Juju Mamas

The Last Supper

2013-01-02T13:40:00.000-08:00

During our stay in Port Vila this time we had copped a lot of rain...and when it rains it pours here. The day of our departure however was so perfect that I almost wished it wasn't! We decided to have a lunch at Chill Restaurant, one of our favourite spots in town with a magnificent view of the harbour. I was feeling very sad to leave this place but I knew I would be back as I just can't get enough of Vanuatu!!

Yu nogat wan tingting?

2012-12-25T15:12:00.000-08:00

It was our last day in Port Vila. We came across this 'fala' as we were waiting for a local bus. To me he is the typical Ni-Van local you might come across in Port Vila. Friendly, jovial and 'sharp as a tack'! He let me photograph his T shirt which happens to be a favourite of mine. It is just a bit of Bislama street talk. Bislama is a form of Pidgin English and is easy to pick up 'Yu nogat wan tingting?'...it pretty much means 'Have you got an idea?' or 'What do you reckon?' The answer to that is 'I stret nomo!' or 'No worries!' would be the easiest translation. The whole thing has been shortened down to 'Stret nomo' or just 'Stret' being used as a form of greeting or goodbye. We often say goodbye to the local Ni-Vans using 'Stret' or 'Stret nomo' and they say ' Yu local?"

Catch of the Day

2012-12-21T14:55:00.000-08:00

The catch of the day was a baby stingray. The mama cut it's spike out with her knife.....it didn't look like she was very careful with that knife with the amount of plasters on her fingers!!

The Stash

2012-12-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

They had managed to gather up a great little stash of seafood and they looked like they were having a lot of fun doing it.

Looking for Shellfish

2012-12-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

I found some mamas and pikininis looking for shellfish at the water's edge. They were very friendly as all Ni-Vans are and we started having a chat.

Fatumaru Bay

2012-12-04T14:12:00.002-08:00

I noticed a group of Ni-Vans further down the foreshore. Not being one to miss a photo opportunity I ventured down there to have a look to see what they were up up to.

Spot the Coral Motel!

2012-12-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

We always stay at the Coral Motel when we visit Port Vila which is on the other side of Fatumaru Bay. We had fun trying to locate the hotel from this side of the bay.

Local Sports Field

2012-11-29T13:39:00.000-08:00

The torrential rain that we had been experiencing had made a pool out of a sports field but it didn't seem to deter this young group.

Malapoa

2012-11-27T13:43:00.001-08:00

Malapoa Point is a suburb of Port Vila overlooking Fatumaru Bay. We always stay in a motel that is across the bay from there. We had had a lot of torrential rain during our visit there so during a break in the weather we decided to drive over there in our little rental car to check it out.

Lukim Yu Afta

2012-11-25T13:36:00.000-08:00

We finally left the recording studio...we could have stayed there all day except for the heat. Not that outside was that much better as Vanuatu is a very humid and sticky place at the best of times. We said our goodbyes to Joe and his mates. We could now add Joe to our list of friends in Vanuatu! That is the easiest thing to do in Vanuatu......making friends. I guess that's why I love the place so much!!

Willy White

2012-11-24T13:54:00.002-08:00

Willy White, the sound engineer, was doing a great job. It was so much fun watching the recording of a string band in Vanuatu even though we nearly suffered a meltdown in the recording studio with the aircon not working. It was much worse for the boys in the sound booth of course but they were doing their best and their best was great!!

History of Vanuatu Stringband

2012-11-17T16:50:00.000-08:00

As I took photos my husband chatted to Joe. Apparently he was a founding member of the Wan Smolbag Theatre in Port Vila which does so much for the community including health and environmental issues. He is a wealth of knowledge and told us how it was the American influence during World War II that started the string band music scene in Vanuatu. The Ni-Van started making their own string instruments after seeing the guitars, banjos and ukeleles that the US troops brought with them. The first string instruments were made out of boxes from US cargo.

