PORT VILA!!

From Natalie Riddler 

Port Vila is beautiful, especially the people and the atmosphere. Soon after we arrived we met up with marine biologists Emily and Alison, who had flown here. Emily is to join me for 2 months of the Vanuatu project and Alison is joining the Magic Roundabout team sailing on to the Solomon Islands and PNG. So for the past week, the boat has been filled to the brim with 5 people - pretty crowded and hot!

Sadly there was no time for rest in this paradise alongside the tourists! Not us volunteers, no, there is much work to be done! Cleaning, fixing and general organizing of 101 things and meetings with the Fisheries Department

Unfortunately the boat has been moored less than 15 meters away from a bar on the Water Front! This has been torturous...not able to afford the cocktails but able to watch the tourists spending up large. Maybe one day that will be us! Anyway, it's great to be here so shouldn't complain.

Cruise ships are another bother....tourists clad in clean striped shirts and brilliant white shoes clog the roads, blocking traffic and increasing local prices. It is important in these situations to dress down and scruffy as to avoid being mistaken as one - however not so scrufy as to offend the locals!

The team has been busy working doing Reef Check training at Hideaway Resort. It has been great to finally snorkel on the reef. Alison and Cleo have been training some local Fisheries staff in SCUBA. Chris, Skipper and OceansWatch CEO has been repairing all the damage from the knockdown and today was fixing heavy locks on hatches in preparation for the trip to PNG.

Cleo successfully managed to leave an IMPORTANT Reef Check folder in a red van. Now, red vans are the main method for getting around town (slightly cheaper than taxis). As you can imagine, there are plenty around! So in order to get the folder back we stood on the side of the road waiting for it to come back and stopping about 20 before the right one returned - lucky us!

Other than that I have featured in a string band music video, wrong place at the wrong time but it was fun! Enough said. We have been meeting plenty of other yachties here in Vila, getting the OceansWatch message out!

Yesterday my first host yacht, Waka Taitea arrived! This is the 46' Wharram Tiki that Emily and I will join soon to do surveying and projects on. Waka Taitea means 'white canoe' in Maori and has been built by Isabelle and Schelmi in Whangarei over the past two and a half years. So this is her maiden voyage.

Other than that we are all really enjoying Vanuatu! It is great to be surrounded by such positive people - everyone here has a great vibe. We are looking forward to getting underway and underwater in the coming week!