Blogs from Port Vila, Efate, Vanuatu, Oceania - page 4

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Oceania » Vanuatu » Efate » Port Vila July 8th 2008

Relief, it is a wonderful feeling isn’t. The nervous tension that builds up, controlling your senses until that moment when it disappears. It may be sitting on the loo because you have been busting the 'drop off Les Enfants' or when your boss tells you that you don’t have to do a presentation. It appears in many forms; well our relief was when we got back to the Blue Pango. A mediocre style accommodation before we left but the very picture of opulence when we returned. The walls were concrete, the toilet did not talk to you, and the bugs were only there because they were living on you. It was a great feeling; to top it off the dog had given birth to lots of puppies. We had a couple of days to go around ... read more
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Oceania » Vanuatu » Efate » Port Vila July 2nd 2008

‘The happiest place on earth’. That is how Vanuatu is officially known, whether it is because it has friendly smiling faces and warm personalities, year round sunshine and crystal blue waters, or because it is a tax haven remains to be seen. Even arriving off our plane late at night was pleasurable, as we were welcomed by a local band in grass skirt playing happy island music, while we waited in the queue for immigration, which followed up with beaming smiles. Nothing like Heathrow eh? It was all with a sense of relief that we were even in Vanuatu as we had originally arranged to go to PNG arriving in Port Moresby to move onto New Ireland. But we had heard so many horror stories of violence, crime and difficult situations for independent tourists that led ... read more
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Oceania » Vanuatu » Efate » Port Vila May 31st 2008

"You are almost late!" Air Fiji check in counter guy Checking in at 7.30am for my 7.45am flight to Nadi and only being "almost late" - I love Pacific time! If any of you miss being able to visit the cockpit during plane trips these days, I highly recommend flying with Air Fiji on one of their EMB-110 planes. If you are seated in the 1st or 2nd rows, you can watch the pilots adjust all the important switches and levers as well as have a look out the front window if you lean into the aisle a bit (like I did). I quite like flying on these small planes and the retro fitout just adds to the character. Unfortunately, I dont seem to have as much luck with Air Pacific's range of ATR planes. For ... read more
Vaturu Dam/Heaven's Edge from the air
Main street in Port Vila
Port Vila

Oceania » Vanuatu » Efate » Port Vila January 29th 2008

Ohh man, Im brand new to this fancy schmancy blogging thing, but Im going to give it my darndest. Ill try to use this format in order to let any of my family and/or friends ( basically anybody who cares to read some sometimes incoherent babble and waste 10 -15 min of their perfectly good time) know what is going on around this side of the planet. I hope that I dont let ya down... Here goes.... Well, after just around 40hrs of sitting on planes, but mostly in airports, my traveling partner and new attorney , The Benn and I arrived in the land where strong Kava flows like wine and where it is said that some of the natives still practice the culinary art of cannibalism. Ahh, Vanuatu! We made it and I have ... read more

Oceania » Vanuatu » Efate » Port Vila December 20th 2007

So I managed almost 2 weeks back in Suva after my Uganda trip before I headed off overseas again. In that time I squeezed in an election night party and passing my Fijian Beginners language exam. This time it was back to Vanuatu to take a course on Community Organisation Law in the South Pacific at the University of the South Pacific in Port Vila. The course basically covered everything from charitable trusts law to tax law to new laws that cover all of the above and more. It was an interesting course and good to meet students from across the Pacific who are undertaking their law degree at USP. I did manage to squeeze in some shopping and trying new restaurants in between studying - mmm french food. I flew back via New Zealand and ... read more
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Lecture Theatre at USP
USP Library

Oceania » Vanuatu » Efate » Port Vila October 23rd 2007

A lot has been going on................. well we left Viti Levu (Fji main island) about a week ago and spent a few nights at a chain of islands called the Yasawa's. It was a great way to really bond with the new crewmates cus we were instantly doing a ton of stuff. We sailed into this completely remote bay and anchored there. Then the skipper and the first mate took a gift of Kava root into shore and presented as a gft to the chief of the nearest village called Natawa. The chief then allows us free passage around the island. We were guided up the mountain and summited it, great climbing and views. On the way down we stopped at a waterful where these naive kids were jumping into the pools and joined them. That ... read more

Oceania » Vanuatu » Efate » Port Vila October 23rd 2007

well that was an exsasting 5 days! As soon as we left the safety of the coral reefs in fiji and on our way to Vanuatu the heavens decided to open up and send rains of many different variations, from light drizzle to 'it doesn't matter if we wore wet gear or not!' after spending the first day either bent over the railing trying not to feel nauseous or in the fetal position holding on for dear life and trying not to be swung out of my top bunk! the second and third day wasn't much better. I wasn't sea sick to much at that point but it was still a little shady eating down in the hold (dinning area). by the fourth day i was fine and had gotten my sea legs, so I could ... read more

Oceania » Vanuatu » Efate » Port Vila October 9th 2007

I spent a couple of days in the happiest place on earth last month - Vanuatu (according to the Happy Planet Index). Most of the time was spent at a conference but I did get a chance to get out and see Port Vila as well as a day trip for some swimming and snorkelling.... read more
French street signs in Port Vila
Port Vila
Port Vila

Oceania » Vanuatu » Efate » Port Vila September 4th 2007

September 3, 2007 We are just getting ready to leave Port Vila and continue our trip north to visit the rest of the Vanuatu Islands. I don’t think I will have internet access until we get to Honiara, Solomon Islands, which could be a few months. Have a happy rest of the summer. ... read more

Oceania » Vanuatu » Efate » Port Vila September 4th 2007

Port Villa, Vauatu August 2007 We are now in Port Vila, the capital. We are doing some major provisioning since from here we go to the remote northern Vanuatu Islands and then to the Solomon Islands, so it may be months before we get to a store by any description again. Port Vila is very expensive and we need to move along before we really blow the budget. It’s just so hard to pass up all the great French restaurants, wine, champagne followed by a little indulgence in the casinos. We justify this by saying we won’t spend any money for the next few months!?! I never thought I’d hear myself say, ‘I want a Wal-Mart’. Not until you leave the country for an extended length of time do you realize how cheap and bountiful products ... read more




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