Posted by Niels on August 06, 2007

DAY 164  One Vanuatu Volcano

There are many active volcanoes in the world but only a few erupt as regular and consistent as Yasur volcano on Tanna island, Vanuatu. From the moment we arrived in Eastern Tanna, we had heard the grumbling of the old man - which is what Yasur freely translates to. A sound very much like thunder, sometimes accompanied by minor tremors. So it was with roaring anticipation (pun intended ;-) that we set out to climb the mountain leaving a few hours before sunset to see it both in daylight and at night.

As the volcano was at a safe level, we could walk all the way up to the crater rim and take a prime seat on the edge in the black ash/sand to watch nature's fireworks. And Yasur did not disapoint! The grumblings we had heard on the ground were more like explosions up at the top. The activity level teetered between mere bubbling lava - not visible, but audible - and massive explosions. There would be a series of eruptions where glowing rocks were thrown to perhaps 50 meters/yards above the vent and then the old man would take a rest, which we at first mistook for a sign that the show was over. Not so much. He would then really let it rip with a huge explosion hurdling thousands of molten rocks sky high, some going much higher than the crater rim we were sitting on.

It was an exciting yet humbling experience to be so close to nature's fury. Very different from the slow lava flows we had seen in Hawaii - but very much like Stromboli volcano in the Mediterranean Sea. In fact, Yasur was so exciting that I could not resist climbing him again a few days later - our guesthouse was so close with only an hour walk to the top.

About an equal distance from our guesthouse, but on level ground, one of the destructive effects of Yasur's fireworks could be clearly seen: a large ash plain that stretches on for miles. Formerly the area was a freshwater lake, but a cyclone caused the lake to drain a few years ago leaving behind a large flat expanse laden with volcanic ash. It was an impressive experience to walk across the barren ash plain and be surrounded by black sand and ash almost as far as you could see. Almost perfectly conical Yasur rising out of the black, topped by billowing white clouds against a stark blue afternoon sky, was truly an amazing sight.

Posted by Niels & Amy on July 23, 2007

DAY 153  Afloat in Vava'u

Most people would probably agree that being the captain of your own boat is the best way to see Vava'u. For us however, that meant going about on a simple, borrowed, plastic kayak complete with disfunctional paddle. Regardless, the natural beauty of the region more than compensates for the minor inconveniences. For the last week, we have based ourselves on a Southern stretch of beach on Utungake Island in Vava'u and explored the sparkling water and offshore islets.

Our daily strugges are comprised of deciding when to go for a paddle, what provisions to go to town for, and travel planning and documenting. This is the life and we keep trying to take everything in to the fullest while we can, far away from all the chaotic hustle and bustle of the developed world.

For the first time in our trip, we have crossed paths with fellow travellers who are also on a South Pacific, extended itinerary. It is interesting and entertaining to share and truly understand each others travel stories. We have even met several of the same quirky people along our routes!

Apologies for the delay in updating the website and responding to messages sent through this site. During our time in Tonga, we were unable to access our webiste for some strange reason (probably the rumored censoring by the Tongan government - we do not know with what sites we share our server) which made updating too difficult.

More than 5 months in, we are still thoroughly enjoying ourselves, most of the time. We have managed to not run out of money yet but the hardest daily struggle is staying on budget. The challenge of being together nearly 24/7 is still being met and we are still happily married - though at times, both in desperate need of some space :). We have learned to be able to mentally separate ourselves even if physically constrained in a small hut of woven palm fronds.

The vistas of lush vegetation, palm trees, and all shades of blue and green seas continue to amaze us. Sun and heat have become a daily need and we have clearly adapted to the climate as when the temperature drops to around 25C/75F, we are shivering while donning our long sleeved shirts and pants! Time passes, not too fast nor too slow, strangely it feels like it is just right. Perhaps that is because we are able to take so much time at the destinations we visit. Occasionally we have fleeting thoughts of what we will do and where we will settle when we end our time in the South Pacific but we do not linger on that as we are focused on being in the here and now and we are are just plain happy.

We are now back in Fiji after a day of travelling (both sick) from Vava'u - not recommended. Today we spent all day at the airport figuring out flights and iteneraries (or in other words: how can we get where we want to go for the least amount of money). Not wasting any time, we are flying on to Vanuatu tomorrow where we will spend a few weeks before making a sidestep to the Solomon Islands before spending some more time in Vanuatu. Stay tuned - There should be some more good pictures to be had there ;-)

Posted by Niels & Amy on July 23, 2007

DAY 142  Now THAT'S Rustic

We got a little more than we bargained for when we wished for true adventure, authentic cultural experiences, and undeveloped tourism to come our way during our stay in Tonga. Tucked away on the most Western side of the Vava'u group of islands is a little known island called Hunga. Through someone we previously met in Neiafu, we were able to arrange to stay with a family living in the one village on Hunga. (Population 300) The only transportation method for us there was by a smallish boat owned by the village and dramatically underpowered by an outboard of what could not have been more than 25 horsepower. This boat appeared to be full. We should have realilzed by now that full as we know it is about half-full in these parts. People were literally piled on every square inch of flat space: on deck, on the roof, on the sides, and under the small build-up. After some shuffling around, space was made for us near the stern and we braced ourselves for the ride. Fortunately, the sea was remarkably calm. After almost two hours at full throttle we did eventually arrive at Hunga Island. From the jetty, we scrambled up the hill on a muddy track. (There are no roads or cars on the island) That is when we first were confronted with... the outhouse. So, we went on many bush walks during our stay on Hunga Island.

