Off On A Lark!

Since I'm unable to post photos (no internet) I've decided to take a shot at painting a verbal picture of Gaua here in the Banks Group.

Picture an island, roughly round and 11 miles across. Slightly off center at about 2400' is Lake Letas which is one of the largest fresh water lakes in the S. Pacific. It's accessible by foot paths through the forest with a local guide. We're told that the volcano here last erupted in 2009. The forest is made up of many huge deciduous trees, several varieties of palms, shrubs and ferns beyond description. The trunks of many trees support climbing vines with leaves bigger than you can imagine. Every imaginable shade of green. There are birds but no mammals other than bats. Mosquitoes, yes, but not overwhelming.

There are no vehicles or roads. Just narrow paths, foot worn and created with a bushknife which is an essential tool. The school is located between the two villages and every morning the kids scramble barefoot over the hills, along the beach and over a riverbed of huge rocks for at least a mile. There are 120 students that attend grades 1-5 (or 6) and 3 teachers. Now there's a job of energy management for the teachers! The school is made up of 2 traditional woven and thatched structures. There are makeshift soccer goals on the grassy area out front (and the people here have kept us in tune with the world cup standings!). Not all the kids go to school but we're told that the others are educated in 'Custom' which is the ways of traditional life.

With very little exception the 2 villages we've visited are traditional thatched roofs with woven bamboo walls. No electricity and cooking over a fire in a small outbuilding/kitchen. The outdoor spaces are immaculate. Leaves and other debris are swept up daily and the ground is raked. Everyone has a garden plot out in the forested areas where they seem to grow sweet potatoes, yam, corn, snake beans, beans, spring onion, manioc (tapioca), taro, papaya, pamplemousse, mangoes. We've been given so much that we can't keep up. Many of the mango trees in the village have canopies that are a good 60' wide. Unfortunately for us the season isn't until December and we'll be back in NZ by then.

The beach where we paddle the kayak to is stunning black sand. If the tide is in when we go ashore we end up wading and scrambling over large lava rock to access the steep path up to the village of Tolav. There are nearly always kids waiting who want to take my hand and help me along the way. That comes with a lot of giggling and whispering going on behind us wherever we go. English is generally well spoken but there is a local language spoken in many dialects as well as Bislama. ' Me lookum yu' means 'See You Later'. You can't help but chuckle when you figure out what's just been said.

The villagers need so many things and they aren't afraid to ask. Batteries, reading glasses, pencils, paper, markers, fishing hooks and sinkers,soap. So far Brad has been asked to repair a digital point and shoot camera, a small dvd player and then a boom box that belongs to one of the chiefs. You never know who might paddle out in a local outrigger, tap on the hull and have something they need fixed. At this point only the boom box was fixable. Lots of dust and spiderwebs inside but as Chief Richard said as he sat enjoying tea and cinnamon bread on board 'No Cockroaches'!

Last night we were invited into the village for dinner and music along with a couple the other yacht anchored here. We enjoyed lap lap, which was grated sweet potato mixed with perhaps some tapioca? then topped with coconut cream, spring onion and chicken. It's wrapped in a banana leaf and cooked over the fire for about 2 hours. Very tasty. Fresh coconut to drink and also Kava which is a traditional island intoxicant. It's made from the roots of the Kava plant which are peeled, pounded, then rinsed in water and pounded again. Then it's mixed with water producing a disgusting looking, somewhat bitter, peppery, woody brew that you chug down from a coconut hull. Made me feel like I was in college again! Your tongue goes somewhat numb, you eat a bit more, then have another slug. Fortunately they made it pretty weak and that was good seeing as we had to scramble back down the hill to our dinghy's in the dark!

I've signed on to put together a promotional piece for a festival they're having in August. Dancing, singing, art, magic etc. They already have the word out to the yachting community but want to post a schedule on line to also attract tourists that can fly to the small airport on the other side of the island and take a small boat ride around. There will be home stays available and it sounds like a lot of fun. When I wrap that project up we'll sail about 40 miles north to Sola on Vanua Lava Island. It's the hub of this island group and I can pass on the digital file to the visitor's bureau. Chief Richard has given us a shopping list of items he'd like us to pick up for his little store while we're there too. Looks like we'll be passing this way again when we head south.

I feel like I'm rambling on so I'll sign off for now. Stay tuned.