Saturday, May 05, 2007

4 May - if I’m going to get wet anyway…

I needed to get away again, and so decided to take a trip to see the Mele cascades. The idea is that you get a nature walk, a pleasant stroll and a chance to play in the cascades. So, I packed some swimwear and caught the bus out of town. I had astutely decided to wear my Fijian sandals and change into my swim shorts and a t-shirt before we set off on the walk. As it decided to pour down with (albeit) warm rain almost immediately, I felt vindicated as we made our way up the hillside, through torrents of water.

Robert, our guide, showed us tricks with plants, and explained the uses to which various leaves and trees are put. He then took us to the lookout point, from which we could look out over the south-west of Efate (the island on which Port Vila stands), just as the rain stopped. Vanuatu is a very pretty place in a completely disorganised way. Things just grow, to the point where most villagers carry machetes with them so that they can be sure of getting home.

Onwards and upwards to the cascades, and were they worth the walk! Wading through cascading water to the main waterfall, where we were encouraged to splash about, stand under the falling water, and find the small cave behind one part of the falls. The water was a bit cold, although bearable enough. There are even pictures of me getting wet, a very rare event, as my family will testify…

On the way back down, Robert sang a few songs from his church, all very reminiscent of family occasions in India, with the same sort of feeling, a perfect end to a rather good day. But tomorrow will see the excitement

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