Vanuatuan greetings to everyone!
I’m in Luganville, the 2nd largest city in Vanuatu on the island of Espiritu Santo. We’ve been in Vanuatu for about a week now and have visited 3 islands. I spent my time in Port Vila (the capitol) at the doctor because I got this crazy skin thing, possibly bactirial? as we were leaving Fiji. So after breaking out with blisters that turned into hideous red scaby things all over my face and arms/hands and chest (okay, it wasn’t quite that bad, I had about 15 spots on me, mostly on my face), I decided a visit to a doctor was in order. After more antibiotics than a person should really take in their lifetime (at least thats how it seemed), I’m pretty much back to normal. I visited the hospital with a marvelous view of the bay today in Luganville to get another course just in case they reappear. Drugs are marvelously cheap here. I spent 3000vatu ($30) to see the doctor and they gave me the antibiotics for free, or as part of my fee or whatever. I suspect I was ripped off because I am white, I’m pretty sure she added a 0 to me fee over what the locals can pay, but it was cheaper then Port Vila and way cheaper than I would pay at home, so I’m okay with that. We leave Vanuatu today to head to the Soloman Islands – have to get out of the hurricane zone before the season begins in the next week, so north we go. I hope that doesn’t mean hotter, because its pretty darn hot as it is.
We had a crazy sail to Vanuatu but then a leisurally sail from Efate to Ambrym and then up here to Santo. Ambrym was pretty much untouched by westerners, which was pretty neat. The trainees had some unique experiences there which we are looking to repeat in the Solomans as they are even more untouched in some of the remote islands.