Iririki Island Resort

Port Vila Harbor, Vanuatu - Sailboats, Deep Sea Fishing Vessels, Water Taxis

We have wanted to come to Vanuatu ever since we read about it in the stories of around-the-world cruisers. It seems everyone on the way from California to Asia stops here for a a while to provision, repair the boat and rest before the next long passage. There are many sailboats in the protected harbor, and colorful taxi boats to take you to other parts of the island. There is a luxury resort on an island in the middle of the harbor. We went there for lunch and a quiet couple of hours of relaxation and reading.

Masks and Other Artifacts Are Sold in Spirit Houses

Inside a Spirit House

A Spirit House

PNG is now a primarily a Christian country, with lots of churches of all denominations, many missionaries on different projects, and many church-funded schools. However, they still maintain a spirit house in each village. Only males may enter the spirit houses (and foreign females). Some houses have second stories, and we were told that boys/men must be scarred permanently to appear like they have crocodile skin to be able to go upstairs. We saw a few men aged 20+ with this scarring, but none of the boys. We bought a mask for a friend, but the Australian Quarantine Department at the airport found boring insects in it and took it away to burn.

PNG was a great place for a truly different adventure. We are back in Brisbane now, and will post again in a week after visiting Vanuatu.

Our Host Family Cooking Their Dinner

Typical Sepik River View of Families Out Fishing

The villagers are self-sufficient, netting fish, growing vegetables, bananas and papaya, scratching out the innards of sago palms for starch to make a bread-like pancake, and collecting the juicy, white grub worms from the sago to roast over the fire. After we had our meal, Matthew’s family cooked and ate their meal with fingers off one large serving tray. They smoke their extra fish to trade at market for clothes and utensils. The village receives $4 to $8 per person per night for housing tourists so we felt good helping the economy. Usually the cooking and fish-smoking go on inside the house so we had a distinct “eau de campfire” smell about us, but I think it keeps down the mosquitoes.

Traveling between villages took several hours in our dugout. We passed a couple of other motorized dugouts each day, usually full of passengers and goods on the way to/from market. Most of the boats we passed were small non-motorized dugouts. We could see the fine, white fishing nets that they drag.

George Setting Up the Beds (with Mosquito Nets)

Phillip Cooking Dinner, with a Warm SP in Hand

Each night, George would make up our individual beds in one section of the house, using the mattresses, linens and mosquito nets from the canoe. We quickly got used to sleeping in close proximity with our host family and our own group of five. Each night, Phillip, with a warm SP (the local beer, thanks to Trond), would set up the kerosene stove inside the house and cook a delicious meal. We ate with gusto, sitting comfortably in our wicker chairs around the cooler or a small table. The villagers have no chairs – nor electricity, indoor plumbing, paid employment, cars/trucks or road access to the village.

We Slept in a Typical Sepik River House

Everyone Helps Unload the Canoe - Men, Women and Children

We slept in typical Sepik River stilt houses, which the owners build for themselves from trees/plants that they collect in the forest. The floor is a matt of palm leaves, tied to the small trees that are about 1’ apart. This gives the floor flexibility that makes balancing on one foot to dress first thing in the morning a true challenge! Villagers would form a parade to help us unload the canoe into the guesthouse, and reverse the process the next morning. Children, as young as four, patiently waited their turn to carry something their own size.

View from the Back of the Canoe

Our 40' Dugout Canoe

After Mt. Hagen, David, Trond (a tourist from Norway) and I made our way to the Sepik River area where we traveled for three days in a 40’ motorized dugout canoe that was chiseled from one tree trunk. Phillip, our guide (not in this photo - that's Valentine, another member of the whole team), and George, our boat skipper, took total care of us, bringing all the supplies needed for the trip (see the large lump under the tarp), including the short wicker chairs that were the salvation for my knees! It was very peaceful to motor along the Sepik and its tributaries, watching lots of herons, hawks and sea eagles. The only real excitement was the spearing of a wild boar who was swimming across the river. Score: Guides 1, Boar 0. They sent some villagers to go collect the meal.

Huli Wigman Still Growing His Own Hair

Huli Wigman with His Hair Cut Off and Woven into a Hat

Sili Muli SingSing Group

Our favorite female group (and winner of the firm breast award, if there were one): the Sili Muli. About 25 young women covered in rust-colored gook, wearing grass skirts and large, moss-covered headdresses. Their drumming and chanting had a catchy rhythm, and they just kept going like the Energizer bunny!

Our favorite male group: the Huli Wigmen. They go to “Bachelors’ School” for 18-36 months to grow their hair and weave it into a hat. The light colored hair is still growing, while the black pointed hat is the finished wig. They form two lines facing each other, chanting and jumping in unison.

SingSing Groups Parading into the Arena

Kaye and a Mt. Hagen Woman

The SingSing is a competition among Highland groups, who dress up in traditional outfits, decorated with beautiful feathers and shells, and sing and dance or act out events and legends. It truly exceeded all our expectations in terms of the number of participants and the professional quality of the dress and entertainment. Many paint their faces and bodies. This is a Mt. Hagen woman with Kaye. We watched an hour-and-a-half parade as the 2000 performers entered the main arena, which was a large rugby field. Our tickets also allowed us to mingle with the performers, as they were preparing for the show, and to go onto the field after the judging. It was an incredible photo opportunity!!! Unfortunately, we can only show a couple of groups here.

Outdoor Market in Mt. Hagen, PNG

We stopped by the Mt. Hagen market to buy some fresh fruits and vegetables. People were very friendly and loved having their photo taken. PNG men dress like N. Americans, but most PNG women wear a loose-fitting dress that reaches down to around their knees, over a mid-calf-length skirt. They use a “bilum” as a purse, grocery bag and child carrier. That's a 2 year old kid, napping in a bilum! Original bilums were woven from string, as is this one, but some new ones are made from bright synthetic yarns. When the bilum has little in it, the women hang it around their neck in front; but when it is loaded, they place the strap on their head and the bag hangs in back. That's what this kid's Mom did to rock him to sleep before she put the bag on a nail.

Inside Our Roundhouse

Haus Poroman, Mt. Hagen, Western Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG)

From Brisbane, we flew to PNG (Papua New Guinea) to attend the annual Mt. Hagen SingSing. We stayed in a “roundhouse” at Haus Poroman, a rustic yet charming lodge, whose staff made their 30 guests from Australia, S. Africa, Europe and N. America feel like family. The lodge is located at 6,000 feet above sea level so clouds descended on us every afternoon. The interior of the roundhouse was decorated with fibre matting and artifacts (masks) that we would see later in PNG spirit houses.