This is possible the only phyoto that I hve had taken that I really like!
the location is Badgers Weir which is juist out of Healsville. One teacher and I took three little preps on a camp it raind non stop, there was no heating... not my best camp experince but worth it to get this shot. the Birda here were amazing, an elderly couple ,one on a walking stick were watching beside us and one of our very autistic students took the ladies walking stick and troted of with it leaving the old lady standing with her mouth open... we quickly retrived the walking aid and with many apoligies gave it back to the now laughing owner!

wow how slack have I been... I think that that is enough Vanuatu as it seems so long ago and so much has happened since.
time to add some newish photos and get this blog happening again! it is meant to about more than just my Vanuatu trip. so here are a few random photos and stuff since last August!

after 5 years of nuturing I have been rewarded with this amazing cacti flower...plaease ignore the date on the photo it was taken in dec 2006 i am tec challenged about things like changing clocks and dates... the clock on my car radio has taken me nearly a year to work out how to set it! just worked it out this week ...not even gonna try with the camera.

ok a list of things to add to this blog

hmmm..
Bob
Doobie
grove creek trip
letter from susan
study
work... respite
Daylsford jan 2007
easter... intruders
house hunting /moving
talking to susan

Lorup Bay Ureparapara




Evelyn is the the school teacher of Dives bay village and she paddled out with her niece to check out the big boat.

we served our guests tea, biscuits and apple juice for the little picininny, Nesha who was most suspicious of the strange drink we gave her and took a bit of coaxing from Evelyn to taste it, but then she was all smiles and ate her biscuit without hesitating.
Evelyn was a friendly and very informative about the Island and quick to promote the services of guides.....( with the chiefs approval) for a walk up to view a bat cave and a look out. Our captain was eager to get some photos of the boat in the bay, but unfortunately came down with a nasty cold after our first visit to the village and so confined himself to the boat missing some of the highlights of the voyage such as the snake dance (more about that later) ....I think this was partly because he was too sick and also not to spread the infection to susceptible locals.

Just how out of place does our white plastic dingy looks against the traditional dugout canoe.

This was our most northen point of the voyage and visitors here are rare. The people were friendly and the children refreshingly unreserved in approaching us with big smiles and wide eyes as Catherine gave out balloons and lollies.

the children were intrigued to be able to view photos of themselves.

this cute title boy is Evelyn's son Chitlon, the young women in the background is Lilly and Susan and I spent a morning cooking with her and other women.

Many of the young boys carry slingshot and a small woven bag with rocks this young fellow was keen to pose for us.... Checkout the lad in the blue shorts he walked around with us for two days holding up his pants.....The poverty was very notable here another like boy who also followed us around holding up his pants and carrying his baby brother!

Evelyn took us around the village and to meet the chief. There are five chiefs in this village all with different responsibilities, chief Nicholson is the head chief ....The politics in this village is a little disturbing as the main chief and his family seemed to be much more affluent, with new clothes the most obvious difference from even the other chiefs. Evelyn pointed out the we could have chief Nicholson organize a Kustum dance but that the proceeds of our payment would go to chief Nicholson, but if we spoke to the Kustum chief and he organised it the proceeds of our payment would help the whole village... So we opted to to visited the Kustum chief and spread the $ around the whole village.

A typical overcast tropical evening where all the colors of the day blend to grey.

Sola Vanalava

wow how I would love a chance to cook in this oven in front of a store.
the double storey building with windows is quiet innovative. The second floor is a mezzanine there were a couple of children laying up there when we arrived. I imagine it is a cool escape from the intense heat that would be experienced this far north.

there were a number of stores in this village and it boasts a telephone, pity it was not working! We were informed it might get repaired "in one month, but you can still buy phone cards!"

Stephen prepares our first catch! A rainbow runner.

It seems that to have a Yacht club, no matter how simple is a big deal. This yacht club has a natural coral floor!
accommodation is available at the yacht club and consists of a tiny hut with slat style bed.
We were offered a drink.... Coconut milk by our host the chiefs son.

there is no piped water in this village, Susan is showing us the traditional way to lift a bucket of water hut of a well..... How did they do that before they got a plastic bucket??