The village was very primitive and the house we stayed in was certainly no exception. There it stood, looking almost as unsightly as the outhouse and in an equal state of filth and disrepair. The family living in the house seemed to lack any real posessions, leave a few tattered mats and shabby dishes. Our room, seemingly the nicest in the house, contained little more than an old, dilapitated, knob-less dresser and a thin, foam mattress but sported sweeping, unobstructed views of the yard - complete with starving horse and... the outhouse.

We filled our four days on Hunga island going on bush walks, a boat 'tour', playing soccer, and drinking kava. The bush walks would not only provide relief but also proved quite informative and entertaining. We were always accompanied by eager, self-appointed guides (young, local village boys) who had an uncanning ability to get lost but just as easily could forge a new trail, ushering us along while hacking down the undergrowth. It was during these walks that we learned Tongan words for everything we saw and taught in return the English words. These walks became a regular affair, similar to having breakfast, lunch and dinner. Unlike the walks, our meals were a whole lot less adventurous. On many occassions the meal consisted of cookies and cabin crackers accompanied by super sweet tea made with strands of grass and lots of sugar. Occassionally, we could 'indulge' in a starch laden platter of the typical Tongan diet of huge root plants that vary little from one to the other in taste and texture. These roots are definitely an acquired taste!

The highlight of our visit to Hunga was hiring a local guy with a small, wooden boat to take us to a petite, uninhabited island about half an hour away. We explored the island on foot, making our way through the thick vegetation to see expansive views and find isolated beaches. After seeing all the island had to offer, we settled on the nicest beach ready for a swim and some rest. Unfortunately, one of the boys who was with us got horribly stung by what later turned out to be a box jellyfish. He ran out of the water in excruciating pain, which to the other Tongans with us seemed nothing but hillarious. From what we have seen, many rural Tongans - no matter what age - remain child-like, not seeming to outgrow the mental state of, say, a 12 year old. Our immediate suggestion of dousing the sting with urine (the folk remedy against jelly stings) was laughed away (neither of us could go and even so, it would have been completely faux-pas for either of us to have done it) so the poor kid remained in pain. We all loaded into the boat and made for the village. At one point, when the boat driver decided he needed a smoke, the sting victim, appaulingly, had to fetch the cigarette for him! A frustrating ending to an otherwise wonderful day. After 4 hours, the pain subsided for the boy that was stung but he was sporting huge welts.

When the day came around for us to leave, our host tried to trick us into staying another one or two nights by saying the early morning boat had already left. Unfortunately for him, we have been on the road long enough to smell a scam and we made a run for the boat jetty immediately. We were half way back to Neiafu before he could realize we didn't fall for his feeble ploy.

Overall, we had a memorable, lovely time on Hunga and we were fortunate to see and experience first hand, true Tongan culture. However, it remains difficult for us to understand how many villagers are perfectly content filling their days doing absolutely nothing else than sleeping and eating, lacking ambition and the ability to think beyond a few days into the future.

Posted by Niels & Amy on July 4, 2007

DAY 134  Making Bubbles in Tonga

Last Thursday we touched down in the Kingdom of Tonga. Through a string of good fortune, things fell into place: a much needed, long awaited package was actually waiting for us at the post office in Tongatapu and at the airport we were able to walk up, buy a ticket, and fly out to the islands of Vava'u, North of Tongatapu, the same day!
After arriving in Neiafu (Tonga's second largest city with a population of 5650) our good fortune continued as we stumbled upon affordable accommodation that is basically a self contained apartment attached to a house. We are so happy to have a bit of space again, cooking facilities, and the luxury of a warm, indoor shower. The extremely friendly and helpful Austrian owner that moved here some 25 years ago (and married a local) is at our beck and call making sure we are taken care of and he is always at the ready to help arrange things for us.

In contrast to our last destination, the people are very friendly and approachable. We plan to spend a fair amount of time in the islands of Vava'u - hopefully some of it within the traditional villages.

As we write this we are still exhilarated from an afternoon of diving. We finally are able to allow ourselves to spend the money and fully take in the underwater world that we have been missing out on. We dove yesterday and today and it was fantastic. The coral is healthy and abundant and the sea life is thriving. Today we saw loads of sharks. We decended into a cavern while the dive master used a torch to highlight 5 white-tip reef sharks circling with a school of fish. We hung out quite close for a few minutes and then swam out of the cavern through a tunnel. Shortly thereafter - when we were swimming along a wall - 4 sizeable (approx. 6 foot in length) gray reef sharks appeared out of the deep blue below us. It was amazing. We have seen things here that we have not seen elsewhere - the most fascinating was the Electric Fire clam, a rather large, orange shell with bright orange tentacles and a fluorescent blue, lightning like light shimmering around its mouth. Needless to say, we will be splurging on a few more dives :).

Posted by Niels & Amy on June 19, 2007

DAY 122  Kickin' Back

Days have passed without much ado during our stay back in Samoa. We have spent much of our time on quintessential tropical beaches allowing us to take in even more sun :). It has been relaxing and we have had lovely weather, some spectacular thunderstorms at night, and some good star-watching opportunities.

After a few days in Apia, we split our time back between two 'resorts' (very basic, not flash beach fales that have communal facilities and a restaurant). The first one was on the Southwest coast of Upolu where we stayed in a traditional fale lit by kerosene lantern. It was rustic and had lots of mosquitos but also a wooden swing over the lagoon that was just (picture) perfect. After a few days there we headed for the Southeast coast and had an even better time. For a fair price, we had a fale right on the beach where we slept with the breeze blowing through and the surf lulling us to sleep. As relaxing and lovely as it has been, we are very much ready to move on to Tonga where we hope to find a home for our more adventurous spirits. If Tonga does not deliver, we will fast-track out of there back to Fiji.