Water polo, snorkeling and kayaking for 6.

Before we get the latest information from the tough everyday work, let's first report on an exciting and active weekend with the locals.

On Saturday morning at 8 we met with Josh and others from beach volleyball for a water polo tournament at Mele Beach (there was also a fire show). The well-known non-profit organization 'Wan Smal Bag' from Port Vila, Vanuatu, always offers many activities and projects for everyone, and this tournament was one of them. Everyone who helps there is a volunteer and supports the water sports area in particular (but there are also yoga, theater, and cooking courses).

It started at 8 o'clock on Saturday, but... -> Island-time ... and so we took it easy and were ready to start around 9. Despite the delay, Josh and I were the only ones from the beach volleyball team, so we couldn't register our team. Fortunately, we were quickly recruited by the team 'Volts' (short for Volunteers) and so we could still start. Within the next 2 hours, 2 more people from volleyball joined us and joined our team. From 5 to 9 we changed a lot and had a lot of fun with young and old, big and small.

Thanks to a fantastic team effort, we even made it to the final against the Beach Boys. This team consisted only of teenagers and the organizer, all team members came from swimming or water polo. We could cope well with the narrow defeat in the end and were happy about our second place and prizes of water bottles and t-shirts.

After the tournament, we took advantage of the beautiful weather to go snorkeling on the nearby small island 'Hideaway Island'. It is described as THE snorkeling paradise in the Lonely Planet and this rating was confirmed. Beautiful corals, Nemo, and an underwater post office... We made ourselves comfortable with rum and fruit juice and snorkelled until our fingers grew webbed. Since we have invested in good equipment, we couldn't stop... but at some point, it gets chilly and we paddled home with Atu.

On Sunday at 9 o'clock Island-time (10 o'clock) Josh, Emma, Amy (4 years old and 17kg) and Josh's niece Hilda (14 years old and 50kg) were standing at the door. We wanted to paddle with the little family to Erakor Island and show them the tourist side of Vanuatu. Neither the island nor kayaking have ever been visited by all of them. So let's go on a paddle adventure.

First Challenge: Distribute all 6 people on 4 seats without any boat sinking. The first attempt with Emma and Hilda in the front of Michel's steering boat failed with a lot of laughter. After a short time, the three of them were sitting in the water up to their waists and Michel had completed his training for the week. The boat with Josh and Amy behind me glided smoothly, but we couldn't look at this funny mess for long. At the next opportunity, we paddled ashore and exchanged Hilda and Amy. With this now optimal weight distribution, the second attempt worked perfectly.

We arrived on the island after about 45 minutes, very happy and somewhat tired, and rewarded ourselves with a fruit juice... A playground for Amy was the highlight and we could have long and interesting conversations with Josh and Emma about life here, how they got to know each other, and the problems between the individual island residents (because they come from different islands). But they also asked many questions about traveling, Germany, and working life in Europe. Maybe it will even work out for Josh to come to the World Cup in Hamburg next year. But for now, it's just a little dream. Another worthwhile option for the Ni-Vans is to go to Australia or New Zealand as seasonal workers. The money they earn there enables the whole family in Vanuatu to have a good life. However, getting permission from the government is a long process and a lot depends on contacts, which the two unfortunately do not have. So for now, this remains a wishful dream.

Since the prices at the resort are quite high, we settled for the fruit juice and Josh and Emma conjured up another fantastic lunch, which we enjoyed a few hundred meters away in a secluded spot. Half a chicken is always in our luggage, lots of fresh bread, a giant papaya, cucumber, and peanuts. We added our fruits, cheese, and crackers and feasted.

After lunch, we took a short break to digest and set off again as Josh had a beach volleyball game to play (he actually plays every day!). The return journey was faster than the outward journey 😂 and after the long weekend, we were also looking forward to chilling by the pool, playing dice, writing blog posts, and cooking. Here at the guesthouse, you always meet funny people with whom you spontaneously spend an evening every now and then. Graham from Adelaide has been living on Santo Island (another island) for 20 years and has several properties there. He tells us a lot about his business, the history of Vanuatu, and what his plans are at the age of 74. We listened to his stories eagerly with red wine and beer and once again went to bed exhausted but early at 9:30pm 😊 .