Letaka String Band

2012-11-13T14:06:00.001-08:00

The String Band they were recording were from Pentecost Island and they were called the Letaka String Band. The air conditioning in the studio had broken down and it was hot as hell in there. Joe invited me into the booth with the musicians to take some pics. It was even hotter in there so I nearly asphyxiated trying to get some good shots.

String Band Recording

2012-11-12T14:38:00.001-08:00

Joe's real name is Joe Tjiobang but everyone calls him Joe Bong. Joe invited us up to his recording studio which was is situated directly behind the Port Vila Police Station. His recording studio had been emptied out as well.....right under the nose of the coppers. Joe is obviously very resourceful though and had managed to find some gear and a sound engineer was busy recording a string band when we arrived!

Joe Bong

2012-11-11T14:19:00.000-08:00

It wasn't long before Joe Bong turned up and what a great guy he turned out to be. Joe does so much for the arts in Vanuatu. In fact he is the Head of the Music Federation and the Arts Association of Vanuatu which he himself formed. He is the owner of Bistaveos Productions which produce all the music and videos from Vanuatu. But alas when we met Joe some rivals who wanted to start their own music studio had helped themselves to most of his gear! He could still manage a smile and a laugh with us.

Bistaveous Productions

2012-11-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

We found the office but the door was locked and there was no sign of life. We asked a couple of questions at the Handicraft Market and before long a lady appeared to take charge. She was the sister of the owner of Bistaveous Productions and she called him on his mobile phone for us and then told us he was on his way!

Women's Handicraft Centre

2012-11-04T14:33:00.000-08:00

We were directed to the Women's Handicraft Centre which was just down the road on the Lini Highway. Apparently the office of Bistaveos Productions was located at the back of the Handicraft Centre. So off we went....on a little adventure.

Jean-Marcs's Store

2012-11-03T16:01:00.000-07:00

Our first stop was Jean-Marcs's store in Chinatown. Jean Marc's store is the place to go if you are looking for Vanuatu String Band music so we decided to ask them there where we might find Bistaveos Productions. There is always a soccer game or something playing on the big screen inside the store so there is always a group of Ni-Vans hanging around...

Vanuatu String Band Music

2012-11-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

I have visited Vanuatu several times now and every time I go I make sure to pick up a few CDs of Vanuatu String Band music. Dokowia, Tokosowia, Lautano II, Jipijiroa and Dausake are just to name a few. These bands are always produced by Bistaveos Productions I had noticed and so are their video clips which I love to view on YouTube. One day during our stay in Port Vila we decided to seek out Bistaveos Productions to meet the people who make the music we love so much.

Mele Bay

2012-10-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

We reached Mele Bay and pulled over to take some pics. It was getting late in the afternoon but we only had to drive along Devils Point Road and we would be back in Vila.

Clems Hill

2012-10-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

On the last leg of the journey we drove down Clems Hill which is famous for it's steepness. Something you wouldn't have wanted to attempt before the sealed road was built. We got a great view of Mele Bay and Hideaway Island. The weather hadn't improved on this side of the island and it looked like we were in for a very soggy evening!

Back on the Road Again

2012-10-23T14:34:00.001-07:00

The boys changed the tyre and we were back on the road again. We were on the last stretch now and heading back to Port Vila.

Flat Tyre

2012-10-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

When we got back to our rental car we discovered we had a flat tyre. We were so lucky that the rain hadn't started again as the boys changed the tyre.

Farewell to Havannah Harbour

2012-10-16T15:08:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful time hanging out with our new Ni-Van friends. We said goodbye to Charlotte, Tok Tok Tumas and the rest of the pikininis and we headed back to our little rental car.

Rangas

2012-10-09T14:33:00.000-07:00

A couple of the pikininis were red headed sistas. We call redheads 'Rangas' in Australia...from the red kangaroo. You see a lot of 'rangas' in Vanuatu...they must be a throwback from somewhere....