And now, back to Vanuatu

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A great deal has happened since my last blog entry. My apologies to any dedicated readers that I never did finish up with the stories from April in Haiti. Truth be told, I was rather reluctant to put those stories in print. Publishing stories of my time working for Medicos Del Mundo would be against the spirit (if not the letter) of the agreements made during my hiring.

April is a ways behind us, however, and Project MARC’s Vanuatu 2010 season has just begun. I landed in Port Vila with one of our volunteers from Australia and met up with another the following morning. Frank Zolnai is both an Alvei and MARC alum and Kez is a fellow Aussie that he roped into the deal after she heard the stories of expeditions past.

With all the government offices closed on the weekend of our arrival we had a great chance to catch up with all of Project MARC allies and Alvei friends in Port Vila. It was great to see all the friendly faces again that have become akin to family over the years, and great to explore potential partnerships with colleagues working for other organizations. Good times were had by all, but there was far too much running for my liking (apparently we arrived in time for a round-the-island-relay that many of our friends were competing in).

The following week was chalked full of meetings and a whirlwind trip down Malekula’s East Coast. Oddly enough I had to fly over Malekula to the Northern city of Luganville before flying South again to my destination. I had a layover of about 4 hours and wanted to meet with half a dozen people while in Luganville. But knowing how island time works I figured that I’d be lucky if I could catch 3 out of 6 before my flight time.

Luganville’s a pretty small town though, and I ended up running into everyone that I needed to see. It’s so strange how the impossible just always seem to work out for me!
After morning meetings in Luganville I boarded a ‘Chicken Bus of the Sky’ and headed to Norsup, Malekula.

Along for the ride with me was a couple out of New Zealand (although she’s Irish and he’s British). Mark and Fleur are a pair of adventure travelers that were going to pack around Malekula for a week. After hearing their planned route, I redirected them to something that would be a far more rewarding experience: the Maskelynes and South Coast of Malekula.

After a night and day in Banem Bay that were both full of meetings I had to move on to the next project site and more meetings. It was pretty sad to run through Banam Bay as quickly as I did. Those communities are the ones I call my family in Vanuatu and I didn’t get the proper amount of time to stay and see everyone. The clock was ticking however, and I had too much to get done in too little time.

Once I made it to the Maskelyne Islands off the South East Coast of Malekula, I was forced to slow my pace. You see, the week that I’d been forced to do this whirlwind trip was also the week of the country’s Independence celebrations. During the last week of July, every year, it is nearly impossible to get any business done.

I managed to meet with all the necessary parties on all the appropriate islands but the delays forced me to rush my departure in order to catch my flight. The result of this rushing was a rather dicey boat trip and reef landing that I’m not very proud of. It all could have been avoided if I’d played my cards differently, but the whole experience taught me once again that you don’t push Nature, and you don’t rush Vanuatu.

When I returned to Port Vila, the Independence Festivities were in full swing. There was no way that I’d be able to get any work done during the public holiday weekend, so I took the time to get some rest before the marathon of expeditions began.

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Photos

Boarding scenery
One great thing of walking across the runway to get your plane is the morning view.

The 'A' Team
Frank and Kez in the foreground. MARC advance team for 2010.

Round Island Relay
I wasn't really a competitor in the relay, but helped the support team for the Hash House Harriers. All in all I was a glorified water boy.

The Brain Trust
This batch of Luganville businessmen have been Ground Support for MARC over the past few years. Great to catch all of them in relatively the same place.

Asirohk Aid post
Construction here has been on hold until the church is completed, but there was already heaps of progress in our absence.

Banam Bay
Kaltoi and the Banem Yacht Club.

Sanusup Elementary
Here's some of the kids from the school in front of the new admin wing and library that MARC helped to build.

Interior
The bigfalla in the middle is the headmaster in what will soon the be the school's library.

Paying the dues
Sealing the deal on the lease for some property that MARC is working with in Banem.

Running interference
Fleur played games with the kids so that I could meet with some elders. If she hadn't been there I would have been swarmed by these pikininnies and never gotten anything done.

SueLin Rovea
Here's baby SueLin that was delivered on the roadside last year during one of my trips to Norsup. She's almost a year old now and healthy as.

Repatsivir Vilij
This is Chief Simon and two of the vilij kownsil in Repatsivir Vilij

Fatha blong mifala
Here I am with Chief Sam and his son Dickson of Batik 5 Vilij. They put me up for the night and it was great to spend an evening with my first family of Vanuatu.

Port Sandwich Jetty
I had to charter a truck for my transport due to time constraints, but I offset the cost by doing a pick-up and delivery from the Lamap Wharf

Lamap Airport Landing
The issue with the beach landing South of the Airport is that there is a great deal of reef.

Final Deals.
Here's the final meeing in Pelonk with the Nombong Family of Uliveo

Voi Voi and Kaltovang
These two are Project MARC operatives in the Maskelyne Islands. Voi Voi was one of the first Village Health Workers trained by MARC.

Racing to catch the plane
Here's the rear view from the water taxi before things got interesting.

Flight Check in.
Before boarding you need to hold all your luggage and stand on the scale. It's a really small plane.

Maskelynes from above
As I was flying overhead, the tall ship Soren Larsen was pulling into Sengalai.

A good meet.
Got a chance for a sit down with the Prime Minister of Indigenous Tahiti.

MARC team Vila
Ivan Oswald and Dan Brag have been great hosts in Vila.

Comments

[AL]

Kez
G'day to Kez, so what do you thinks better, PB Statements or sailing......? (What a stupid question)