Fiji the long way with our last QFi JASA.

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Only 2 clinics and frankly I got more out of it than the locals.hopefully there will be some follow up for them.so back to the village-

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Necessity is the mother of invention-

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And that must be the famous Vanuatu "drop crab".Actually a coconut crab.and they are delicious-

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Now mrsdrron's pictures from Loh.She obviously got a lot more than me-

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There is certainly a difference here compared to the Solomons and PNG.The missionaries have had a greater influence here and people seem well fed-

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Where did they get those hats?It is thought they are modelled on Spanish helmets when Mendana and company explored.

 

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The show switched to the beach for the women's water music group-

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So the last of Loh.There was a lot of food put on for us including coconut crab.it was delicious-

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Pia the chef in negotiation to buy coconut crabs for the ship-

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As you may have noticed the day was overcast and there were scattered showers.however by lunchtime the rain began to set in.the swell got larger and I got absolutely drenched on the zodiac ride back to the ship.The afternoon's snorkelling was called off though a hike across the island went ahead.The thought of trekking with the rain pouring down didn't excite me so we stayed on board.

 

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So Wednesday and we arrive at Rano Island,Vanuatu.The ship was able to be anchored on the western side of the island between 2 islands so we were sheltered.Made it an easy zodiac ride to the beach.A very organised village.Productive gardens near their buildings,clean and sign posted for us.Demonstrations set up in the village and on the walk inland to the custom area where the show was to take place.

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We were well and truly in a tropical rainforest meaning tall trees so shaded but also lots of flies,mossies and other cuter animals-

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now we were to see performances from 2 villages.known as the big ans small nambas.now namba is the part of the male anatomy that I must treat with some trepidation.hence there will be only a few photos of the performances.first the big nambas-

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We were first told that the little nambas had decided not to appear.they relented-

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So those are the old and new church being built.

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The sign says it all.

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A shrine.but is that a WW2 coke bottle?

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So time to go back to the ship for lunch before the last snorkelling session in the afternoon.

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But not before a last traditional song-

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Yes such Vanuatu classics as 'When the saints go marching in","You are my Sunshine".

 

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So snorkelling after lunch.the conditions looked perfect but the coral certainly wasn't-

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There were still quite a few fish-

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but then I came across the reason-

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The Crown of Thorns starfish.Apparently there were masses of them in deeper waters.

 

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The last of Rano Island-

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On the way back to the ship we passed some of the performers going home-

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After another really good dinner we were ready for a good sleep.However once the ship got clear of the island we were buffeted by winds up to 70KPH and 2-3 metre swells.It was a very bumpy night with very little sleep.it didn't look good for Tanna where the place to anchor was not protected.

 

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First some shots when leaving Rano island.First of the major island Malekula,the second largest in Vanuatu-

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back to Rano-

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Back to Malekula and the church school-

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Thursday and we arrive off Port Resolution on Tanna Island.Port Resolution was named by Captain Cook when he arrived in his ship Resolution nearly 240 years ago.The swell had not abated but the winds had dropped so the zodiacs could operate.There were 4 yachts anchored in the shelter of Port Resolution.The welcome this time was with 3 fellows playing guitars.One cant help thinking Vanuatu is slowly losing it's traditional culture.Our visit was announced from a tree-

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Then again dances first from the women,then the men and finally both together-

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Back to the peple.It is good to see the children taking part-

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After the performances we were loaded on to the back of pick up trucks and taken to the village.The kids couldn't keep up-

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We were taken to the school who were much more organised than any other village we had been to-

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Once again the children steal the show-

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Now this school has had computers donated by schools in Canberra.Unfortunately there is no reliable power.They have a small generator but it is not sufficient.They are trying to get solar power funded-

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The boarding facilities for those from other villages-

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We were free to stroll around the village-

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The shelves of the general store-

 

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The pigs are fed on coconuts.Coconut pig anyone?

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It was good to see these women weaving as they were a long way from most of us tourists.love the way one uses her foot-

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Most then went back to the ship for lunch.three of us remained on the island.it was a long zodiac ride,very bumpy with a big chance of getting very wet so I did not see the point of doing 2 extra rides.besides I needed exercise more than lunch.I decided to walk back to our landing spot where the afternoon's tour was to leave.Chris the English bird man decided to walk back with me.he really wanted to see the local fruit dove.We could hear them but no sighting.still I saw quite a few species.the scenery though was pleasant-

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