December 26, 2007 "A Visit to Hideaway Island Resort"

I met up with some of the British guys I met last night and they invited me to join them on a snorkeling trip to Hideaway Island, a resort island just a few minutes away known for its snorkeling. We took a cab to the beach and then caught a very short boat ride over to the island. After renting some snorkeling gear from the main reception desk, we set ourselves up at a picnic table in the shade.
The snorkeling in itself is possibly the best I have ever done. What was really neat was seeing in person the world`s only underwater post office where you can actually swim under water and post plastic postcards. Of course I didn`t bother with the postcards as I can just imagine how much they cost when considering entry onto the island alone cost $10.

After a few hours of snorkeling, we relaxed at our picnic table with some delicious pina coladas. We then made our way back across the water by boat only to discover that Vanuatu also runs on "island time" in that our taxi decided not to come back for us. Luckily, like most other islands, everyone is out to make a buck, and so it didn`t take us very long to find another means of transportation back to the hotel. On our drive back, we had the chance to pass through villages and get a real feel of the way of life of those living in Port Vila. Their living seemed very basic and I was amazed to see wild pigs roaming on their lawns as though they were domestic cats. I am excited to get another opportunity to see into the Vanuatu way of life again sometime in the near future.
Back at the hotel, I met up with the British group once again for some drinks and then we decided to take a stroll into town for a late dinner. We decided on a popular Steakhouse in Port Vila, and it was great fun. We talked, ate, and then eventually made our way back to the closed hotel bar and sat around in its quietness and chatted until late in the night.