Me glad too much, or I am very happy in Bislama, that is Vanuatu's native language.
Well I am back in the working world after a week vacation in Vanuatu. This is an island country west of Fiji in the South Pacific. My friend Jamie and I went there for a week before he starts back at University over here. We were booked in at
Iririki Resort thanks to an awesome vacation deal with Air New Zealand. The resorted was on it’s own little island a short boat trip frm Port Vila, the main town on the island.
On the ocean side of the island there was snorkelers cove, it had AMAZING coral and fish life, by far the best snorkeling I have ever seen. On average we spent a couple of hours a day snorkeling out there, we saw heaps of anemone fish, stingrays, lionfish, trevally, and eels. I was even outsmarted by a fish which I was chasing… he backed me into a coral head, and I did a number to my back. Needless to say I swam quickly to the shore as I remembered sharks can smell blood from miles away.
Other than snorkeling we spent our days tanning, reading and listening to music at one of the resorts pools. We even swam once and a while when we got sick of the 36
C heat.
With the resort being out of our price range we ate most of our meals in town where we found cheaper, and most often better food than we could find at Iririki. The Vietnamese was our fave, where we could get a bowl of soup for only $1,000vatu (10USD, 20NZD). The market in town was the place to be, there were hundreds of stands set up with families lying behind all selling the exact same produce as the stand next to them: coconuts, taro, some spinach looking thing, live crab strung together with cord. I had many drinks f coconut and slurps of passion fruit from here.
For a daytrip Jamie and I caught a bus to the Mele Cascades, this was a hike up a streambed to a breathtaking waterfall. The water was so refreshing and you were able to sit under the falls with the water smacking down on your back. There was also cave behind the falls, which I nearly lost my sunnies (Sunglasses for you Canucks) trying to get to. Thanks to a lucky elbow snag I caught them though and disaster was avoided.
In between tans we were even able to sneak in a couple dives. Both were to wrecks, the first of which was at 39m (128ft). Our dive master advised us that both ships offered amazing penetration and it was true. Swimming through the ship we saw more lionfish, schools of hatchet fish, the remains of the toilet and a tea set. After diving the wrecks we ascended to use up your remaining air in the shallows. I have never seen more Christmas tree worms than at these dive sites, and both were really close to the town!
So I have survived another gruelling Beach Series race. Attendance was down this week, as the official series is over but it was still good fun. Bit of a southwesterly so we had a chance for a 3k downwind run. I had a good start and was able to get myself in position for some washriding into the headwind before the first turn. The downwind went alright, stringing together a few waves. On the final turn 500m from the finish I was able to get the better line and hold off an attack from a guy riding my wash (needless to say he rammed into my leg as I was getting out of my boat at the finish for the run up the beach). 