I don't think this little child had ever had a lollie before at least not a wrapped on as he/she tried to eat it paper and all!
Check out the cutie hiding behind mum. We could not coax this one to leave mum for anything. These children would not see many white people and this mix of curiosity and fear was common the further north we traveled.
Imagine washing like this!

Losalava Gaua

We arrived at Losalava School on the second last day of term. All students, even littlies were armed with a machette and were busy cutting the lawn and tidying the school grounds.
It was a bit dauntig being greeted by30 or so children with machettes!
The school was very tidy and the classrooms all had flowers, the children bring flowers each day. Noone brings teh teacher flowers anymore in Australia, what happened? I recall taking flowers to school as a child.
the teachers and the principal were very happy to answer our questions, explaining the end of term activities planned which included a concert by the students to be held the next evening but we did not have the time to spare to stay. the school has a computer and solor power there is no other electricity in this village this solar power set up at the school was funded by the Australian Gov. Good to see our taxes doing such great stuff!!

As usual I manage to close my eyes the moment the camera snaps giving me that great look!
with me is Danstan the Principal. I gave this school a parcel of exersice books, note pads and biros, intitialy intending to split the parcel up I decided that as it was last day of term our chances of talking with the teachers would be limited and they had no text books left and were waiting for a shipment to arrive from Australia, sponsered by Loins club.

Lunches hanging ooutside the classroom.

many students have a long walk to and from school
the teacher told us that the kids love school so much they have to yell at the kids to home home at 4.30 pm even tho school ends at 3.30 they all like to hang around and play soccer/football.

Into the jungle, to gather Isaland Apples

I made a fantastic conection with the chiefs daughter-in-law Vivien, When we collected the washing she asked us if we would like to go for walk to another village inland, we eagerly agreed.
unfourtunatly when we arrived to go Vivien was unable to go as her baby was sick, istead she sent 3 divine little pickinnies with and sent us to a place in the jungle where we picked Island apples, they have flesh that is more like a pear and the flavour is like a nasi pear.
The jungle was dense and mossies by the ton exactly what I had expected only more beautiful! I realy didn't know there were so many shades of green
It was an interesting experince and the little kids sang all the way back to the village!

these kids never stop smiling! and happily climbed high into the trees to pick fruit for us. I rewarded them with a few lollies and a few coins and a promise that I would post a photo of them when I returned to Melb.

Kustom dance and Feast on Maewo.... Dives Bay
Chief Nelson was keen to arrange a kustom dance and feast for us and other yachites in the bay. We had hoped that we we come across an actual village celebration, not because we didn't want to pay, but because we wanted and authentic village experince rather than a staged preformance.
The Feast
At this point of our voyage I was really craving meat and looking forward to the roast pig. (I indulge in Nostalgic thoughts, of childhood pig hunting trips with lots of relo's, dogs, guns, hot summers, swimming........)
wherre was I yes the feast.... The roast pig was not what I expected as you can see it is difficult to recognize it as a pig and does not look roasted.... Where is the cracklin??? and it really put me off, the way it was splayed with all the ribs exposed it almost looked human! I had had concerns that we order pig in the morning and are eating it at night, because I recall on those hunting trips we had to wait three days before we could eat any pork as the meat needs to set! (how are all you vego's coping with this? ) So the meat was very disapointing and I only took acouple of small mouth fulls. everyone else seemed to enjoy the food and I did well to keep this personal drama just that, sharing my thooughts with no one. The dancers were fantastic ...it amazes me how much music can be made with the human voice, a few seed shells tied on vines to the ankles, sticks and a log can make! (Hmmm my son has about 3computers 6 speakers and electric guitar, a keyboard..... you get my point!).
watching the village children outside imitating the adult dancers was just as entertaining and they were very good, and I guess will be preforming in the future.
The little poppet in the pink is the Chiefs grand daughter, Neesha she was just so cute!
Damm spell chek not working!