Received 24OCT02
Hello Friends,
Another installment of the Kalypso escapades.
Cruisung the islands of Vanuatu.
Vanuatu is a complex mixyure of islands and tribes. Owing to the difficulty
of terrain and natural obsticles tribes hav been isolated, and there are
105 different languages in the islands. 49 islands are inhabited.
We had entered the country at Vila the largest town and cemtre of government.
Vila is a thriving town with a market most days, you can get most things
without difficulty, and very reasonable.
The people are very friendly and there is little crime. There are lots of
villages and the people live mainly off the land hunt or fish. None of the
villages have aprt from a village where they are experimenting with solar
panels curtesy of Japan.
Most of the children go to school but very few continue after 12 years of
age. Schooling is paid for by the family, and there are very few places
for the older child, although western banks are now trying to provide mor
places. Some children never go to school mainly girls, because the family
cannot afford the casts.
On the island of Malakula the chief of a village arranged to give a demonstration
of Kastom dancing for ourselves and four other yachts. We assembled ashore
and waited to be escorted into the village ( it is not polite to enter a
village until someone takes you to meet the chief, you wait on the edge
of the village until someone comes for you.)
WE were taken to the sacred part of the village where 30 odd men waiting.
They were totally nakedexcept for Mamba's (A penis sheath made of a type
of vine leaf wrapped around the penis and tucked into a belt) Which held
the assembly in an upward position, everything else including what hangs
below was completely exposed. Some of the village leaders had very tall
dunce shaped hats made of bark with grotesque features painted on them.
The men varied in age from 16 to 70 years, four tapped out the rythm on
hollow wood and the chief chanted. The dancing consisted of a lot of stamping
and running and making intimidating gesture with their bows and arrows,
spears and clubs.
Misty a brave Scottish lady sat on the floor (perhaps to get a better view)
and was rewarded by much jumping in the air front of her by the more energetic
"members"
of the the dance team.
WE had to push Judies eyes back into their sockets, and the smiles on the
faces of the four ladies present stretched the width of the Pacific Ocean.
The Ladies danced afterwards in their sector of the village. They wore grass
skirts and were naked from the wast up. I assure you it was a midboggling
sight, the average weight must have been in the region of 15 stone.
Afterwards we shook hands with everyone in turn and thanked them for their
performance. We then in turn gave a brief description of our background,
travels and homeland, I told them of Robin Hood and got much applause. They
especially liked the part about robbing the rich to feed the poor.
We were then asked to join them in a feast of Laplap, chicken in this case
but it can be fish or pork. Cooked in the ground with Cocoanut milk
stew and served on a help yourself fingers style by dipping some form of
vegetable into it. I tasted it and it wasn't bad. John was brave he ate
more and was sick as a dog for the next few hours.
Cheers for now Brian.