Drinking cava with the minister of health

Today I want to start with a pic just to fcheck how long it takes to upload it. Too long for more than one… 😉 What you see on this pic is a normal road in Tanna. And this part is in much better shape than a lot of the rest of it. So maybe now you undertsand a bit better why I didn’t want to risk having to go to the airport in the middle of the night. If a tree falls then you are stuck…

But let’s continue with the tales of Malkula. Yesterday evening there was this BBQ. I hadn’t know the occasion though… it was for employees of the Vanuatu Ministry of Health (some of them stayed here) AND the minister himself was here as well. Steve, the nephew of the Owner told me to get outside sit on a bank and wait. So I did that. But then the speeches started. They were in bislami (the local language) and I didn’t understand anything except ‚Thank you ver much‘ in bislami. So since this obviously was an internal meeting I didn’t want to disturb and went back to my room. I had an idea what they had done on Malekula since Veronique had told me that they had visited the Small Namba Village to talk about family planning. They want to have the families have less children. Only 3-4 instead of 7 – 12….

When the speeches were finished the owner of the resort knocked on my door and it was cava-time. They gave me half-glass and the minister who was standing next to me got a special thing for drinking his cava (not a glass). I learned then that you have to down the entire glass of cava in one shot and when I took a sip I understood why…  so the minister and I downed our cava (he probably didn’t know he was drinking with me.. :D) and I knew that I won’t drink it again. Since cava in Vanuatu is mostly a man-drink I think that the women are just too smart to drink it. It tasted disdusting…

The minister left after the cava so the rest of us had our dinner. It was funny that suddenly everyone started talking again because they were all silent while the minister was there. I hadn’t know which one was the minister but when I saw him in the chair I knew it was him..

Last night I didn’t sleep a lot then but not because of the cava.. it was way too hot. It is weird as in the first night I was cold but since yesterday it has become very hot. So right now I am sitting in the lush tropical garden of the resort to write this blog entry. At least in the shadow there is some wind…

This morning I went to see the BIG Nambas. But to be honest I liked the day with the Small Nambas much better. It was much more personal. This morning I was the only visitor.  And by now I know how it goes: first the visitors are greeted with flower chains (this morning it was some kind of gras that had a nice smell). Then they start with the Welcome Dance, usually followed by a women- and a men-dance. Then another one or two dances and it finishes with a public-dance where the visitors can participate. After that is the ‚good-bye‘-ceremony where usually the visitors have to say something as well and then it is shake-hand-time again. There weren’t a lot of dancers this morning, not sure if there are more if there are more visitors. Of course I took pics and videos again.

And now I am at the resort and don’t wanna do anthing because it is way too hot…. tonight I have to pack again and tomorrow morning I will be back in civilisation with internet and all and the day after tomorrow I will be back in the water… 🙂