VANUATU JUNE-JULY 2013

Kasia Odell

The things that make up this wonderful place called Vanuatu are not measured by the wealth of the country, how much effort they put in to making resorts for tourists, the pot holes in the roads or the fact there are no traffic lights. But, by the down-to-earth people that you meet, the gorgeous scenery that you come across and the little towns you discover while making your 3-hour journey around the entire main island.

As we were flying over the island about to land at the Port Villa airport, the stunning beaches, aqua coloured water, beautiful trees, mountains and volcanoes took my breath away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To be perfectly honest, you would think that Vanuatu is just a simple island with a small population and a reputation for being a great tropical getaway. But, in reality that is not the case. The French once owned Vanuatu and when the island gained independence 33 years ago, the French left them with nothing, no money and a poor government, which is still present to this day. Now, you are probably thinking, “Oh well, I am never going to go there”, but even though the country is still suffering it is by far the best place I have ever travelled to.

The best day from the best holiday ever was the day we drove around the whole island of Efate. We had been there for about half a week when we journeyed to our first stop, a waterfall called The Mele Cascades. We drove for 20 minutes out of town discovering more poverty that lay in the depth of the forest, it didn’t bother me though, and we drove with our windows down waving at literally everyone that past. When we arrived at the waterfall we had to walk a fair way on slippery rocks and muddy ground but it was all worth it.

The closer I got to the waterfall, the louder the water crashing down on the surface of the river got.

The view was amazing and the best part was, there were no restrictions, you could go anywhere you liked, climbing upon rocks and sitting right underneath the falling water, it felt so free, although to some it may come as a safety hazard. 

 Our next stop was a small beach we had visited a few days before, but it was so beautiful we had to return. Most of the beaches on Vanuatu are privately owned so we had to pay a small fee to use it. It was quiet and secluded, with rock edge surrounding the beach turning it into a small cove. The water was crystal clear and pumas stone acted as sand, which was really interesting because I had never seen a beach covered in pumas stone until then. 

On our drive back into town we came across the most amazing view of the island:

 

One of the things I loved most about Vanuatu was how the locals hung out there washing. It always seemed to be in order of size and sometimes even colour-coordinated.

Before we went home to our villa we stopped at the market for some pineapple and papaya. 

Although Vanuatu isn’t the richest island in the world, with perfect roads, it is still an amazing place that I would defiantly recommend visiting. It really makes you appreciate what you have because some of the people who live there have nothing at all. I love being able to say that I stayed there!