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Luganville Harbour Hangouts

Our cooking skills using what we have (long term foods and bursts of fresh produce that is locally grown so often rather different from “normal” in NZ) are greatly improving. Phil makes good Aloo Methi especially for not having chili and using dried parsley instead of fresh.

After our turbulent crossing, we anchored inside Tutuba Island at the entrance of Luganville Harbour for a flat, calm and peaceful night. Then we were off to Beachfront Resort which is across from Sarakata River from town.

It was Vanuatu’s Independence Day on the 30th July so it made town quite an interesting place to be. At times quiet and other times very busy but not quite as predictable as normal.

The next couple of days we anchored off Beachfront Resort and two out of three days we made the 3km return walk into Luganville itself to catch up on things. It was good to stock up on groceries and have a bit of lunch at a local cafe to also check in on the world in general. We also topped up the fuel and water tanks and started a few loads of laundry. We also spent a good bit of time chatting to a young fella in his 20s. He was a BK (boat kid) and had grown up cruising on a yacht, now continuing the lifestyle himself.

Motoring back to Tutubua Island, we enjoyed the small sandy bay at the western end and anchored just on dark. One thing we have enjoyed doing is visiting the various resorts in the area for a drink at their bar. It’s a good place to catch up on news and enjoy something a bit different.

Days are warm up here and you will often find Jenny sitting in the cabin before 9am, alternating between reading her book and watching the thermometer steadily passing 27°C.

After finishing up a few more errands back in Luganville, we headed up the coast and anchored on the eastern side of Palikulo Bay, northeast of Luganville. There are old rusty remnants of a ship here along with the decaying structure of a fish factory it’s wharf with some very inviting photos. We spent the day doing some jobs on the boat with Phil sanding and applying Sikkens.

Temperature Gage – our normal

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Double Trouble Has Arrived

Jenny spent the last few days running around, doing lots of errands and last minute dashes to collect the odd assortment of items one forgets one uses on a day-to-day basis unless one is suddenly without them.

With a last dinner had(Indian takeaways: something not quite so common in Vanuatu…), a bag full of said assorted practical goods, and a smile that lit up more than just a room, she was off.

Of course despite the flight being so late at night (2335 or 11.35pm) it was running on true “Island Time” but this took a bit of pressure off when most of the extra half an hour was spent explaining to the check in staff at the airport just why she was going to be up there for more than 30 days (Kiwis autmatically get 30 days to be in Vanuatu but to stay longer need an extension). Hearing of the adventures to be had, the ladies on the counter all got rather excited and made the process pleasantly smooth (although somewhat delayed). It did mean she got a seat in the second row of the plane.

Meanwhile, fit to bursting with excitement, Phil headed ashore to speak to a local taxi driver and organise for someone to be waiting at the airport with Jenny’s name on a sign despite it being 0215 (2.15am) when she would eventually touchdown.

He was so excited that neither fell asleep until 0430 (4.30am) for all the catching up to be had.

 

Today was a day of organising an extended tourism visa for Jenny, more catching up, lunch at Beef House, back to customs with passport in hand (necessary items that get forgotten when one has only had a tiny bit of sleep), more chatting, and giggling at each other while making the most of the WiFi at Beef House to send updates home.