Five reasons why I love Vanuatu

It's no secret that my fragile little mind was blown away by Vanuatu.  here's a few reasons why.

1. Volcanoes. Whether its the splendour of mount Yusar (above), a lava pit on Ambrym or the extinct volcanoe of Ureparpara, I have never experienced such a show of mother natures As the ground shook with every explosion, all I could think was how fragile our existence is.Geology certainly does 'rock.'

2. Creatures of the sea. Turtles, whales, dolphins and dugongs all inhabit this part of the world. Excluding the dugong, I was fortunate to see the others in abundance.

3.  Beautiful people. There may have been exceptions, but on the whole, Vanuatans were warm and friendly to us travellers.

4. Mystical Jungle.

5. Outriggers. Best form of transport. Ever. Instead of riding their bikes around the estate, kids will cruise the waters on these bad boys.

So if you're planning on a trip to the South Pacific, be very careful.  Falling in love with Vanuatu is very easy, you may never want to leave.

Small nambis get their groove on

Yes that is a leaf wrapped around his 'nambis.'  The villagers of Banham bay belong to the 'small nambis' affiliation rather than the 'big nambis' group - who live in land. Many of you who know that nambis means penis might be giggling a little, but  I want to clarify one thing (which needed to in turn be told to me whilst I was sniggering like a little girl); the size of each tribes nambis refers to the decoration size on the genitalia, not the er, package.

In their custom dress the people of Banham Bay were good enough to demonstrate their dancing.  Screened from the main village (women - as in local women - are not permitted to watch) the men's dancing and singing was amazing, full of life and all performers put in their all.

When we watched the women's singing and dancing, I was struck by their dress a lot more.  After the missionaries converted the Vanuatan's, women began to cover up, which is standard practise today. However,when it comes to their customs, the old ways take over. And the old ways, rock the house.

Thank you again Banham Bay for welcoming us into your home.

Banham Bay - Vanuatu

A beautiful place where the Soren Larsen received great hospitality.  

With humble leaders....

 and a picturesque location...

it was a communtiy so special...

 that even the toilets look mystical.

And if you walk a little further into land...

and a waterfall is found

Along with a puppy - can I keep it?

After visiting Banham Bay,  I couldn't wait to see what Vanuatu had in store for us.