Cultural experience, Luganville shopping and another big dinner
Tuesday was another big day. Jade and Janice had organised a physio home visit in Luganville, so we had to be all sorted by 1.30. There was a fair bit of washing and tidying up to do after the big night last night, and some preparation for the big night tonight. Lawrence, the local hospital doctor, and Ednah the Medical Santo nurse with a strong public health and TB leaning were coming to dinner with their spouses. Was, Ednah's man, was our driver on the trip up the east coast. He also had entered into an agreement with Michael that he would supply a vehicle for the trip to Big Bay, so we needed to pick up a hire car as well to transport the 13 of us.
The day started with an amazing event. Amanda had arranged for us to visit the house of Rex, the local paramount chief for the community in which their house was situated. Rex is a thin man with a soft voice, an entertaining sense of humour, a past history of "stuffing up" and a newfound devoutness with rejection of his past ways. I had a strong sense of pressure to live life in a solemn and devout way. Rex and his family prepared a traditional meal for us, and his wife Gail and her sister Deni gave us a Bislama lesson. We watched fascinated at the meal was prepared.. Chopped local vegetables, including local spinach was laid onto large palm leaves and coconut mild was generously poured into the mix. Some stones, heated in the fire were placed in too, and the whole lot was wrapped up and more heated stones placed all over the package. Wait 3 hours. Then eat.
I was surprised how quickly the time went- probably because my brain was occupied fully trying to remember and perform Bislama conversations (yes we humiliated ourselves in pairs, trying to converse) Janice had us in stitches with her problems with her baby basket road (Don't ask!) and the conversations were done. After a lovely lunch, Rex gave us some more wisdom and we wandered down the road towards the end of his street. We bumped into a German health worker who had been taken into the fold, and some colleagues threshing through containers of clothes.. Who are these people? It seems that many aid agencies are present in Vanuatu, but there's little communication between them and no co-ordination.
After some stuffing around at home we were soon away again, some of us riding in the back of the utility vehicle like Romans in a chariot race. This is how you get around in Vanuatu and it's quite legal. No seat belts, no seats, just two feet anchored in the back of a ute, with hands gripping the roll bar tightly. While in motion you try to read the traffic ahead, because any accident will either toss you over the roof of your vehicle, or crash you up against the rear of the cabin, depending on whether you were standing or sitting. Despite these risks, it feels GREAT surfing your vehicle down the Main Street of town, waving to everyone who cares to stare, and there are many... seems a group of 13 ageing people from Geelong is a bit of an attraction here.
At the market Peter and I bought fruit for fruit salad, and at the supermarket we found lots of alcohol, icecream, and oddments such as New Zealand butter (700 VT = $8.40 for 250g). Unbeknown to us, later Amanda would buy fruit for fruit salad, icecream but mercifully no butter or alcohol. Communication breakdown.
Trevor cruised the streets of Luganville looking for pickups and he found them in the form of 8 or 9 sweating Australians who had been scouring the streets for food. The meal that was planned was awesome... a chicken or vegetarian exotic stirfry fusion Asian/German dish with a French twist. If that doesn't describe it properly, bad luck.. use your imagination.
Trevor managed to pile us all in like a police officer doing the last Saturday night Divvy Van Round, and we were soon "home", cooking, sipping Bombay Sapphire G and T's, Speights ciders Spritz Aperol, Tusca premiums. The afternoon was spent preparing the meal, while Janice, Bettine, Robyn and Li continued preparing food for the Big Trip to Big Bay. From now on in this blog this will be known as BTTBB for no other reason that it's a little cool to use acronyms, however poor they are.
The evening meal was a real hit. Lots of laughter, with some serious presentations by Ednah and Lawrence who talked about their work, some of their challenges, and their future hopes for the health of Vanuatuans, and their passions for their work. After our guests left, we frantically prepared for BTTBB. What a cool acronym!
The day started with an amazing event. Amanda had arranged for us to visit the house of Rex, the local paramount chief for the community in which their house was situated. Rex is a thin man with a soft voice, an entertaining sense of humour, a past history of "stuffing up" and a newfound devoutness with rejection of his past ways. I had a strong sense of pressure to live life in a solemn and devout way. Rex and his family prepared a traditional meal for us, and his wife Gail and her sister Deni gave us a Bislama lesson. We watched fascinated at the meal was prepared.. Chopped local vegetables, including local spinach was laid onto large palm leaves and coconut mild was generously poured into the mix. Some stones, heated in the fire were placed in too, and the whole lot was wrapped up and more heated stones placed all over the package. Wait 3 hours. Then eat.
I was surprised how quickly the time went- probably because my brain was occupied fully trying to remember and perform Bislama conversations (yes we humiliated ourselves in pairs, trying to converse) Janice had us in stitches with her problems with her baby basket road (Don't ask!) and the conversations were done. After a lovely lunch, Rex gave us some more wisdom and we wandered down the road towards the end of his street. We bumped into a German health worker who had been taken into the fold, and some colleagues threshing through containers of clothes.. Who are these people? It seems that many aid agencies are present in Vanuatu, but there's little communication between them and no co-ordination.
After some stuffing around at home we were soon away again, some of us riding in the back of the utility vehicle like Romans in a chariot race. This is how you get around in Vanuatu and it's quite legal. No seat belts, no seats, just two feet anchored in the back of a ute, with hands gripping the roll bar tightly. While in motion you try to read the traffic ahead, because any accident will either toss you over the roof of your vehicle, or crash you up against the rear of the cabin, depending on whether you were standing or sitting. Despite these risks, it feels GREAT surfing your vehicle down the Main Street of town, waving to everyone who cares to stare, and there are many... seems a group of 13 ageing people from Geelong is a bit of an attraction here.
At the market Peter and I bought fruit for fruit salad, and at the supermarket we found lots of alcohol, icecream, and oddments such as New Zealand butter (700 VT = $8.40 for 250g). Unbeknown to us, later Amanda would buy fruit for fruit salad, icecream but mercifully no butter or alcohol. Communication breakdown.
Trevor cruised the streets of Luganville looking for pickups and he found them in the form of 8 or 9 sweating Australians who had been scouring the streets for food. The meal that was planned was awesome... a chicken or vegetarian exotic stirfry fusion Asian/German dish with a French twist. If that doesn't describe it properly, bad luck.. use your imagination.
Trevor managed to pile us all in like a police officer doing the last Saturday night Divvy Van Round, and we were soon "home", cooking, sipping Bombay Sapphire G and T's, Speights ciders Spritz Aperol, Tusca premiums. The afternoon was spent preparing the meal, while Janice, Bettine, Robyn and Li continued preparing food for the Big Trip to Big Bay. From now on in this blog this will be known as BTTBB for no other reason that it's a little cool to use acronyms, however poor they are.
The evening meal was a real hit. Lots of laughter, with some serious presentations by Ednah and Lawrence who talked about their work, some of their challenges, and their future hopes for the health of Vanuatuans, and their passions for their work. After our guests left, we frantically prepared for BTTBB. What a cool acronym!
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