Holiday Part I - Aneityum

After spending 9 months straight on the island of Efate, I was beginning to become a bit stir crazy. One work project after another left your favorite under-appreciated volunteer craving some rest and relaxation. So to escape from the stresses of work- I decided to take a trip south, to visit Futuna for the first time and to be reunited with old friends on the islands of Aneityum and Tanna.

I travelled to Aneityum first, my previous home for 2 and half years. It felt good to see some familar faces once again, but unfortunately my trip coincided with a time of grieving on the island. A local politician who I knew very well and who was extremely supportive of my work on Aneityum, passed away 2 days before my arrival. This councilor was around 50 years old but had a certain heart condition that left him under strict doctor's orders not to drink alcohol/kava, smoke or eat certain foods. Sadly, over the Independence Day celebration he ignored the doctor's warnings and drank, which many believe caused his stroke. My first few evenings on Aneityum were spent sitting with his relatives in the nakamal, where we shared kava and dinner in rememberance of the late Area Councilor.

A week after the Councilor's passing, 2 other locals died. One mentally challenged ten year old girl whose dress caught on fire in the kitchen and badly burned her and a woman who died during child birth in Port Vila. Needless to say it was a sad time for the island and all the families gathered together again to eat together and mourn for several more days.

Tourism has really increased on the island since my departure. Aneityum was recently cleared as a Port of Entry for yachts entering the country. So 4 or 5 different multi-million dollar yachts were anchored in the main harbor each day. My host father Kolin has undergone training to become a Custom's Officer. Being a genuinely warm person he was often the recipient of a new pair of sunglasses or a hat that generous yachties would give to him.

On the three cruise ship visits that I witnessed during my vacation, a massive P&O cruise liner would dump several thousand tourists on Mystery Island for a few hours. On these days, Kolin would board the ships to give a departure clearance before the cruise liner was permitted to go to the next destination. His visit to the ship allowed him to join the tourists having lunch at the buffet and he would report back to me on what new and interesting "white man" dishes he had sampled that day. I highly recommended he try "pizza" when the next cruise ship visits and he sincerely took note of my sage advice, asking me to repeat the name "pizza" a dozen times until he had the name properly memorized.

It was interesting to observe the cash flow of Australian and New Zealand dollars into the community. 5 years olds would flaunt fresh 20 dollar bills around the village, their share of the earning after a few hours of singing church songs. My friend John's 6 year old son followed me to the store where I was shocked to watch him pull out ten dollars and buy the cookies and lollipops of his choosing.

I ate lots and lots of fresh, delicious fish. Went trolling in a small boat where I spotted the first humpback whales I have ever seen in the wild where and we caught a large wahoo provided us with lunch, dinner and breakfast the following day. Went fishing with a light weight tackle rod my sister and brother-in-saw mailed me and caught 4 large "trevally", a tasty "mustache fish" and a 3 and half foot long, skinny, mysterious looking fish that was also delicious when fried. I ate lobster and turtle and sat down at many a meal that old friends had prepared especially for me.

We walked around the island sleeping in the more remote Port Patrick for several days. Local chiefs had recently lifted a ban on fishing in certain areas of the reef. The fish in these areas were not afraid of people as they are in other places. John was able to use his casting net to walk right up to large schools of blue fish. Within a half hour on the reef we collected a basket full of fish and giant clams that difficult to carry back to the familes that were hosting us.

In the village of Umej I was reunited with my old dog Superman, who looked relatively healthy and happy with the exception of having only one eye now. A boy who was angry with Superman's new owner stabbed my former dog in the eye with his knife. Thankfully, Superman's new family took issue with this abuse and the boy was heavily fined by the chief.

Mobile phones have been introduced since my departure from the island as well. It felt odd watching locals use them in a place that had previously been serene and devoid of noisy ring tones. Now most teenagers stare at phones and text incessantly as they strut around the village.

Anyhow it was a good trip and 2 weeks went by too quickly. Will write about my short trip to Futuna for my next entry. Currently, I am on an island called Tanna which has a small shopping district that could perhaps technically qualify for a town. Will be heading into Middle Bush for a few days to see some old friends but will post again on my return.

Lukim yu...