Mount Yasur---Volcano

Marita3
Mark & Helen Syrett
Sun 5 Aug 2012 22:34
We were told that a ''must do'' trip was to visit the volcano on Tanna Island about 120 miles south. We did not sail there as the anchorage in Port Resolution is meant to be difficult with little shelter and immigration and customs time
consuming. So we flew!
We were picked up by the owner of Unity Airlines in his Land Rover---a 1987 model and one of four that he had bought from the Singapore army. 
The airplane also had a history. First used in Zimbabwe it then spent 8 years in a hanger in Greece before being put back into service three months ago
 
We flew down to Tanna and then had a 2 hour drive across the island to the volcano passing through many small villages. The Chiefs of the villages are trying to maintain their privacy so stopping was not on the agenda but we did get a flavour of their life. We passed the Chiefs meeting place
and saw some village life
The tracks were extremely rough and it was slow progress but eventually we reached the other side of the island and Mt Yasur came into view
a little further on the landscape was that of volcanic ash and we were driven at high speed across it
the red image in the photograph is a couple of villagers walking to their village----the wind whips up the ash and it is painful to the eyes. Living at the foot of the volcano must be tough.
We drove round the back of the volcano and then started the drive up to the top
We arrived at ''base camp'' and then climbed up to the rim of the volcano
and looked down into it from the upwind side
It built up a head of steam with large amounts of cloud/ashand the ground shuddered as it erupted throwing molten rocks into the sky
Too close for comfort perhaps
but an amazing experience and well worthwhile. The volcano can be visited at night when the 'firework' display is even more effective.
We flew back to Port Vila, Helen sitting next to Nadine----yes another Nads!
and with Mark in the front we overflew Marita's anchorage.
On Saturday we hired a car and drove round the island
all rather desolate with property speculators trying to sell plots on which supposedly people might build---most unlikely. We managed to avoid a coconut crab on the road
on Sunday we went to Church. All the vistors in the congregation had to stand up and introduce themselves and say where they came from----the priest was highly amused that we had sailed from Cornwall and immediately asked if we had brought Cornish pasties with us!! Lots of singing in pidgin English
afterwards all the visitors had to shake hands with all the members of the congregation (about 120)
 
.............and now to Australia!