First ever guest blog entry!!

Announcing our first ever guest blog entry!! This post was written by Bamma after she spent a week with us in beautiful Pentecost, before we were stranded by the cyclone.

It all started when I received a call from Katie at work. "I got a letter from Lucas and Alex! Let's meet for dinner." At dinner I didn't even get to the second paragraph, when I looked up and said, "you realize that we have to go." About a week letter I was chatting with Justin about post ice travels, I mentioned that I was going to Vanuatu to visit Alex and Lucas, "do you want to go?" Without delay "yes"

I bought tickets from Brisbane to Port Vila allowing one day travel to and from Pentecost on each side of the stay. We flew into Port Vila on a Tuesday and tried to find the Air Vanuatu Office to buy tickets to Sara on Pentecost. We did a little site seeing (got lost). Wednesday morning we found the Air Vanuatu office at about 9-9:30 and learned that the flight from Santo to Sara was sold out and we could only stand by. Plan B was to fly to Santo and if we didn't get all the way thru than we would stay in Santo and then fly out on Sunday. We checked the schedule in the afternoon we actually got booked all the way thru!

The airport was good, we arrived and checked in, it was time to wait. I noticed that most of the ladies were sitting together and most of the men sat together.

We took the plane to Santo where we had to get our luggage and re-check-in. The carousel was a man who pushed a large cart out to the plane, unloaded the plane and pushed the cart back into the building. He put your luggage on the counter. You went to pick up your stuff once it was on the counter. I noticed that one piece of luggage was a live chicken wrapped up.

After we checked in for our flight from Santo to Sara, we decided to get some food. Ordering food was always an adventure, we would get what we ordered about half of the time.

The time came to board the flight to Sara. The plane held 10 people completely full. As we taxied out to the tarmac, we cut thru the field. I was able to watch the pilot the entire flight. We went up to about 9,000 feet. As we descended the grass runway came into view. We landed safely and taxied up to the airport, I saw Lucas and Alex! What a feeling of relief!

We gathered our stuff from the plane and met Alex's Papa and walked the 30 mins down hill to get the water taxi. At this point I was very glad that I packed light, but it still felt like I had too much stuff. We waited a little while under a tree drinking a green coconut. Yum! We took the water Taxi for about an hour, then walked about 20ish mins to their house. A beautiful bamboo house! I was truly amazed with the house and how well everything was put together. Leaves for the roof sewn together and the support beams tied together with dried leaves.

The next day was All Chief's Day, a National Holiday here. This event was my first opportunity to really see the culture of the area. So my first observation at the airport correct, in this culture the sexes have certain roles and I had to get use to it quick.

Ladies here have a hard life. What I have observed makes me feel like a whimp. For an example, Helen, Alex's counterpart, before giving birth, she had to walk down a steep hill and take the water taxi all while in labor. she delivered the baby about 30 mins after arriving to the medical center. A few days later, helen was back at work catching babies!

Right now I am sitting in the bush kitchen with everyone, including Helen and her husband. We just cooked a beautiful Lap lap. Helen is topping it with coconut cream that has been cooked down. The lap lap was cooked in large leaves; some leaves - the smaller ones - make the lap lap taste good. The leaves are similar to banana leaves and the oven mits are leaves too. Very few dishes were used in the making the meal. It was cooked over the fire with baking rocks. The lap lap looks so good.

okay, back to the story...the community is so welcoming! Food is always being brought over. it is truly a sharing community. I was adopted by a family here, my sister brought a gift of some food. It is difficult for me to get use to this because this isn't common to what I grew up with. Family is everything here.

It's time for me to bring this series of random events and thoughts to a close because we are getting ready to partake in the lap lap, Vanuatu is place that one should experience, especially the culture and the sense of community. People want you to be a part of their community, it brings you back to what is really important to you, it's a simple way of life.

love and peace,
bamma