 Everyone has a dream holiday and I was on my way to make mine come true. I had always wanted to see a volcano, to get as close to the action as I could and I'd discovered that it was very easily achieved on Tanna Island in Vanuatu. I also discovered that Tanna wasn't just about the volcano either.
The Vila airport on Efate Island is a cosy little affair and it was here that a young woman asked me to take her very young baby with me on the flight to the father who would meet me at the airport on Tanna Island. Being a single man of some age, never married and with no kids, I politely declined and suggested that a woman may be the better option. I was pleased when she found someone suitable and even more pleased when the baby quickly went to sleep on the plane.
Tanna Island is about 1 hour's flight south of Efate Island by twin Otter that only carries about a dozen passengers. On arrival a local villager who was to take me on the 2-hour 4WD only trip to my chosen accommodation, the Friendly Bungalows, just 6km from Yasur volcano, met myself and one other guest. The trip itself was interesting as we passed through villages and picked up and dropped off locals, avoided pigs (pigs are the local currency), ran over chickens, waved to the local children, listened to the thunder of the volcano and just generally enjoyed the magnificent jungle scenery.
The Friendly Bungalows are managed by Mary, a remarkable and friendly woman, who cooked, cleaned and arranged the tours for us all. By all, I mean the 8 people who were staying there, as there are only a half dozen bungalows. These are built of bamboo and it can be quite an experience walking on a moving bamboo. There is a shower and toilet attached, built on a coral floor with the water coming from a spring. There is no fridge for cold drinks but drinks are available from the main hut. But the area is so remote that they may not be in stock when you are there.
The bungalows are set right on the beach with calm water protected by offshore reef only metres from the front door. At night the locals can be seen out on the reef with torches chasing lobsters by hand - no luck during the three nights I was there, just as I didn't have any luck with drinking kava either but not withstanding those minor irritations it was still a joy to stay there. Maybe not for those who are used to 5 star luxuries though.
A number of tours are available but of course the volcano is the main one. Mary organises tours based on how many people want to go rather than set times and days. We set out for ours about an hour before dusk, as night is the best viewing time and were driven there in the trusty and rusty 4WD drive. We passed a number of people walking up the volcano as it is really quite small but the walk is only recommended for the fit and healthy as medical help is a long way away.
We were dropped about a 5-minute walk from the lip of the volcano and were given torches for the trip back. At the top a member of the local village guided us to the best place to stand and would not let us go too close. It is all reasonably safe but a few people who strayed too close and downwind to the lava have been killed. At first it was a little disappointing, as there was still light so the lava couldn't be seen. But we could feel the rumble of the mountain as eruptions took place. These seemed to happen every few minutes.
As night came in the volcano started to become alive. The exploding lava was very visible, the rumbling more ominous and the gasps of delight from the tourists more evident. And life was great and a dream had come true.
Article supplied by Ezinearticles Platinium Author Robert Lord
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