Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
An Incredible Twenty-Four Hours
Tanna is a lot of things, but to us, it was the island of the most incredible twenty-four hours
of our entire Pacific crossing. Things began on a Thursday at 3 p.m., when a rattling pick-
up bounced us over hill, dale, and gully to visit the nearby hot spots - literally. First up was
a village with steaming hot vents; the people there are members of a fascinating cargo cult
set in motion by a mysterious 1936 foreign visitor named Jon Frum (a bizarre story milked
to the hilt by Jimmy Buffett in his novel,
A Salty Piece of Land
).
Next up: Mount Yasur, an active volcano. Very active! We climbed to the crater rim just in
time for sunset and a spectacular nighttime sound-and-light show. Nicky called it the scari-
est and most amazing thing he's ever seen, and we adults agreed. The earth shakes and the
mountain roars while the crater spews cow-sized chunks of orange-red lava into the sky.
We were torn between staring into the mesmerizing red glow and fleeing for our lives. Is it
safe? Kind of. Given the number of flip-flop shod tourists who make it home alive every
year (entire families, including babies in little snuggle packs, all watching the pretty lava
go up and down), it seems safe enough. Our guide assured us that the national park author-
ities enacted safety measures after two people died there in the early 1990s; visitors are no
longer allowed as far as the rim if activity exceeds a “gentle” level two.
Mount Yasur was a spectacle of nature, and we were privileged to observe its cultural coun-
terpoint early the next morning. A local boy was celebrating his coming of age, and the
whole village was invited - including the crews of the eight boats in the bay. Think Nation-
al Geographic Magazine: grass skirts, squealing pigs, ground-stomping dances. Yes, a bit of
western culture has crept in: women use commercial dyes to color their grass skirts, and the
master of ceremonies wore Nikes under his lavalava. But those are small distractions; the
overall impression is of a timeless ceremony from the far side of the world.
But our busy social calendar was not yet complete, because we had agreed to a feast at
noon. Our hosts, Nelson, Vivian, and Lea, explained that while primary education is free in
Vanuatu, secondary school is extremely expensive - to the tune of US$500 per student per
year. Hence the feasts they offer for a very fair $5, featuring traditional dishes like sticky
laplap served on beautifully woven palm leaf plates, not to mention the obligatory roast
pig. Did I say tourist economy? Scratch that. These family efforts have more in common
with bake sales: honest fundraisers to bring in cash earmarked for a specific purpose. Our
hosts were quick to point out that they live well off their lush land and rich seas. Their prin-
cipal cash expenses are education and medicine.
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