Saramauri again

We saw Alice off to Vila on the morning flight and then prepared to leave for Saramauri that afternoon. It is 4 months since we visited this clinic up in the middle bush in the middle of Santo. They had arranged a fund-raising event over two days with a volleyball competition and ample food as the result of slaughtering a cow. They cut it up at night on our arrival to minimise the amount of flies.

 
We slept in the clinic which at least did not have any rats like the other place we stayed last time. The beds were very comfortable and we slept soundly.

Manuel the nurse has spent a lot of the clinic fees on upgrading the clinic and had constructed a modern toilet block with flush modern toilet and running shower with some tiling and handbasin as good as one may get in many an English campsite!!

Manuel and his two children

Next day there was the usual STI screening, antenatal checks (Marie Michelle had a portable ultrasound machine which is really helpful) and blood taking which kept everyone busy well into the evening.

Bit hot today dont you think?

The people are hardy here. Many men wear little clothing, just a loin cloth and have muscle but little fat. Some of the older women may have just leaves stuck through a belt to cover the appropriate parts. They walk up and down hills with agility. Unfortunately families of 6 or 9 children are common and sexual experimentation often starts around 13 years old. There is a lot of education to be done!!!

We had to carry our luggage down to the truck as the ground was too soft. 

Last few days

Alice is going back to November in London and so made the most of her last few days. Here are a few pictures.

 
 

Port Orly

We drove up to Lonnoc Beach and found the P and O cruise ship Pacific Pearl in the bay. I thought it was worth an attempt at promotional photos though Annie and Alice thought I was more interested in the shapely French woman disporting herself!
Then up to Port Orly for a picnic then a snorkel. The colour of the sea there is truly remarkable.

 

Blue holes

Back in Santo we dropped into one of the local blue holes on the east coast. They are natural limestone pits where an underground river emerges. The water is crystal clear and since the red is filtered out it leaves a luminous blue colour. The photos tell the rest of the story.

                    

Who does he think he is disturbing the water like that?

Kamilisa Resort Torres

http://www.positiveearth.org/bungalows/TORBA/kamilisa.asp

This guest house is 10 minutes walk from the airstrip on the island of Linua. It is run by a delightful well educated retired teacher Whiteley Toa and his wife Elsie. The are helped by Margaret, Elsie's sister and Margaret's husband Ken does the transport across to Loh by dugout outrigger (check price first).

There are four very pleasant simple huts (which Whiteley says he is going to renovate) with a good bucket shower and bucket flush modern toilet.

The food is amazing with a huge variety and more than one can ever eat. Coconut crab are always on the menu (check out the ethics of eating them since they do not start to reproduce until 15 years old and may be eaten to extinction) and often fish. There was plenty of taro, yam, pawpaw (pawpaw salad with lime and chile and coconut ceam and on another occasion baked pawpaw) and manioc. One one occasion we had tapioca, which is taken from the core of the Natangora palmtree. Lots and lots of coconut milk, the pumpkin in coconut and pumkin tips being particularly irresistible. There were yam fritters, once with coconut crab meat inside, sometimes fresh bread and always a happy smile. You will not be hungry.

However if there is anything you cannot live without bring it with you since boats only call once every 2 to 3 months.

There is a 15 minute walk to the other side of the island to Honeymoon beach which is a beautiful sandy beach with sparking azure water and good snorkelling further out at low tide.

Torres Islands

This is the northern most group of islands of Vanuatu and are not far from the Eastern Outer Islands of the Solomons (Santa Cruz). There are 4 main islands and the clinic is located on Loh. The airstrip is on Linua which is separated by a shallow creek that can be waded across at low tide. They are very isolated and have no electricity and no mobile phone contact. There is a plane twice a week and a boat comes about once every two months but not to any schedule. 
Here the plane flies over Loh with airstrip on Linua behind.Whilst the plane is unpacked I rescue a carton of vegetables we bought at Mota Lava airport, spring onions and beans spilling out of the top. The transfer beach must be one of the most stunning in the world.

It is difficult to get things and the government employees have difficulty accessing their money from their bank in Santo. However there is an abundance of fish and many coconut crabs which command a high price but are becoming endangered. They rely on subsistence agriculture and seem to cope alright.

Lucy, a VSO nurse based in Sola, the main 'town' of the Banks was up here with her counterpart Colenso to give a 3 day workshop on STI and HIV along with the nurse Zebulon. 

Role play

Sulusulus for Zebulon, Lucy, Colenso and even us

We helped her out with a couple of sessions but Colenso and Lucy are a very polished team and facilitated an excellent 3 days.

We spent some of the time in the workshop and sometime enjoying the beauty of the Torres islands.








There was a bay across the island which we went to everyday. It was stunningly beautiful.

It was lovely having Alice with us and to show her some of the ways of the Melanesians.