Aore Resort was much as we remembered it, very simple traditional bungalows on the beach in really nice surroundings. We took a mooring almost in front of where we had stayed. It was great to be there as we both remembered looking at the one yacht there before and saying how we'd love to cruise this area in our own boat. And now we are doing just that and it is even better than we thought it would be. Vanuatu is, wait for it...., probably our equal favourite cruising are with the Tuamotus. The islands are dramatic, lush and stunning and the people are so genuine and friendly. 

 

              

 

 

Unfortunately not long after we arrived it began to rain. In fact it pissed down for the next 4 days, so much so that we fairly well ran out of dry clothes  ;-(     Good job most of our time was under the water or catching up on DVD's and playing cards below deck.... We did manage to get some time by the pool though! We also learned another card game on Ghost with yet another delightful name: Arsehole. Sammy was ecstatic that after winning the first 5 games, I then lost every single one thereafter.

 

 

We used the dinghy to get over to Luganville and back, took about 10 minutes as the channel is quite wide between Aore and Santo. We called in to Aquamarine to arrange the diving and they have their own dock which made life much easier. It also meant that hopefully the dinghy would still be there after a day's diving whereas on the town dock, who knows?!.... Rehan who runs Aquamarine is a 25 year old Indian and a real character. I knew I would like him when he was trying to power slide the minibus on a dirt road, cigarette in one hand, beer in the cup holder. And all achieved with full Indian accent but minimal head wobbling!

 

The other great thing about Aquamarine is the huge waterfront garden with BBQ so the 8 of us that were diving together got to use the place for parties most nights! The BBQ is a huge ship hatch that is so thick that you need to light an inferno underneath. We had a feast there last night of local steaks, sausages, chicken with plenty of music and vodka. The dinghy ride home was fun and apparently I brushed my teeth twice in about 5 minutes as I didn't remember doing them the first time.....

 

     

 

Another interesting experience in Luganville are the Cava bars. Cava is a drink made from plant roots that are ground into a powder and mixed with cold water. The resulting liquid looks like muddy water and tastes how I imagine bark pressings to taste - quite woody and not particularly pleasant. The good news is it makes your mouth numb and after a few you don't really care what it tastes like. The Cava in Vanuatu is the strongest in the Pacific. It's a very traditional social activity that takes place on most of the Pacific island groups and all the local men (no women) mix with the ex-pats under a collection of thatched seating areas to talk. The bar is a bench in a hut where you order a small or large coconut shell of Cava for 50c or 1$ AUD. I found it made me pretty unsociable and I just wanted to go home to bed!

 

     

 

 

            

 

Sadly today we hoisted the sails and are en route to the Loyalty Islands off New Caledonia. We are both quite sad to leave Vanuatu and it has definitely not disappointed. We love it here, probably our equal favourite place with the Tuamotus. If only we had longer before the hurricane season....