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Published: August 1st 2009
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The Team
Here we are at departure from the Beachfront. Look how clean we all are! All volunteers assembled, we were ready to head off. Some had come before others, but time was of the essence and much training was to be done on the fly. We had a fire-building seminar on the beach the day before leaving and the camp pots had been broken in. The volunteers were fit, the hikes ahead were rough, and thankfully the maps were still dry.
Before we drove off into the sunset and away from Luganville, however, there was one little hiccup. Our transport for the run had fallen through and a new ride had to be arranged. The company quoted us at 100 bucks, but when the driver showed up he wanted 150. And he wasn’t going to leave when we needed him to. I moved on to option C. I love plans, I make ‘em all the time! This is Vanuatu though, so you always have to have another up your sleeve.
When I finally rustled up our gallant steed it set be back a fair penny, but at least it left when we needed it to. Timing was key. Our new ride was a bit rusty, but it was 4 wheel drive and was lifted
Opening Brief
Here we are laying out the path we're to take. It was a busy morning, but we made it out of there before Noon. about 12 inches from the original stock suspension. I asked several locals if it could handle the trip to Tasiriki and everyone agreed it was nambawan. It was a rental truck though, so we were in need of a driver to return the ride once we all jumped out in Tasiriki. For this job I hired one of the cooler guys I’ve ever met. Steve Glatzer is the captain off the SV Ironie and was up for the job.
We piled the bed of the truck high with gear and volunteers and set off around mid-day. Spirits were high and we were on our way. Neither of those two factors lasted for very long, however. After romping the truck over crater sized pot-holes and across a river or two, I drove the truck into a patch of muddy road and got the thing mired quite thoroughly. A couple locals gathered around for some entertainment, but I wasn’t laughing all too much. There are no tow trucks to call out here in the bush and the nearest triple-A was a few thousand miles away. The volunteers were far from amused and I was thinking that this wasn’t the best way
Cpt. Steve
Here's a true Hero. He drove the truck back to Luganville for us and will host Project MARC for the August expedition. to start their first few hours of the expedition.
Thankfully we had Will Harris (a dairy fed farm boy from Wisconsin) with us to keep us all from giving up right there on the spot. His can-do attitude and his quiet manner kept us moving along. While the rest of us stood by thinking up possible solutions to the predicament, Will just kicked off his shoes, rolled up his sleeves, and started digging the mud from around the tires. He was knee deep in the muck and elbow deep in work, and soon enough the rest of us followed suit.
We managed to push the truck out of the mud with the help of many local villagers, but got stuck again only a few hundred feet further down the road. After an hour plus of digging and pushing another truck came along. The driver and the villagers managed to tow us back to the start of the muddy patch but it took a few hours and there were times that we weren’t sure if we’d make it out before dark. After the final push back to dry land we decided that the truck wouldn’t make it through the
After getting stuck in the mud
Getting out of the mud took most of the afternoon, but it turned out to be a good team-building exercise. rough patch of mud. From this point we would have to catch another ride and send Steve back with the rental.
We hitched a ride the rest of the way to Tasiriki with a bit of luck and set up our tents in the dark. With hindsight, I was glad for the experience. It was just the teambuilding exercise that the group needed. It identified our strong points and weaknesses as well as broke us in to the concept of getting a little dirty.
I sure am glad I packed that rope. I didn’t have anything in mind for it, but Charlie Bronson always carried rope so I knew that I should as well. We used it for the truck tow, and by the time we were done it was shredded to pieces.
Day two was the single day that I had prepared myself to worry about. The riskiest part of this trip was going to be the water portion and I was prepared to wait a few days in Tasiriki if the water wasn’t calm enough to ride. Luckily for us, the water was glass flat at sunrise and the weather was forecasted to be three
Not too shabby
Here's the life. days of calms.
The water taxi that we’d made arrangements with was not there, so we had to make a new deal with a Commie, a different boat owner. The price was higher, but that’s what you pay for timing. Aki was to be our driver and we shoved off the sand around 6AM.
The ride to Wusi was calm and beautiful and we had some fellow passengers in the boat. A Wusi girl and her baby were catching a lift with us. You can see how cute the kiddie was in the photos. After the drop-off in Wusi we motored back to the Limarua School and had all the school children help carry our gear to where we would make camp. Jimmy Sano is the Headmaster of the school and he took us in like honored guests. It felt real good to be back in rural Vanuatu.
The beach was amazing and the hospitality was overwhelming. It was great to take a half day off.
While the other volunteers took a breather I arranged for meetings with the chiefs, elders and committee members from the surrounding communities. We had a couple of things to do
Boat ride to Wusi
The water taxi took us through some really calm waters. I was glad that nature cooperated so well. before we could head on to the next area. There were the village surveys, the school survey, the measles campaign information dissemination, and the Clinic construction negotiations. All told we spent two days at the school and got all of our goals accomplished.
The men brought us Kava in the evenings and it was great to watch the volunteers get to bond with the villagers. We take volunteers to help with our expeditions, but we also do so to share some of the magic of Vanuatu with the rest of the world. Getting the time to sit and get to know the local people is really where that magic is transferred.
On Sunday, our team went to church with the rest of the villagers and was lucky enough to be there on National Sunday School Day. The children of the villages put on several performances and almost all were musical. We even had a drop-in by some Australian adventure tourists. They had been up the coast to climb one of Vanuatu’s highest peaks and were on their way back to Tasiriki. They stopped off in Wusi to buy some local pottery and got to catch some of the
School Surveys
Alanna and Mike were running school surveys for the US Peace Corps. The Limarua School is where we stayed and Headmaster Jimmy was very helpful. This is also where we hope to build the clinic next year. children’s show.
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Mom
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So Clean!
Just like the beginning of a backpacking trip! Then, after the first hour or two, we're asking, "What ARE we? STUPID or something!?"