Off the northeast corner of Malekula lies Vao Island. Our anchorage was off their main beach between the island and the Malekula mainland. It was a tight, but secure anchorage, although the tidal currents were enough to move the boat around against the wind much of the time. Many people go back and forth everyday either working in their gardens or going for supplies on the mainland, or teachers coming to work at the Mission school on the island.

We had read that Vao was home to a number of wood carvers. As we walked ashore we began to see signs of wood carving as there were a number of carved totems, etc. Cindy immediately named Vao "island of the big trees". They were amazing and obviously provided a great source of wood for the carvings.

We walked over to the Catholic Mission and Primary School. Here we got to see more signs of wood carving decorating the area. Everyone was outside in an open air pavilion and they explained to us that a group of Dentists were at the island from New Caledonia and all the kids were getting instructions on taking care of their teeth along with a tooth brush and tooth paste. We met a number of people in the village. They were always quick to offer fruits and vegetables from their garden. In return, we would ask what they needed and we would then trade. In one case we traded line for halters for cows and in another case an old jib sheet for use as an anchor line for one of the boats.

We were told to feel free to walk around the island so we set off following a path through the woods. You never know what you might find and everyone we saw we asked and again it was confirmed that we could walk and that there were no Taboo areas we must avoid. We came across several obvious ceremonial areas, where there were again numerous carvings. The trees were amazing and gave the whole area a surreal feel. Unfortunately, there are no road signs on the paths and so at each fork we had to make decisions about which way to go - often times choosing wrong and having to retrace our steps. Eventually, we gave up on the idea of walking around the island and made our way back to the school, and eventually the beach. There we met Lucy. Lucy is the daughter of the Chief of the village on the beach. She explained that she also served as a tour guide and would be glad to take us on a tour the next day.

We met Lucy on the beach the following morning. We apologized for being a little late and noted that two young men had come to the boat and wanted to sell us shells. We had explained that the shells were too big for us and that they may be taken by Biosecurity Officers when we cleared into other countries. They asked if they could come aboard and have their picture taken on the boat. We introduced ourselves to one another and the they had us take pictures of them on the boat, clowning around like any young guys. When Lucy heard the story, she asked us to point out who the boys were. They had just come ashore when we did and were still on the beach. She brought them over and dressed them down, explaining to us that they had not been honest about their names. She then gathered all the people on the beach together and explained what they had done - obviously embarrassing and shaming the boys for their behavior. She explained that her father as the Chief and she as her father's daughter were responsible for us, since we were anchored off their beach and visiting them. At that point we knew we liked Lucy and that she was a no non-sense type of person!

We set off with Lucy on a walk through the village and around the island. She showed us the Mission church, explaining it's history. She took us to meet her father who was recovering from a mild stroke. She also took us to see several wood carvers who brought out their art for us to see. We somehow managed to walk along paths that we had not taken the afternoon before, seeing new places, including more carvings and ceremonial areas. Along the way we came across a young man that was obviously distraught. Lucy talked with him for a bit and he continued on. Lucy explained to us that his mother and father had died unexpectedly and that he had returned to the island from Port Vila where he and his sister were in school. He was trying to earn money to pay tuition and allow his sister to stay in school. But he was not able to find the necessary cash. She explained that while the village was aware of the issue, it was hard for them to help pay the tuition costs. The cyclones had devastated their coconut trees (typically takes 5 years for them to start producing), and the copra was their only way to make a little money. Once again we were reminded that these people had only recently begun to move from a subsistence way of living to that of a cash based society where you needed to earn money to pay for what you needed. After the walk we took Lucy and her daughters out to the boat for snacks. It was really fun getting to know Lucy and gaining more insights to her village. Cindy and I decided to make a donation for the young man's efforts to fund his sister's education, challenging the village as a whole to come together and match our donation. Lucy accepted responsibility for doing this through the church. She was obviously touched by our offer, and we knew she was up to the challenge.