Vanuatu

There are only 14 countries regarded as the 'Oceania' continent, and we're going to fly through them here in the next couple weeks with a quick theme week of countries in 'Danger of Disappearing' plus the countries we'll be visiting at the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii (You guys we're ONE MONTH away from leaving on our trip!) 

But for Survivor week, we snuck in Vanuatu. And honestly, the only reason I had previously heard of this one is because of Survivor, as it was featured on season 9. 

Usually, I know where a country is located. Between doing a lot of these countries with just the flag and capital with Peyton way back when, to competing with everyone else on 'Stack the Countries', I am pretty good at knowing the basics. But for this one, we had to pull out the globe. (Nobody has Oceania as a placement to check there). We found it floating out in the South Pacific. It's one of those Melanesian Countries (there's the link back to the Polynesia/Melanesia/Micronesia lesson if you missed it). 

Vanuatu is a bit of an odd-ball country to learn about, which translates to exciting! We LOVE the quirky places. 

Sure, sure, it's an island nation- stop me if you've heard this before- of random volcanic islands, some inhabited, some not-  (In total it's about 85 islands, though 63 are inhabited) where you'll find world class diving, crystal clear water, and great beaches. 

But Vanuatu, who was once owned by the French (and the reason the capital is 'Port Vila') has all kinds of weird quirks, pick an island and you'll fine one. 

Lets start with our landmark, which isn't so much a place as an activity: Land Diving of Pentecost Island. 

Basically, it's totally primitive bungee jumping. There's these wooden towers that are 68 to 99 feet hight, which first of all, look so unstable I wouldn't think anyone would want to climb them, let alone jump off them. So the guys climb these rickety towers, wrap two tree vines around their ankles and take a dive.  (According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the G-force experienced by those who jump is the greatest that experienced in the non-industrialized world. 

Why would you do such a thing? Well, for a bountiful yam harvest, of course. It's a ritual they do every year sometime between April and June, all for the yams. It's also become quite the tourist attraction.They have videos of it on you tube- but to be warned, the jumping is done pretty much nude. 

So, that's Pentecost Island's interesting quirky ritual. Let's head on over to Tanna, a province of Vanuatu. Now Vanuatu is predominately Christian, however, because of the modern goods the military brought over with them in World War II, several cargo cults developed. A cargo cult, in case you didn't know (I didn't), is a system of beliefs based around the expected arrival of ancestral spirits in the ships bringing cargo of foods and other good. Most of the cargo cults died out, but one remains- the John Frum cult on Tanna (I totally suggest that link). 

In Malekula you can learn all about the history of cannibalism on the island at the 'Dog's Head Cannibal Site' complete with dismemberment tables and fire pits.) This island has the distinction of being the last recorded act of cannibalism in the country, which occurred in 1969, just before the island converted to Christianity. 

Over on Ambrym, you can visit 'Black Magic Village', where the islanders  practice sorcery. 

Off of Hideaway Island you can visit the world's only underwater post office. Located about 10 feet underwater, you can send waterproof postcards to anywhere in the world. (You know that I SO want one sent to me from here now- does anyone know a guy?) 

If volcanoes are your thing, visit Mount Yasur, which is said to be the most accessible active volcano in the world. You can walk right up to it and look straight down into the fire. It erupts several times in hour. The government has made efforts to keep everyone safe though. There are 'level's from 0-4 in which access can be restricted. 

With lots of unique things to work with, the boys made their postcards. 

Calib's featured the spirits coming from cargo containers, as well as the Vanuatu Flying Fox, the largest fruit bat species in the world. 

Peyton's featured the underwater post office and the land diving. 

While Hayden's included the Flying fox and the wild boar common on the islands. 

Food on Vanuatu was a bit tricky. They're kind of known for two things: Steak and Lap Lap. Vanuatu's meat is renowned in the region, and at the airports there are signs reminding you to thkae the 25 kg of meat permitted to take with you). Lap Lap is the national dish of Vanuatu. It's a root vegetable cake made from cassava, wild local cabbage and coconut wrapped in a banana leaf. 

The Steak was out. Hayden doesn't care for it, and Calib is still getting acclimated to his braces, so we've been trying to go softer with our meats and meals. 

The Lap Lap,just seemed complicated- and not really worth the effort, given how the boys have reacted to coconut and cassava based dishes. (Not to mention the recipe I found for it invloved grating the stuff for hours, blah!) 

So for dinner we settled on  Polynesian Chicken Lap Lap Skillet, (with a topping similar to the lap lap cake) along with mango and bananas,  and  variation of Polynesian Vegetables and Banana Peanut Butter Cookies. 

Dinner earned two spoons up. 

First of all, I don't like using generic Polynesian recipes. And I know Vanuatu isn't technically Polynesian, but sometimes you have to let things slide. This project gets difficult sometimes! There just isn't a lot out there for Vanuatu specifically, so I do the best I can with the recipe planning. 

The Lap Lap was interesting. For a chicken and rice dish it had tons of flavor, but the white sauce on top didn't really add much to it, and it was just sort of out of place and a little weird for most of us. 

The vegetables were ok, nothing fabulous, and nothing I'd run right out to make again, even though Asa made them a little differently than the directions- he used the same basic ingredients. 

Instead of making the cookie I used some basic cookies and made the filling according to the recipe. It's basically bananas foster with peanut butter and cream cheese (and I had to leave out the cream cheese because somehow I missed that when I made my list for the store). 

It's not that any of it was bad, I just wouldn't ask for it again, and Calib was in the same boat as me. Hayden picked at everything except the fruit and the cookie, and Peyton loved the chicken. He wasn't so much a fan of anything else, except the fruit, but he had lots of chicken, so he said overall it was a spoons up. 

Asa really liked this one, except for maybe the pineapple in the veggies.

Apparently I missed the picture of Vanuatu, but Hayden made quite the large 'tiny dot' out in the Pacific.

84 down, 109 to go!

Next Up: Malaysia