Luganville, Vanuatu

Oh, a million days at sea it felt like after Honolulu. Funafuti, Tuvalu was taken off the itinerary as they do not have proper docking facilities for our ship and the tendering procedure would be likely have even been to difficult to do given the rougher weather that was expected. We finally arrived in Luganville on the island of Espiritu Santo in Vanuatu and it was POURING rain! Just about everyone was frothing at the bit to get off the ship after 7 days at sea, but as they stepped onto the pier most came back after half an hour. BUCKETS of rain. The kind of rain that soaks you as soon as you’re not under an umbrella. Of course, a little bit or even a lot of rain doesn’t scare me in the tropics, so I rented two crew bikes from the ship and made Scott come with me to tour the island. He was resistant to it at first, but I was so excited to get off the ship I didn’t care. As we rode down the gangway with the security team staring in disbelief and every guest and crew member practically gawking at us while they ran back to the ship in droves, it felt wonderful to be on solid land even if we were riding through one giant puddle.
We rode through town, past markets where the townspeople had every type of fruit and vegetable you’ve never heard of, past tiny hardware stores that sold very little and various daytime bars and restaurants. The people were incredibly curious that we were bicycling through and in such wet weather. Every person waved and said hello. I have never encountered such a purely friendly place. We stopped for lunch at one outdoor place that was undercover and tried the local specialty; curried poulet fish. Fish that’s supposed to taste like chicken is a famous dish here, but it wasn’t to my liking so I think next time I’ll try the chicken and perhaps it will taste like fish.

After lunch I decided we needed a goal for the day, so I asked a local what we could do with limited time and that would be feasible on bicycles on such a rainy day. Million Dollar Point was the place recommended to us, so off we went in search of this place that sounded like it would have a gorgeous view and was “the” thing to do around there. After the paved road ended, the map we were given indicated for us to continue in one direction along a potholed, dirt road that cut through the jungle. As we cycled, enjoying the occasional friendly and curious hello from the island folk, we realized that the road had begun to narrow, become more riddled with potholes, and that we hadn’t seen a car or person in at least 20 minutes. Finally, a pickup truck stopped with two men who wanted to help us. We were told to follow them and we would get to our destination. The truck turned off the “main” road into two mudtracks that disappeared into the thicket of jungle and became more and more remote with every turn. At a certain point, I began to feel uncomfortable and concerned that we were being taken and that no one would see us again. Going through puddles as deep as our thighs, we were now completely soaked through with mud and dirt and barely getting through the giant puddles. With one last bump and puddle, the truck turned back to a somewhat paved road and stopped. The two gentlemen got out, told us in broken English that we should ride 50metres to our left and we’d find the entrance to the Point, then if we were to turn right and continue straight down the road we’d find our way back to the ship and town. Still not convinced that we weren’t going to be killed, we thanked the gentlemen and continued to the point. Once there, we saw that it was deserted except for a lone snorkel spout peeking on top of the water 50 feet out. The Point was a beautiful white sand beach with coral pieces and unique shells scattered all along the beach. We realized that it was not really a spectacular view, but if we were to have brought our snorkels and explored underwater – it might’ve been. However, it was a quiet and much enjoyed quiet moment among many busy ports and sea days to come. Later, we learned the reason for the name of Million Dollar point. At the end of WW two, the US military dumped thousands of tonnes of military equipment into the sea at the point, which is now a diver’s paradise.

Hawaii....over a month ago

Today I’m spending a lovely indoor day in the ships’ Library playing librarian for In Port Manning.
We are finished with our first segment LA-SYD and onto the next! I thoroughly enjoyed the South Pacific portion of the journey. Sure, we didn’t have the best weather (rain, loads of it) but warm rain still beats snow and cold rain in Vancouver. Our first stop, Hilo, turned into a Walmart morning adventure hauling a mini-fridge to the room and sparking many passengers to think that indeed, I was really bringing even the kitchen sink. Once all the necessities were out of the way, Scott – the Orchestra Guitarist and I headed out in search of something to do. We met Teresa, our oddball tour guide for the day who would yawn so loudly she sounded like a whale underwater. She took us to a beautiful black sand beach where the locals fished and relaxed in the surf. Next, we went to the local surf beach and watched as a surfing competition got underway. Gorgeous, tanned surf goddesses and gods lazed on the beach with their surfboards waiting for their friends to return from the waves so they could start their barbeque on the beach. The whole scene made me feel like I missed out on a certain lifestyle and that if I could go back to being 19 again, this is how I would live. Next, we went to the National Park & Waterfalls and explored the trails that led to the falls. Scott climbed over the rocks above the falls so he could look right over the rushing water. I was not so brave as I was picturing being hospitalized and uninsured. It was a great day, and Hilo is a place I would love to see more of and spend more time on.

In Honolulu, I took a surf lesson in Waikiki. I’ve been wanting to go for quite some time, but I’ve been wary. It turns out still enjoy it and have a refreshed enthusiasm for surfing since my last experience included being stung by a jellyfish, almost drowning and swallowing more sea water than a fish would be ok with. It was warm water, a hilarious (Rob Schneider-esque in 50 first dates) surf instructor, and the perfect waves for me. Small and easy. Finished the day off with Avocado rolls and Japenese tea. Perfect.