So that we should get an experience of the life of the islanders we were sent off to Pele island for the weekend. We were looked after by a family; in our case Charlie and Sephora with their children Timoti and Retson and Charlie's mother Adeline.
We slept on a thin mattress on the floor, had no power and washed from a bucket from collected rainwater. Sephora cooked us lovely meals with rice, taro, cabbage in coconut cream and a bit of chicken or fish. We practiced our Bislama (Vanuatu style pidgin English) and learnt about local customs.
On Saturday we were ferried round to a neighbouring village for the funeral of one of Adeline's cousins. The women were gathered round the open coffin and wailed and sighed. The men came and wiped an eye or two then went and sat under the trees. People poured in from the neighbouring islands and the mainland. A cow was killed and butchered and mountains of rice cooked. The feast goes on for 5 days.
On Saturday we were ferried round to a neighbouring village for the funeral of one of Adeline's cousins. The women were gathered round the open coffin and wailed and sighed. The men came and wiped an eye or two then went and sat under the trees. People poured in from the neighbouring islands and the mainland. A cow was killed and butchered and mountains of rice cooked. The feast goes on for 5 days.
On Sunday we were taken snorkelling by Charlie accompanied by the youngsters. There was a marine reserve with giant clams, beautiful coral and some lovely reef fish. It felt so good to be in warm sea again. We were warmly welcomed and we were so pleased to hear about peoples lives.
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| Lucy like a sweetpea fairy |
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| Aelan woman nao! |
Nice Blog about Vanuatu. Thanks for sharing with us. Keep it up.
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Best place to stay Espiritu Santo Vanuatu
Espiritu Santo Island
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