
And according to the author, drinking a few bowls of kava can bring “stoned” and body numbing effect. A sense of calmness will wash over you and the surrounding environment will seem “poetical” at that moment.
Stoned?! I love getting stoned! ….ahem. *coughyoudidnotreadthatcough*
But Kava aside, the Ni-Vanuatu’s traditional way of life, Mount Yasur (an active volcano which spits red hot lava in your face as you gaze down from the crater rim), and the John Frum Movement (or cargo cult)…these all make Vanuatu seems so alluring to me. And I also want to go somewhere less reachable before I go back to Malaysia.
And so, Vanuatu it is! (Sorry Fiji, some other time for you. Maybe.)
bye Auckland!Air Vanuatu is the only flight that flies directly to Port Villa (Vanuatu’s capital) from Auckland. The price of the air ticket is making my wallet cries tears of blood. But since I only fly with budget airlines (read: AirAsia) all my adult life, where in-flight meal is a luxury, Air Vanuatu spoilt me with a hearty in-flight meal aaand….unlimited fill of red and white wine!! So imagine I very thick-faced-ly ask the air-stewardess for refill of both red and white wine. Yes I know I sound very “sua ku”* by gushing over this hahaha.
*sua ku: a Hokkien slang for 井底之蛙 (someone who has not been exposed to the society and is not well-informed about many things)
in-flight meal with white wineA little episode happened when flying mid-way: the plane took a sharp dive suddenly, then it shook and swayed severely. Normally I would just brush this off as it is normal to be in an air turbulence, but this time it was different. The shaking and swaying took a long time, and I really thought the plane is gonna crash. D:
At that moment of fear, two people flashed across my mind immediately. And I truly realized they are the people I love the most. How I wish to call them then, to tell them I love yous. But luckily, the air turbulence passed and I let go a sigh of relief. (And I texted them after I landed, to say “I love you”.)
so glad to be on the ground in one piece…phewWhen I went through the immigration after touching down, the guy at the counter took a look at my passport, muttered to himself, “Malaysia…?”, and squinted his eyes on the list of countries pasted on his cubicle wall to determine whether Malaysia is an existed country or not… :’D Guess not a lot of Malaysians go there then.
After a night’s rest, I was greeted by the blue sea view outside Bluepango Motel, the cheapest accommodation in Port Villa.
no bread for you(s)
…and no bread for you tooAt night, I walked along the dirt path in darkness to a “Nakamal” nearby the place I stayed. A “Nakamal” is a place to drink kava. In the village, there are no street lights to light the way. You have to bring your own torch, or you just do it the local way: guided by the moonlight, you judged where you go with your own eyes.
A typical Nakamal in darknessI drank one small shell and two big shells (they sometimes pour the kava in small coconut shells and you drink from it), and chatted with the locals and a French lady who lived in the village, while my mind and body are totally relaxed…We were surrounded by darkness, the shadows casted from the lighted candles danced on the floor. Distant waves could be heard, but it was punctured by the constant spitting from the locals, lol. Everywhere around me, they were all spitting the unwanted dregs on the floor. Normally i hate to see and hear people spitting, but tonight was different. I felt calm…funny, even. Must be the effect of kava.
morning marketMorning is to walk around Port Villa and to reserve a seat on a local ferry to Tanna island (…which is another nightmare story to tell, in another blog entry). Surprisingly, Vanuatu has a lot of shops with Chinese signages, owned by Chinese shopkeepers and investors. And I saw international school for Koreans too. The Bluepango Motel, where I stayed, is owned by a Korean family.
Vanuatu is famed for its Tanna black coffee
my dark eye circles say hi
Back to Bluepango Motel and chill. I can do this whole day.
ohai tired face
Dogs keeping me company whole afternoon
yes, doge?
An afternoon stroll with these dogs again to a nearby resort
The Chilean roommate showed me this natural pool to swim in
Vanuatu kids and their smiles
sheltered themselves under a rain
The girls kept playing with my hair lol, they were fascinated by the colorful hair wraps and feathers tied to my hairWas invited to a traditional Vanuatu wedding by a local, but couldn’t make it because I will be in Tanna island on that day.
