Mini Van to Santo (July 27-29, 2009)

My Dad went on a ship called "Tina 1" from Port Vila to Luganville. It made 11 stops on 5 islands and took 53 hours. It was the best way to get our full mini van to Santo. My Dad enjoyed the adventure with good weather, beautiful sites and friendly crew and passengers.

On the Plane to Santo

The plane is ready to go.

Saying Bye at the Airport

We are moving from Port Vila to Luganville. Here is a picture of some friends saying bye at the airport. My Dad is taking our mini van by ship with all our stuff.

Going to Santo (July 11, 2009)

This afternoon I flew to Luganville, Santo to stay at my uncle's house. The flight was 55 minutes from Port Vila.

Max and Dora

Max and Dora are two of my friends. Max is on the left and Dora on the right. Max has been picking me up from Central School for the last 8 or 9 months. She is really kind. Dora is Max's best friend and she comes to our house all the time with Max. They both like reading prayers and study circles.

Growing Up in Vanuatu

I have grown almost 1.5 inches taller since I came to Vanuatu last year in July 2008.

Dinner with Friends (June 26, 2009)

We went to our friend's house in Mele and we had a good dinner. They had visitors from Australia. I had fun playing darts and watching a movie.

Cooking Chicken Noodle Soup

I like to cook chicken noodle soup. It is fun and easy.

2009 Yamaha XT250

My Dad bought a new motorbike and I really like to ride on it. We drove it up some rough roads on Efate Island. This is a photo of my Dad in Port Vila along the waterfront.

Erakor Village

We went to Erakor Village and I met some nice kids there.

Playing Soccer

I am kicking the football (soccer ball) at home. I take shots on goal with my Dad. I play soccer at school every day and sometimes play barefoot like the local kids.

ANZ Bank Vanuatu

The other day I opened my own bank account at ANZ Bank. ANZ means Australia, New Zealand.

Making Slime Rock

My cousins, friends and I did some experiments and made slime rock at Uncle Steve's house. They call it slime rock because if you squeeze the slime it gets hard as a rock but if you let it go it runs and is all slimy.

Solomon's Hill

My Dad took me and my cousins for bike rides around Luganville, Santo. We went up to Solomon's Hill above Luganville. It looked really nice and I could see most of the town.

Sleeping on a Mat in Fanafo Village

This is where we slept at night. Uncle Steve, Erin and Quentin slept on the mat in the photo. My Dad and I slept on a mat beside this one. We put up a mosquito net for each floor mat and we had one sheet each. I slept very well at night since I was tired from playing during the day.

Sitting in the Kitchen

This large building is used for community meetings during the day, cooking and sleeping. We visited friends here and also slept on the floor at night. It is empty inside except for the area on the right where all the cooking is done. One man built this building for his family and the community to use.

Making Toys with Local Kids

The local kids in Fanafo Village make their own toys. They have a fun toy called a "musket". It is made from bamboo and it shoots small flower buds very far. They cut two pieces of hollow bamboo. They cut one piece and keep it as a long hollow tube as the main part of the musket. Then they carve the other bamboo stick and make a narrow push rod to fit perfectly inside the hollow bamboo tube. Then they hammer in two flower buds from a tree and they push the rod in quickly and it shoots the buds really far, and it makes a bang noise. The girl holding the bushknife made me and my cousins each our own musket to keep. We played a lot with the kids in the village.

Walking into the Village

We drove in the pickup truck from Luganville to the entrance of Fanafo Village. Then we walked through the jungle for about 10 more minutes to reach our destination.

On the Road to Fanafo

The ride to Fanafo took about an hour. There are almost no other cars or trucks on the road. Most of the road is not paved and there are many large pot holes. When it rains there are huge puddles and lots of mud. Some trucks get stuck in the mud and the passengers need to help push them out. It didn't rain that day so we had an easier ride there.

Road Trip to Fanafo Village (May 12-13, 2009)

I went to Fanafo Village on Santo Island with my Dad, Uncle Steve and two cousins Erin and Quentin. We rode in the back of a pickup truck and I stood the whole way. The roads were very bumpy.

Cruise Ship in Luganville, Santo (May 9, 2009)

A large cruise ship docked in Luganville for the day. There were a lot of tourists from the ship walking around town.

Caught a Lobster (May 8, 2009)

I caught a live lobster that was crawling on the beach at Unity Park in Luganville, Santo.

Big Black Horned Beetle

My cousin Erin and I caught a large black beetle in Luganville, Santo Island, Vanuatu.

Long Paper Airplane in Luganville, Santo

My cousin Quentin is holding his super long paper airplane that he made. We all made paper planes but Quentin's was the longest.

In the Tusk at Airport in Santo

Quentin, Erin and me are sitting in a large statue of a pig tusk at the airport. In Vanuatu pig tusks were used as money, and even today real pig tusks that are curved have value. Chiefs and other important people wear curved pig tusks on their necklaces.