11/05/2009, SS President Coolidge
Today we went SCUBA diving on the President Coolidge!
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11/04/2009, Loganville
Espiritu Santo is the center of French resistance when Vanuatu gained independence in the 1980s from the French and English condominium government. The movement was secretly aided by the French for Espiritu Santo to become independent. The resistance was led by a man named Jimmy Stevens and this all meant a short war called the coconut war against the newly elected leader that was to lead Vanuatu. The new independent government had military support from Papua New Guinea and triumphed despite being secretly aided by the French, who lied but seemed to still want the colony for itself. Another reason to not like French politics in the pacific in this timeframe. The slight Vanuatu divide between those whose third language is French and those whose third language is English meant contention and perhaps still for the people of Espiritu Santo. The word Unity is imprinted everywhere in Loganiville perhaps as a necessary message - or a subversive one.
The next political distinction about Espiritu Santo is that it was a US navy base in the Second World War. A place where the US fought against the Japanese who were ruling the Solomon islands right next door. There are still really obvious remnants here in Luganville with nice roads, better than everywhere else we have visited, and old army bunker type buildings. What is more the ocean is littered with wrecks and army gear, artillery, helicopters, old jeeps - and everything the US left here after the war which they bulldozed into the water because the English/French Vanuatu government did not respond to them when they offered them the gear - even such things as depositing full cocacola bottles. This all makes Loganville a SCUBA divers paradise which is why Eric was so excited to visit here. It features the largest accessible wreck in the world, sunk after striking a mine in the channel which we'll dive after I get certified tomorrow.
We rocked up to the Dive shop, I decided I would give it go - and I have begun a course to get me able to dive anywhere and be Eric's buddy so he can too. Learning to SCUBA dive at first had me freaked out, not knowing how to breathe underwater and lying on my medical sheet, that I have no ailments, because otherwise they would deny me and make me get a medical certificate (my Asthma wont kill me, or give me an attack and my migraines are not that sudden so I am pretty sure I do not need a doctors signature). I panicked a little at first but now I have learnt all the skills and tomorrow I need to do three more dives and then I am sussed. One of the reason Eric wanted me to SCUBA dive was to be less afraid of the water, I think it does that - knowing you can go deep and nothing happens, and its really not so bad, helping my overall nautical experience. Plus SCUBA diving is fun- you get to see a whole new world and I'm already feeling a lot more comfortable after only a few dives.
SCUBA dive training has taken up most of our time here however we also went to see a beautiful blue hole after hitching a ride to it further inland. It was a spectacular blue, clear and clean, a waterhole in the middle of the jungle surrounded by banyan trees. Slightly cooler than the ocean but refreshing and fresh water is such a pleasure. Eric loved playing on the rope swings, plunging from high up into the water. This blue hole was 17m deep - but you could see the bottom clearly.
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11/01/2009, Passage from Malekula to Santos
Over the last couple of days we have been sailing up the island of Malekula. We wish that we had more time to explore it- but have decided to spend more time in Loganville on the island of Espiritu Santo, which has many wonderful attractions and will be our next prolonged stop. The trouble we found with Malekula was difficult anchorages- despite being placed all along the coast, they really weren't that good. This even meant yesterday spending hours trying to find a decent anchorage away from the swell before sundown. Although we accomplished this eventually, we ended up quite far from the town and cultural center we wanted to go see, it would have been quite a drag to race across the bay in the high swell on the dingy. So not worth the stress and we've decided that heading more quickly to Logainville is positive.
Malekula is warned of because it is raging with malaria and sharks. With many attacks in some spots. So fortunately Eric did not get a chance to force me into the water. We have however lost two fishing lures over the last couple days from rather big fish gulping them up, one strike earlier today was particularly strong - breaking our 80lb line. Also as we went into our first anchorage on Malekula, I saw a large amount of blackish fins in the water. Perhaps Sharks, perhaps Marlin, not dolphins, I thought perhaps killer whales. Nevertheless we did not get in the water.
We have had perfect sailing conditions, with good reliable trade winds speeding us away and good nights sleep in calm anchorages so we are in generally good spirits. We have also been enjoying the fresh fruit and veges we have been able to stock up on recently, making salads and delicious fresh tomato bolongnaise. If we can catch a fish without our line breaking everything will be perfect.
The flying fish that we have been spotting since New Caledonia are getting more and more common - and they really are quite amazing things. The first time I spotted one I was like 'what the hell was that?', they flit past over the water with their fins spread like wings. Sometimes we find a small one dead on the decks after it has misjudged and crashed into our boat.
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the flying fish sound amazing! I remember in New Caledonia we caught a 'bubble' fish. It blew up like a bubble when we caught it on our line - it was so strange yet incredible to see.
