When the opportunity to visit Vanuatu arose I jumped at it. I was aware that it was the rainy season and it would be hot and humid ( I don't do hot and humid very well) but the timing couldn't be helped as my husband was attending a seminar.
Nothing I could imagine could prepare me for the initial blast of hot air.The heat coming off the plane as we walked across the tarmac made it almost unbearable and thankfully it was slightly cooler in the airport, but only slightly. We realised fairly soon that the locals pace is slow to very slow. In this heat it is basically a matter of survival. There is nothing for it but to relax and adopt " Island Time " as well.
The line at immigration inched forward at a snails pace. With our passports stamped it was onto baggage claim. Another long wait in the heat here and fellow travellers were starting to get restless. I had instantaneously slowed down but that was more because, as I have previously stated, I don't do hot and humid very well.
As we headed off to the hotel my first impressions were how similar to Tijuana it all looked. Lots of rundown shops and houses, old cars and derelict buildings but being tropical, everything was covered in greenery. Lots of banana trees and tropical flowers everywhere you looked.
*** Shopping ***
We did venture away from the hotel pool on most days. We went into downtown Port Vila a few times to visit the supermarket for bottled water. We could buy it at the hotel but the mark-up price was unbelievable. Because it is so hot quite a few shops close during the mid-day period. You will find groups of people sitting under the trees along the waterfront keeping cool. All the banks, post office, bars and restaurants
stay open and a lot of shops with air conditioning remain open as well but it wont be long and you will find you are looking for a shady tree to sit under as well.
The city of Port Vila is small and ramshackle. It runs along the waterfront and is basically two long streets with shops, businesses and loads of “ adventure tour ” shops and small bars, restaurants and souvenir shops.
The market is an interesting place to visit and every day we went into town it was busy. The market has an outdoor section and a covered section. Outdoors they sell all the woven baskets, colourful flowery shirts and dresses, bags, hats etc. Under a huge open walled roof is where the rest of the goods are sold. The touristy section sells wooden animals (mainly pigs as these are the valued animal of the islands) and wooden totems, dishes and bowls. Lots of shells, trinkets and boars tusks for sale as well. The cruise ships call in regularly and I heard the prices rise when the ships are in town. Three quarters of the market sells fresh fruits, vegetables and seafood. Most of the fruit and veges were new to me, I recognised bananas and coconuts but didn’t have a clue what the rest was.
When dealing with the sellers bear in mind that a they don’t speak very good English. They also don’t like to haggle. It is considered offensive and most people are expected to pay the asking price. I imagine that they would feel obliged to sell at any price suggested, as they are way to polite and quiet to get into a haggling situation. It is entirely up to you though and if you feel something is overpriced I’m sure you could get a few dollars knocked off the asking price.
Don’t expect fast service from anyone and be prepared to queue at the bank for 30 minutes to change money or queue at the Post Office to buy stamps or post letters. These people just operate at a different pace to everyone else and you just have to get used to it. You could stay at the resorts and pay the inflated prices and exchange rates if you really find waiting in queues a problem. Just remember that staff at the resorts also have a slow pace. You will find the bartender will “finish drying that glass “ before coming to serve you. Just relax and take the opportunity to unwind, as after all that’s what you come here for.
*** Language ***
Three languages are spoken here. English, French and Bislama. Bislama is the most widely spoken, it is a form of pidgin english and is intriguing. It is fairly basic and a lot of the words are easily translated. You will have no trouble communicating in English or French as most people do speak a little of all three languages.
*** Currency ***
Local currency is called VATU .Notes are 5000, 1000, 500 and coins are 100, 50, 20, 10 , 5, 2 and 1. Australian dollars are also widely accepted and quite a few shops have prices in vatu and aussie $$$ to give you an idea of prices. It doesn’t take long to pick it up and get an idea of the true cost of things in your own currency. A lot of businesses take credit cards as well. The one down side to the Vatu is that you can only exchange it in Vanuatu.
