Saturday, 5 September 2009

Clearing the Land (August 27, 2009)

A group of us worked hard with bush knives and an axe to clear vines, bushes and a few trees off land so that a new Baha'i Centre can be built.

Fish Sale

The fisherman caught the fish early that morning. Our host sold the fish individually to local villagers for 20 to 150 vatu each, equal to about 20 cents to $1.50 U.S. All the fish sold in about five minutes.

Fresh Fish

On Malakula we ate fresh fish most days. I ate tuna and malat in Sason Village and Lemap. I also ate a small shiny silver fish caught and cooked over an open fire on the beach at Sason. Some kids told us it was a mackerel.

Inside the Village Store

This store is well stocked. It just received a shipment of goods from Port Vila. It is the only store in the village. Over five days me and my cousins bought several small candies, chocolate wafers, instant noodles and breakfast crackers. We shared these with other kids and adults.

Shopping in a Village

This is a Cooperative Store also called a co-op. Sason Village did not have its own store so most days we walked to the next village to buy treats. People in the village often watch to see who goes in the store. If the store is locked you can ask a local person to find someone to open the shop.

Friday, 4 September 2009

Walking Back on the Beach

We walked to one village on the road and walked back on the beach.

Wednesday, 2 September 2009

Friends at Lanfitfit, Aulua

These are some of our new friends at Lanfifit. The large rock in the background is a symbol and a landmark for Lanfitfit Village.

Arrival at Lanfitfit

We rested a little when we arrived at Lanfitfit and talked with some local people.

Tree on Rock

This is a picture of my Dad and Peter.
The tree on the right is growing on top of a big rock along the ocean. We saw it as we were walking from Sason to Lanfitfit.

Walk to Lanfitfit Village

We walked to the next village called Lanfitfit. Walking was the only option to get there during the day. The walk took about one hour each way. We visited some friends.

Some Local Kids in Sason

Here are a few of the kids we played with. There are many more kids but they are not in this photo.

River in Sason Village

There is a nice clean freshwater river that flows through the village. We raced our boats down the river and splashed around in the water with the local kids.

Natangura Boats

Rex made me and my cousins boats to play with. The wood is from a Natangura tree. The boats are light and strong.

Sason Village, Aulua, Malekula, Vanuatu

We stayed four nights in the two-room house above where I am walking with Quentin. The dining house is the smaller building to the right. The larger building on the lower right is another family's home.

Fresh Fish for Dinner

Joslyn cooked us fresh fish for dinner almost every day. The small kitchen house is behind.

Malekula Island (August 24-31, 2009)

I travelled to Malekula for a week with my aunt, uncle, two cousins and my dad. The first few nights we stayed in Sason Village, Aulua. Our hosts were Maxim and Joslyn. We ate our meals in their dining room. They have a separate kitchen structure, a separate building with a bedroom, and a separate outhouse.

Whoonu (August 22, 2009)

Several people came to our house for a social night. We played the Whoonu game, table tennis and watched a movie after dinner.