10/29/2009, Lamen Bay
Swimming with Sea Turtles and Dugong today really made our stopover at Epi worthwhile. It began with our search for the Dugong, Eric going up the mast to to see how far he could see underwater and both of us following the trails in the sand Dugongs leave as they graze. We spotted some little creatures bobbing their heads up into the air. Chasing after them with our dingy we discovered they were sea turtles and we loved snorkeling for ages watching them. I liked watching Eric dive down to interact with them. They were amazing things. We really got to see them up close as they came to the surface to breathe.
Still our search for the Dugong was on, and after a snack back at the boat we began moving around in our dinghy. A little bit taken aback by some snorkelers who said they had been here for a couple of months and only seen the dugong once, and that it was hit and miss. We hoped we'd be lucky..
And then we saw it, a broad brown back and flash of gleaming tail. Half walrus, half dolphin with a giant bulbous nose and sucker fishes (remora) all along it which looked almost like its little babies. It moved along slowly eating the sea grass on the bottom, a large creature about the length of Eric - but much fatter - fascinating to watch, and fast when it wanted to be. We watched it for a while, following it around until its pace was too quick for us to keep up and the last we saw of it was it's big tail and tendrils of hangers-on disappearing into the distance.
Dugongs are endangered species and easy prey. Similar to manities that live near Florida. Only this month some cruisers told us that they saw some dead dugongs in the forest with some spears in them. And as the lonely planet guide presents- seeing sea turtles and dugongs reminds you all about what conservation is about. Protecting this unusual species is hard here with chief jurisdiction being important. The large central government has trouble using its jurisdiction to protect Dugongs and other species and with the localised choices of conservation different rules apply to different places you live. For example later we found out that there is a one million Vatu fine out for killing sea turtles imposed by the government, yet its still apparently common practice and we are told the village across the bay claims it has a 15 kills per year quota which the chief imposes, obviously contradictory facts.
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10/29/2009, Lamen Bay
Last night we went ashore to finally experience the Vanuatu alcohol equivalent Kava. Kava is found everywhere in Vanuatu, a plant that you drink the crushed up roots with water. The Kava bars marked by a hanging lamp - often red. Anywhere with a hanging light sells Kava, measured by the coconut shell, 50 Vatu (about 70c NZ) buys a quarter-shell and 100 Vatu for a full half-shell. When the Kava runs out the light is extinguished and the men often move on to another kava bar with lamp still lit. Kava affects are similar to that of marijuana- and Ella wonders why marijuana is illegal here if it has the same effects as the abundant Kava. We sat around in the dark with local men in the Nakamal. It was clear that an extensive male tradition focused around the bonding of this drug.
Its bitter taste makes your mouth numb, and tradition dictates it needs to be sculled quickly to avoid the taste. Then you eat something to hide the taste. It is surprisingly easy to scull and is followed by waiting for the effects to take place. We were cautious of the amounts we drank knowing we had to navigate to our boat later. The sensation was odd and a little too hard to describe.
One man enjoying Kava with us, by the name Eric who had been fruit-picking in NZ (definitely a recurring theme here) quickly became friends, answering our many questions. A significant percent of the village's men leave here to go to New Zealand for our winter to fruit pick.
Women are allowed Kava here but not in the Nakamel (kava bar) that we were at. Also it felt like an age limit of 21 as we learned Eric had started drinking Kava at that age. All of a sudden Ella felt really unwelcome, not only female but under 21, illegally here? Nonetheless we had our shells and waited for the light to be put off to show that the kava was all gone.
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10/28/2009, Lamen Bay, Epi
Currently we are sitting in the cockpit, drinking Gin and Tonic, eating taro chips and fresh papaya brought to us by an outrigger canoe, and refreshed from our recent snorkel exploring the coral. Our search for a friendly Dugong so far has not met with success, it's an underwater cow-like animal that, we are told, lives in this bay. We found some snake-like tracks on the sandy bottom that bear some resemblance to the Dugong's tracks we have been told of and we will keep searching, maybe tomorrow with some local support we'll have more luck.
Earlier we went ashore on Epi, as we sat for lunch on the pretty shells we soon realised they were alive. They all began to move - tiny hermit crabs in every single one of the shells.
Furthermore we keep bumping into people who look pretty embedded into the Vanuatu lifestyle, yet have spent seasons working in New Zealand orchards, fruit picking. Who knew so many of our migrant force came from Vanuatu? Or rather the population is so small here. We always ask whether they are treated okay, knowing very well of our laws that don't protect the immigrant labour force from being exploited. However so far the people respond - yes it was good, happy to have had an experience of travel. In this village the elders ensure that all the men get a chance to go to New Zealand, ensuring the experience is shared around. An elder man said to us - though "You wouldn't find people like this in New Zealand, you know just lying in the hammock chatting in the middle of the day, everyone's working all the time". His experience of NZ mirrors what we have felt sometimes traveling here, you definitely notice a difference.
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