It is Easter Sunday and we will have a church service this evening when we get back on board from our excursions today.
This morning we arrived at Mystery Island, Vanuatu. There are different stories about how and why the island got this name, but it seems that the only thing on the island is an air strip essentially unable to be seen from the ocean. We do not know why, but apparently a plane does come land on the island each Sunday afternoon. Since we were there on Sunday afternoon, while we were there a plane did land and then take off about an hour later.
The entire island is only about 2/3rds of a mile long and a couple hundred yards wide. You can walk the perimeter of the island in about 20 minutes. The air strip was used as a strategic landing strip for the allied forces in the 1940’s during WW II. The island has always been uninhabited and said to be haunted at night, but cruise ships do stop here because of the crystal clear water, great for water sports and incredible coral reefs rich in sea life. The spoken language is a mixture of English and French.
Our tour entailed a tender ride to the shore, then a motorboat ride to a larger island and the Keamu Cultural Village. What an experience to meet the locals. These people literal live in huts made from palm trees, which they also use for many items in their day to day life. One of the guides, a young woman described what two older women were weaving into baskets, mats, fans, and other items. We also saw young warriors open a coconut with a spear and how they protect their village. On this bigger island, we were told that there were 3 villages and about 100 people. Each village is ruled by a chief. To “buy” a wife, a man needed to pay the father several plants, a mat, and a woven bag. It was amazing to see how poor these people are and their meager belongings, but how happy they all seem to be. The one young man told Joan that he transports visitors to the island for tours by boat, but otherwise does no work. He just does some gardening and enjoys every day.
Another man showed us the cage they use to catch chickens, a fish trap made of coconut leaves to trap fish that then are speared at low tide, and Noni juice used to treat a wide range of health issues, including cancer. They did not talk about the totem poles, but they were part of the culture to protect the village. At the end of the tour we were treated to some sweet pineapple, bananas, a yellow grapefruit, and Casaba. Another interesting cultural experience and we even got through the day without any rain.
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