In Port Vila we had heard about a cultural festival on Ambrym the ‘BlackMagic’ island to the north, so we left Port Vila midafternoon to round Devils Point at low tide then made the overnight run to Ranon Bay on Ambrym Island arriving at 0900, just in time for the scheduled ROM Dance at 1000… It turns out the festival was in another village further north and it was no small thing getting there. Undaunted, Wendy managed to arrange transport by pickup and a guide over the phone, all while I was driving into the anchorage. Well, the truck was delayed delivering a cow to slaughter (there was still blood in the back where I sat) and the ride to the next village was an hour over a steep, muddy jungle track and another 15 minutes into the unmarked bush. Finally, the truck stopped in the middle of nowhere and our guide told us to get out and start walking… and btw, mind the huge pig trussed to a pole lying there. At this point I thought we might be robbed... or worse, end up like the pig. Clearly, as I’m writing this now, my fears were unfounded. A short way down the path was a large open area of pounded earth surrounded by Tamtams (a native totem drum) and crude seating. This was the ceremonial festival grounds.

Over the next two days we enjoyed numerous native dances and ceremonies. We saw several chiefs perform grade taking rituals to elevate their ranks in the tribes. Part of this ritual requires the chief to climb onto an elevated platform and dance around whilst dodging coconuts thrown by their tribesman below. One guy had a really good arm and nearly took the big chiefs head off! There were also assorted men’s and women’s dances and singing. Many of these had a purpose such as: mourning the dead, asking for a bountiful harvest, or just beating a work rhythm. There was a drumming demonstration on the Tamtams which are used both musically and for jungle communication. And we were fortunate enough to see the showcase ROM dance with their elaborate masks and costumes. There was also local food and crafts for sale. The wood carvers and stone sculptors of Ambrym are renowned for their skill and we bought several examples while we were there.

On our way out of Ranon Bay we had heard of a geothermal hot springs just a few miles down the coast at Baouma Point. Did I mention that Ambrym boasts two active volcanoes? What we found was a cool rocky grotto with an innocent looking pool that was probably just a tad less than boiling and surrounded by a quicksand bank that sucks the unwary into a parboiled demise… Much more pleasant was to sit downstream of this pool, finding we could adjust the temperature by moving closer to the pool or the sea. Here we spent a very pleasant hour soaking until our fingers wrinkled. We then moved up to Dip Point Cove for the night and to get an early start headed for Epi Island.