Mokisha

We’ve arrived in Luganville, Espirto Santo – back to 3G internet service!

Over the course of the last month we’ve visited 4 islands. The Maskelynes were great. We snorkeled a giant clam reserve, met a doctor & her husband from New Zealand & enjoyed a traditional feast in one of the villages. The people were so welcoming & loved showing us around the island. I even found some fresh veggies – something we usually can’t get. Our weather had not been the best though & we had to high tail it to a very protected anchorage – leaving sooner than we had wanted to…..Port Sandwich next!
We were in Port Sandwich, Malakula (Mal-A-Koola) for 10 days because of 25-30 knot winds & 12 ft. waves. Not fun weather to sail in! While in Port Sandwich we met a lot of the locals – all very warm & sweet people. Tom tried to help one of the tiny villages with their solar system. Unfortunately, the battery & controller ended up completely fried. We gave them one of our old solar panels in hopes that they will be able to get a new controller & a battery. The most interesting thing about the solar system is that the entire village uses it to charge their cell phones – the most important issue they have. Most villages in Vanuatu don’t have running water, electricity, no furniture or beds, they live in tiny flimsy houses but everyone has cell phones!
Eventually, we breathed a sigh of relief when we could finally move on.
From Malakula we headed 12 miles away to the island of Ambrym. It’s the center of sorcery, magic & wood carving in Vanuatu. Our first stop was Double Bay where a big ramp of lava had met the ocean edge. This was an incredible place as bubbles came up everywhere – it felt like you were in a soda can or something. We saw turtles and sharks. The best part was my catch of a 25 lb. Wahoo! Finally, sashimi & fresh fish. We even gave some away because we had so darn much.
In Nopul we attended the Black Magic Festival. There were Tam-Tams (wooden carved statues). The men were dressed, or un-dressed, depending on how you looked at it in traditional nambas (nam-bas – just like it looks). These are penis sheaths & a woven matt around their waist. The women with grass skirts only, no tops. The dancing was phenomenal, particularly the ROM dances where several of the men had on masks & costumes. We have lots of videos. I think this is truly the last frontier in old traditional customs and ways. Chief Sekor led the dancing & chanting. There’s several pictures of him in the photo galley. He even came out to the boat the next night.

Our next island was Pentecost – home of the famous land-divers. Maybe you’ve seen them on National Geographic? The villagers build a tower approx. 90 feet tall. Men strap a vine (yes, you read right!) to their ankles & jump. They jump on Saturdays only in April, May & June. When the plunging diver is about to smash to the ground, the vine stretch out fully & slowly stops the diver as his head brushes the ground, symbolically re-fertilizing the earth for the next crop of yams & a successful harvest. Yam are a main staple & a good harvest is essential. This is where the idea for bungy jumping originally came from. Boys are circumcised when they are 8, they can then make their first jump. Only men are allowed to jump. Unfortunately, we were to late to see the jumping but we were able to see the towers. It would have been mesmerizing to see the males plunge to the earth with only a vine attached to their ankles!

Enjoy the pics in the Picture Gallery!

Love
Colleen & Tom

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Vessel Name:	Mokisha
Vessel Make/Model:	Catalina 38
Hailing Port:	Big Sur, Ca
Crew:	Tom & Colleen
About:	Mokisha & her crew left California in January 2001. Since that time we've explored Mexico, the entire coast of Central America to Panama, often wandering inland to experience the rich cultures and intriguing ancient ruins left from past civilizations. [...] More
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Mokisha's Photos - Main

Mokisha Re-fit Samal Island, 2016

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Created 22 June 2016

Mokisha

Central Vanuatu - 50 days in the "Bush"

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