I Love Vanuatu

Community Life

2014-12-11T18:39:00.000-08:00

I love the warm and friendly atmosphere of village life in Vanuatu. Everybody looks after one another in the community.

Village Bush Kitchen

2012-11-27T13:50:00.001-08:00

I love the bush kitchens in the villages in Vanuatu. This one is in a village in Pango. DJ Sinox is a well known DJ in Vanuatu!

Mother Hubbards

2012-11-24T14:05:00.001-08:00

I love the Women's Handicraft Centre in Port Vila. It is a thrive of activity with the Mamas busy sewing their Mother Hubbard dresses on hand cranked sewing machines...that is when they aren't napping under the tables.

Aelan Gel

2012-11-11T14:35:00.002-08:00

I love the beautiful children of Vanuatu. They are very quiet and shy and so well behaved. I guess that is because they don't spoil their children in Vanuatu .....they can't afford to. This gorgeous 'aelan gel' is from Epau Village in Efate.

Fresh Produce

2012-11-04T14:42:00.001-08:00

I love all the fresh produce you can buy at the market in Port Vila. All organic...no pesticides...nothing is frozen...fresh fresh fresh!!!

Aelan Dres for Sale

2012-10-23T14:41:00.001-07:00

There are also plenty of aelan dreses for sale as well if you didn't want to make your own. A lot of these Asian stores have a Ni-Van lady working instore sewing up these dresses.

Lini Highway

2012-10-18T15:26:00.000-07:00

I love wandering along the Lini Highway at Tebakor which is a little way out of town in Port Vila. There are a string of stores there that are worth a scrounge in. Or course there is plenty of aelan fabric everywhere....too many choices!

Aelan Fabric

2012-10-16T15:38:00.000-07:00

I love the aelan fabric that is sold in about every store in Port Vila. All the mamas wear aelan dresses and they are quite often home made so there is a big market for fabric, laces, ribbons and haberdashery in general in Vanuatu. Every mama seems to own a hand cranked sewing machine and knows how to sew an 'Aelan Dres' or 'Mother Hubbard' as they are also called.

Gudfala Rice

2012-10-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

I love the Bislama language of Vanuatu. It is a form of Pidgin English and I find it sooo cute! This is a prime example...gudfala rice simply means good rice.

Cheap Tumas!

2012-10-06T15:16:00.002-07:00

I love the large Asian grocery stores that are scattered along the Lini Highway in Port Vila. They sell everything from groceries to bedding. I also love their handmade Bislama signs to encourage you to buy a product!

Yu nogat wan tingting?

2012-09-27T15:17:00.001-07:00

I love learning 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 love it!

On the Line

2012-09-15T16:22:00.000-07:00

I love the Mother Hubbard or Aelan dresses that they wear in Vanuatu. Here are some newly washed dresses hanging on some lines in a village in Pango, Port Vila.

Aelan Washing

2012-09-08T16:23:00.001-07:00

I love the Mamas of the villages in Vanuatu. They work so hard as they have no mod cons but they will always have a big smile for you! I met this Mama in a village in Pango, Port Vila as she was hand washing some clothes.

God Care For Me

2012-08-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

I love taking photos of graffiti in Vanuatu...this was on the inside of a door in a little one roomed shack in a village in Pango.

Mele Bay

2012-08-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

I love Mele Bay which is on the outskirts of Port Vila. It is a nice drive to get there too on the Devils Point Road as it is tar sealed all the way....

Driving in the Rain

2012-08-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

I love the way the bus drivers know every pot hole in Port Vila. The pot holes in Port Vila are just filled with crushed coral so when it rains it just turns to mush. Somehow the buses (which are vans really) just drive around the potholes as they know where they are. It can look like a real melee but they somehow seem to know where they are going....

Chinatown

2012-08-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

I love the little shops in Chinatown, Port Vila. They sell lots of cheap rubbish but there is nothing like a scrounge to see if there is anything worthwhile.

Charlotte

2012-08-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

I love Charlotte, a beautiful Mama from Havannah Harbour in North Efate. I met her while she was looking after the bunch of pikininis in my last post on our trip around the island. I'm sure they all weren't hers!

Gone Fishin'

2012-08-01T15:36:00.000-07:00

I love the beauty of Havannah Harbour and watching the little pikininis catch their fish.

Coca Cola Bottles

2012-07-31T20:05:00.001-07:00

I love the American World War II Coca Cola bottles that you can buy at the World War II Mueseum in Havannah Harbour, North Efate. The bottles have the year and the name of the city they were produced. eg: San Francisco, 1942. All the pieces of World War II memorabilia at the museum have come from the under the harbour itself.

Havannah Harbour

2012-07-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

I love Havannah Harbour on North Efate. It was an American Naval base in World War II and there is a lot of history under that water but you wouldn't know it by looking at it!

World War II Museum

2012-07-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

I love the World War II Museum at Havannah Harbour, North Efate. It has heaps of memorabilia that has been found in the harbour. The US had been using Efate as an a base in World War II and at the end of the war they offered the Condiminium government of the time all there equipment that they would leave behind for a very low price. The government refused thinking they would have to leave it behind anyway. The Americans just pushed everything into Havannah Harbour.

A Bunch of Ni-Vans.... & Bananas

2012-07-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

I love the village life of the Ni-Van. These guys are never going to starve as there is food everywhere for the taking. You just need a machete and a bit of jungle!

Aelan Takeaway

2012-07-14T16:01:00.000-07:00

I love the way the Ni-Van wrap their aelan kaekae for takeaway. There was a beautiful meal of fish and rice inside this banana leaf.

Fresh Coconut Juice

2012-07-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

I love the fresh coconut juice that you can get all over Vanuatu. This mama is preparing some coconuts ready for drinking at the Epau Village Market Stall on the Efate Ring Road. It is such a nice refreshing drink and so healthy.