As an New Zealander I found things to be more expensive than I expected, prices were more on a par with the Aussie dollar than the New Zealand dollar and no doubt those used to the $US or pound will find it a cheap place to visit.
If your hotel doesn’t provide a shuttle you have 3 options. Take a taxi , a bus or hire a car. The buses are a fantastic way of experiencing life Vanuatu style. These are 12 seater mini buses with a red B on the number plate. For 100 Vatu you can go anywhere around Port Vila and for travelling further out it will cost 200 Vatu. It costs 100 Vatu for each one-way trip and no matter where you are, just stop under a shady tree by the road and wait. In town look for a blue sign with a B on it. A bus will turn up and stop for you, jump onboard and tell the driver where you want to go, pay him when you get off. The buses are basically a cheap way of getting a tour of Port Vila as you cruise around the back streets, up hills and narrow lanes dropping people at their door or to work. It’s brilliant.
*** Things to do ***
There are heaps of ½ day and full day tours to join from snorkelling coral reefs, scuba diving, sailing, horse riding, island tours, museums etc, etc, etc.
~~ Neptune Glass Bottom Boat ~~
We did this trip one afternoon and had a ball. We made the reservation at the hotel and when we turned up for the 2pm departure, we found we were the only ones on board. It had now become a private charter. We motored out to the harbour passing some gorgeous islands. We came to the first reef and watched through the glass as we cruised over the coral. When we stopped we were given snorkels, masks and flippers. One of the guys headed off with some bread and started feeding the fish, before long we were surrounded by all sorts of different fish, all colours and sizes, shapes and stripes.
As we left there we were offered refreshments of fresh fruit and hot coffee while we headed to the next stop. This was a different part of the reef with different varieties of fish. This time we were offered the chance to hand feed these fish.
All in all we spent 2 hours on the water having the time of our lives. It cost 2950 vatu per person.
*** MOST ESSENTIAL THING TO PACK ***
Insect repellent. Malaria is a risk but no vaccinations are required to visit Port Vila. If you are intending to tour the other islands make sure to check on the vaccine policy as Malaria is a risk on many of the outlying islands. My doctor said that anti – malaria pills are advised but his advise was to take the precautions of applying insect repellent and sleep with the doors closed or under a mosquito net. As we were only there a week, it wasn’t really an issue. He did say that Malaria shows up in the form of a high fever anywhere from 7 days to 2 years after contracting from an infected mosquito. Not all mosquitoes are carriers but always wear repellent.
BEST BUY … a small, woven banana leaf fan. This fan was a life saver, I even used to sleep with it by my pillow as I would wake 2 or 3 times during the night all hot and overheated.
BEST ADVICE
1. -Don’t sit underneath the coconut trees. This can prove fatal if a coconut drops.
2. - Wear shoes or sandals on the beaches as the sand is made up of broken coral and sharp broken shells.
*** FACTS ***
CLIMATE … A tropical climate with the dry season running from May to October and the wet season from November to April. June July and August are the coolest months with the least humidity.
TIPPING … Tipping and bargaining are not practiced here.
TRAVEL … The only airline servicing Vanuatu is Air Vanuatu They fly the international and domestic routes.
GEOGRAPHY … Vanuatu is an archipelago made up of 83 islands, shaped in a rough Y. East of Australia and North of New Zealand in the western South Pacific.
HISTORY … Formerly known as the New Hebrides it has a history of French and English settlement. It gained independence in 1980 and is a self- governing state and member of the Commonwealth.
CAPITAL CITY … Port Vila.
***************************** [ review also published on epinions.com under my epinions username hollynz ]
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Fantastic review! I know you said you went in the wet season but what month was that and did it rain a lot? I am thinking of going in December but not good in the hot and humid either so might have to choose somewhere else! xx
VC81 02.11.2005 18:30
I could do with some heat and humidity right now! Vic
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Dec 13th, 2004
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