We did a fair bit of traveling in the past three years, as we were based in N/W Malekula but still made regular visits to Efate, Tanna and Santo. Since the trucks usually leave the village in the early morning, and the flights out of Malekula usually leave in the afternoon, we spent many hours at the “airport” waiting on our plane. I put airport in quotes because it’s actually just a small, tin shed attached to a burnt-out brick structure (the subject of arson several years prior by the family who lost the land dispute and thus the rites to the yearly royalty money - a-whole-nother OMV post!). The good news is, the area is right on the coast and gets nice breezes off the ocean, not to mention the beautiful natural scenery.
I still remember a comical instance in which I returned from a short jaunt down the way a bit, just to stretch my legs. We often made “new friends” with our fellow travelers. This one was different, though, as she had moved Alexis in front of her and was meticulously fingering through her hair looking for lice. This is a VERY common practice in Vanuatu, especially in the villages, where lice are especially prevalent. Even still, it struck me as odd that a total stranger would comb through my daughter’s hair looking for the creepy crawlers while carrying on a conversation with Shawnda.
As we like to say, “Oh, my Vanuatu!” ;)
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