the 3rd anniversary of my sister’s 25th

MUDDLE BAR ~ Shop 8, West Row, Canberra

On the Tram 112: Spencer St Station to St David Street, Fitzroy

Melbourne is such a picturesque city and it is so easy to forget that. Going back to Melbourne after 3 weeks in Vanuatu, it hit me again.  Just on my usual tram ride home there are so many remarkable, beautiful sights to take in which we take for granted because we are tired, the tram is crowded, we are lost in our thoughts, we have become immune to the beauty that surrounds us everyday.

Here’s something that would hopefully remind me to see the beauty in everyday’s mundane.

not quite Vila Harbour but we missed you nonetheless Yarra…

Back in Melbourne after a 3 week holiday in Vanuatu to visit family and friends there. Jack was there for a week and got back to Melbourne 3 days before me.

I arrived in Melbourne an hour before midnight of the 19th. Just in time to herald Jack’s birthday with him.

We had a lie in, watched Bruno at Village Cinema in Crown and then had a quiet coffee and cake at Automatic.

I missed good Melbourne coffee

Went home to freshen up to meet his friends for drinks at The Little Creatures Dining Hall across from my flat.

a little more tanned than before

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MITCHY POO..

I STILL OWE YOU.

YOUR BIRTHDAY WEEK IS NOT OVER.

xox

Hiding Away on his last day

On his last full day in the islands, I decided to take the boy to Hideaway Island. He’s been there for almost a week and he still failed to tan. So off to Hideaway we went with my brother to make a final attempt at getting some colour on this half pom, some snorkelling, lots and lots of lounging around and of course taking loads of holiday shots that we can look back on with longing when we are freezing are arses off when we are back in Australia.

Mitch

Chay

Rex

Jack and Jill went up the waterfall..

Even before he decided to come to Vanuatu, Jack has become familiar with the must-see sights in Port Vila thanks to my screensaver/slideshow that shows my adventures from last year. He’s always been intrigued by my photos in the waterfalls and my smug boasting that I prefer to climb up the waterfall as opposed to using the sissy mud paths that were made for the tourists being herded in and out of the place.

So when we went on a beautiful Monday arvo, he was insistent on climbing up the falls despite the slippery rocks, gushing water and precarious paths. Good job Jack. Neither of us fell and our cameras didn’t even fall in the water and we went up right up close to the twin falls where even I didn’t dare to go before.

The Mele Cascades is about 10 minutes drive from town (don’t quote me on that). You pay Vt1500 (about A$15) per person for entrance fee which they claim they use for maintenance and security.

Don’t be discouraged when you see the puny falls for the first five minutes of the walk. After the long haul up the rock stairs and the little trickles of streams the rock pools and Cascades await..

Don’t forget to have a photo taken in the giant bamboo poles

And climb other things that come your way for wacky poses..

Don’t be shy.. ask the American Dude to take a photo of you. He went to a waterfalls and didn’t bring bathers.  We might as well make use of him.

Lelepa Island Day Tour

We meant to go to Nguna or Pele or some other island overnight. But our schedule was tight and catching the flu and the sporadic downpours hampered those plans. I still wanted to take Mitch to one of Efate’s smaller outlying islands and going on the Lelepa Island Day Trip came highly recommended and fit snugly with the rest of our holiday plans.

The tour costs Vt7,600 (around $A76) and includes a pick up and drop off at your hotel, 40 minute land trip to Havannah Harbour, a 10 minute ferry ride to the island, snorkelling gear, a very short guided bush walk, a cave tour, lunch and morning and afternoon tea. Best of all they give you lots and lots of time to just relax in the beautiful powder white sandy beach of Lelepa Island.

Here are just some photos (out of the hundreds) we took  on that relaxing, breathtaking, perfect day.

1 of 3 ferries that took us to Lelepa island

lelepa island from the ferry

mitch meeting the shore

waiting for the tour of the scary creepy cave

Eton Beach, Efate: where waters meet. .

