Position           Port Vila, Vanuatu

Date                Monday 6 July to Sunday 19 July 2015

We were able to join for festvities with the World ARC Rally 2015 fleet who arrived from Fiji via Tanna

Then there was the Kindy shopping -  sets of all sorts of things for the Maskelyne and Akhamb kindergartens – including pants for every boy and girl!

Some of the contents of a “Kindy Bag”

Then there was 400 kilo of rice, to be added to an existing 100kg, and dried milk for Uliveo to be stored away somewhere

Water tanks for Awei – stick them where?

Oh, there!

Add to this liaising with the Director and Deputy Director of the Central Hospital about facilities and admissions and Central Pharmacy who were able to give us supplies of drugs required in the islands.  This kept Elizabeth very occupied when she was not sorting knickers and bras to add to our clothing bundles and purchasing and sorting things for the Kindy Bags.  Jonathan and Donna from Chez Nous arrived back from the UK and USA and Donna was a great help to Elizabeth.  Both provided excellent company during the off duty hours.

The water tanks were sourced, with our funds, from Pacific Polytanks and 12 metres of guttering and assorted piping were also purchased.  Screws, nails and other fixings came from Willco.

Rice and dried milk came from the Bonne Marche Wholesale and was delivered together with ourselves in one of their vans driven by the Vanuatu version of Lewis Hamilton – minus the slicks and spoilers – in his dreams!  We returned shaken and stirred with big smiles, thankful to have survived the experience.

Packing all of this away was a major undertaking which delayed getting away even more.  The trip back north tends to be boisterous and it is no place for moving cargo.

In between all of this we enjoyed the ability to get ashore easily and take happy hour with friends in the Waterfront Bar and meals in the excellent Café du Village just along the quay and the Chinese restaurant, turn right and 300metres up the hill.