Ile Aneytium, Vanuatu

Many of the trappings of modern living are yet to appear in the village of Anelgaohat on the island of Aneytium in southern Vanuatu. There is no electricity network, there are no roads or cars, the water supply is via the mountain stream or what is caught on the roof and there is very little produce in the handful of grocery stores. The ubiquitous mobile phone has made it here though!

We arrived here on a Sunday morning, day of rest and church for local people, and as such we expected to just spend the day aboard cleaning up and resting after our passage. The anchorage we were sharing with 7 other yachts was nice and flat and we were enjoying just being. In the late afternoon however Timothy and Kevin, the local police/customs and immigration officers, arrived at our boat in the police launch and we duly filled in the sheaves of forms handed over to us. We completed our check-in the following morning when the bank opened, enabling us to change some money and pay the required entry fee. The islanders have their own language, but most people are also fluent in English. As we walked along the narrow dirt path everyone would wish us a good morning with a huge smile. Here again there are many skinny dogs, but unlike in other places, these ones are much more friendly and will come up to you for a pat (probably looking for food more likely). We spent a day walking with 6 other yachties and Keith, who guided us, to a waterfall in the mountains behind the village. There was no way without Keith we would have found the right paths from the network around the village or have been able to follow the trail as we neared the waterfall and rock hopped and zig-zagged across the stream. It was a beautiful walk, starting alongside the small woven pandanus and thatched huts that are home to the locals and then winding its way up, mainly under the canopy of trees all shades of green. A village dog kept us company the whole way and she was variously called Ginger, Foxy and Speedhump (due to her propensity to suddenly plop down on the path in front of us for a scratch). The 3 hour trek to the waterfall was worth it alone for the refreshing swim at its base when we got there.

That evening we sauntered along to the cava bar that opened each afternoon at about 4.30pm. On this island where no alcohol is sold and can only be ordered from Port Villa for personal consumption, cava is the drink of choice for relaxation. It is openly acknowledged that it tastes awful, but the mildly sedative effect it has on one is supposed to make it worth it. Louise had already had a taste of cava in Tonga at the local fire station no less (that’s another story!). Ivan was keen to try the cava here at Aneytium, especially since we had seen the ‘cava boys’ making some the day before and we knew it was fresh, not powdered. Keith who was also at the bar, explained how we were to drink the cava; after paying 100 vatu (approx $Aus 1.10) at a small window for each drink we then moved across to the next small window where two coconut shell halves full of what looked like Yarra River water were waiting for us. We took our drinks around the corner where we were instructed to scull it in one go and then immediately after to swig from a small beer bottle filled with water (in order to rinse the taste from our mouths). A good idea as it tasted like we had just been chewing on a green twig. We then sat on a bench looking out at the yachts in the harbour and waited….and waited….and waited…for something to happen. Apart from a slight tingling in the mouth we couldn’t say that we noticed any great effect. We headed back to Brio and both tired from the day’s big walk – or was it the cava actually working on us? – it wasn’t long before we were tucked up in bed. ins

Thursday and Friday were fundraising days for the local primary school. There are masses of children on Aneytium. About 120 are enrolled in the primary school and that’s out of a total population of 600 they say. Not a bad ratio! We weren’t sure what to expect by way of activities that would help raise funds, but we were told it would start early in the morning. We showed up at the grassy area in front of the school on Thursday morning and found a lot of people busy preparing kebabs, salads and other food that was to be the fundraising lunch for the day. A raffle, soccer games and a DJ playing music that no one was listening to seemed to complete the day’s activities.

We had a pleasant day lounging in the sun chatting to people, including Henry, who late in the afternoon took us to where the Lucas sawmill was in the pine forest. From there he took us along one of the numerous dirt paths, up and over a small rise, past some simple woven huts on the ridge, down into a valley of giant mango trees, and through the long grass to his son’s house. Here we met not only Henry’s son, but also Henry’s wife, daughters in law and grandchildren (only in Vanuatu would you see a 5 year old sitting n a tree wielding a machete like it’s his favourite teddy bear he’s taken up here to play with!). It was one of the granddaughters birthday so we were treated to birthday cake and lime drink. Henry’s son brought out samples of his walking sticks carved from acacia that we had come to see. We duly bought one and made our way back to Brio the short way, via the beach.