View from Ranwadi School to volcanic Ambrym Island, Vanuatu

The languages of Pentecost Island

Map of Pentecost Island

Photos from Vanuatu

British Friends of Vanuatu society

Waterfall on Pentecost Island, Vanuatu

"I wish I could tell you about the South Pacific."

James Michener

Canoe on Paama Island, Vanuatu

 

Travels in the South Pacific

Diaries from Vanuatu

November 2007 - Students endure rewards and disappointments at the end of the school year, the islanders get glued to the screen, and a white girl is nearly sold into marriage in exchange for a pig.

October 2007 - The coming of the palolo worms, the adventures of a crazy dog, a dangerous trip to the southern tip of the island, and the consequences of drinking lantern fuel.

September 2007 - The ongoing struggle to keep the wildlife of my house under control, the island where everyone is family, and the remarkable stories of a hundred-year-old man.

August 2007 - The honouring of the Japanese ambassador, the village where pig's teeth are money, and the dangers of the devil nettle.

July 2007 - The continuing modernisation of the islands, and the gathering of their schools for a week-long sports extravangza.

June 2007 - Reprimanding students for failing to bring weapons to school, and hearing romantic teenagers get a form of education they've never had before.

May 2007 - My parents visit the crazy little country that their son now calls home, and Vanuatu mourns the loss of a beloved figure by getting very, very stoned.

April 2007 - Cyclones and tsunamis pass us by, but the island is struck instead by cruise ship tourists.

March 2007 - A trip into town on the deck of a cargo ship, and living through a national emergency without noticing that anything was wrong.

February 2007 - The struggle to get the school organised at the beginning of a new year, amidst the sweaty humidity of the hot season.

January 2007 - A chilly January summer holiday in Scotland, and the return journey to Vanutau via Malaysia and Western Australia.

Earlier diaries: December 2006, November 2006 ,October 2006, September 2006, August 2006, July 2006, June 2006, 2005, 2002, 2001

 

Articles

Piggy banking - the financial crisis meets the traditional economy
Where leaves make the sun shine - magic in Vanuatu
The Cow Fish - the dugong of Epi Island
The root of happiness? - a night down at the kava bar
Connecting the dots - bringing the Internet to the place that needs it most
Expatriate cookery - a recipe for those on islands far from home
The furthest place on Earth - as far away as possible from Scotland

 

From the New Hebrides to the old

Letters home from Vanuatu to Gairloch in the Scottish Highlands...

The Hebridean island on the other side of the world
Winter in the New Hebrides
The ghost of distant islands
If Scotland were like Vanuatu...


Vanuatu Kava Store
 

Essential reading for visitors to Vanuatu...

Further reading...

Disclaimer - these articles and diaries are just my personal experience; they aren't travel guides. Details of the places I visited may change over time.