Son Sam and girlfriend Val arrived to Luganville airport to a truly Vanuatu welcome – we were not there! Halfway there Louise’s motorbike packed up but some passing locals gave us a lift ….. in 1st gear. Once appraised of the importance of our mission, these same locals sped up, even venturing into 3rd gear. They detoured to take us to the airport, then drove all of us back out to the farm here, swooping up the inert bike on the way. So friendly, so gracious and so typically Ni-Van.
After a few days of acclimatisation and local orientation, they headed up for three days at
Port Olry, staying at Chez Louis in the New Treehouse – photo above. Louise and I joined them up there on the Friday, me to talk coconuts with Louis, followed by Louise talking to Louis and wife Mikaela about chicken production for eggs and meat.
Sam and Val 
mixed laid back time with energetic pursuits. The PADI dive centre on Aore Island proved a real hit with Val proving to be a ‘natural’ diver – the photo on right shows Sam and Val in blissful aquatic togetherness. We did a double dive on 15th with them staying for a night of luxury at Aore Island Resort and us heading back across the ‘Canal’ and home to the farm.
Both Sam and Val wanted to learn to sail and rather handily, Lopi Lopi Resort across the road
has a Hobie Cat available for renting out. The photo shows me as tutor on the helm. The trick is to get on the water an hour before high tide and return within two hours. Even at high tide, negotiating around the various reefs requires a little attention, as does the local wild life. We spotted two dugongs and two turtles surfacing nearby. The gentle wind and flat sea made it an easy lesson to give and the two students were soon happily tacking to port, to starboard and then on the homeward leg, jibing like gooduns.
They wanted to finish their stay with a watery flourish. In the morning we went up to Matuva Blue Hole, making Tarzan-style entries as demonstrated by sam in the following video:
It was two weeks of warm and colourful times rich with family togetherness.
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