December 25, 2007- A First Glance at Port Vila, Vanuatu

My first day in Port Vila was a very laid back one, as all of the ni- Vans were at home spending time with their families. I arrived at my hotel, Nomad Moorings, late morning and found my dorm room to be rather cosy and extremely clean, with its own en- suite bathroom. I ended up sharing the dorm with a German couple the first night who had been backpacking Vanuatu in a tent for the past few weeks. I took a quick stroll into the town which is only a short 10 minute walk from my accommodations, but again- everything was closed for Christmas day. My very first impression about the people of Vanuatu was that they were not nearly as friendly as the Fijian`s I had come to known and love. I would say that it is fair to say that Vanuatu people are a little more skeptical of foreigner`s. Though I am told that they would go out of their way to give you the shirt off of their back, they seem more reserved and less outgoing.

I passed by various families along the shore of the bay sitting under the shade of the palm trees and splashing in the aqua blue waters. I eventually made my way back to the hotel and spent some time both on a lounger in the sun in the company of serval Aussie boys, and then on the internet, one of which I soon came to discover does not need a login— and thus does not require money to use.

It was a nice quiet afternoon with Christmas carols sounding from the restaurant. I was pretty hungry, but slightly intimidated by the families gathered in the restaurant. Through traveling alone, I`ve come a long way as an individual, but eating alone still intimidates me. Around 9:00pm, I decided that sitting at the bar to eat a meal alone would be less intimidating, ans so I nervously made my way to the bar. I examined the menu a few times, and before I knew it, an English guy who had been sitting by himself reading ( a few bar stools down) approached me and asked if I minded if he joined me. We ordered some drinks and spent the evening chatting about anything and everything. Of course I was loving the "literally`s", "ridiculously`s", and other such English words. Before long, a few of his friends that he was traveling with had joined us along the bar, and I was fearing a heart attack with all the British sarcasm and humour coming from the three of them.