I still wasn’t feeling 100% better on Saturday, but I knew Jack only had less than a week in Vanuatu and I really wanted him to see as much of the island as we can fit in. I was determined to bring him to one of my favourite spots in Efate, so with a slight fever, a vague idea of how to get there and my mum’s car we headed to Eton Beach, about a 45 minute drive on unpleasant roads but beautiful scenery.

Eton Beach is spectacular. It’s a small stretch of white sand beach that is protected from the crashing Pacific waves by rock shelters. A clear water spring from in land empties into the cove allowing for a unique experience of swimming in freshwater and salt water. When you stand there, you can feel the warmer freshwater from your feet to about your thighs and the colder ocean water from your waist up. Sit far below underwater and you can drink the sweet spring water.

Not to mention the sight is just spectacular. When you stake your claim on a spot on the sandbar you are caught between the Pacific Ocean

and a the small freshwater river

Come on a weekday and you get the beach all to yourself. On weekends, chances are, there are tourists and locals enjoying the beach with you. But there  is a whole lot of sand and sea for everyone.

Hanging Out Island Style

Mitch was booked for 3 nights at Moorings Hotel, a small boutique hotel on Lini Highway right on the edge of central Port Vila.

It’s a good sized resort, not too big that you are inundated by running children and screaming families. There are plenty of pool lounges and beach towels to go around. The room is just right, nothing fancy, but definitely adequate. Location is also ideal because the town is just a lazy 5-10 minute waterfront walk. It also has a bar & grill and a night club attached to it.

What I like most about it (and the main reason I recommended this to Jack) is that is right on the water unlike most of the smaller resorts in hotels in Port Vila.

I woke up on Mitch/Jack’s second day in Vanuatu with a flu – fever, colds and cough. The other activities lined up for the trip required leaving the resort for long periods of time or a lot of holiday energy which, in that state, I didn’t have.  So we decided to stay at Mooring’s and exploit the beautiful view and the infinity pool.

We sat on lounge chaises overlooking the Port Vila Harbour while the sky turned from this:

to this

drank Tusker and took photos against the breathtaking background

kites, crabs & carefree

After a morning in Iririki, I took Mitch to meet my bestest friends in the island: crazy/beautiful Rusty, Will my yoda & Polina the lovely. After the usual lunch of inappropriate, life stories and shit talking Mitch and I were invited to tag along to witness the breaking in of Rusty’s new kite surfing gear. So tag along we did to Mele Bay. About a 10 minute drive outside the town right where you go to catch the ferry to Hideaway Island.

The wind was not good enough for Rusty to surf in but it was a beautiful Vanuatu afternoon spent with my most beloved people.

rusty unfolding his 9 meter kite

poli learns to fly the smaller kite

and it soars while i dig my feet in the sand

the sea and me <3

will takes a turn

Mitch’s first morning in Vanuatu @ Iririki Island Resort

SO Mitch (who is,  for some weird reason,  called Jack in this blog) left for Sydney and then Melbourne yesterday arvo after a whirlwind week here in Vila.

These posts are post dated and will come in Gratitude Journal form because that is what this magical, indescribable week has made me feel the most: INCREDIBLY GRATEFUL.

1. Thank you for allowing us to be together in my second home/favourite tropical paradise.

Jack decided to come for a week to Vanuatu 2 days before I left. we were on a tram to St. Kilda and I was telling him how awesome Port Vila is and i said “oh I wish I you could see Port Vila!” I looked out the window, looked back at him with my puppy dog eyes and said in my sweetest voice “‘why couldn’t you go again?”

And the rest, as they say, is history

2. Thank you for the Iririki ferry that picks us up from the city harbour to ferry us to Iririki Island Resort after paying a consumable fee of Vt1500 (around $15) and that came to pick us up after a day of frolicking and fun.

3. Thank you for the beautiful weather. It was overcast and cloudy but considering tropical thunderstorms and torrential downpour was forecasted for the day we were extremely grateful for weather that allowed us to leave our hotel.

4. Thnk you for the time Jack was able to take to rest, unwind, chill and relax

5. Thank you for the opportunity to lounge around in the beautiful Pacific ocean