Boats. Specifically, spid bots.

As in many places in the northern half of Vanuatu, in Torba province we get around by boat. (Reminder: Torba is made up of 13-ish small islands [+ at least 4 uninhabited, but with good fishing] with 4 airports and few roads). Almost every government sector has at least one boat, and there are a few privately owned as well. They tend to be little wooden or metal boats with two motors clipped onto the back end. Usually the front half of the boat is a small compartment where all the luggage that can’t get wet is stored. No such luck for passengers.  (For pictures see my facebook).

My first boat trip was from Mota Lava to Vanua Lava, the day I arrived in the Banks. The Sola airport was still closed, so I flew into Mota Lava, took a truck across the island, then took the education boat to Sola. The weather was not incredibly great that day, and the sea was rather rough. The boat was also overloaded. We had all of my luggage (which was about double what I actually took to Vanuatu with me, what with buckets, mattress, and other Peace Corps issued items), and about 12 people. The back end of the boat was pretty much underwater. The boat went airborne every third wave, slamming back down onto the water with a crash. For 90 minutes. That day was the most seasick I have ever been in my life. It was like a roller coaster ride that lasts an hour and a half with no stopping.

Subsequent trips have been better, and I’ve gotten used to the adventure that comes with traveling by boat. When I went to Mota Lava for Christmas, I sat on the beach for three and a half hours until the boat was ready to leave. During that time I watched the clouds grow darker and Mota Lava disappear in rain and reappear in the misty distance. When we finally left the weather seemed decent. The water wasn’t too rough at all. Plus the boat was underloaded, which meant we bounced more, but didn’t land as hard. We had four people (including me) and a few hundred pounds of produce.

One guy was the regular driver of this boat and it looked like he was teaching a much younger guy how to drive. For a little while, it sort of felt like being in a Drivers Ed. car. Except then I remembered that I wasn’t in a Taurus in summertime suburbia, I was in a small outboard motorboat flying over shark-infested water into a tropical rainstorm. But other than that it was pretty much the same.

When the rain hit Mota Lava disappeared from view, and I got a very important job… I got to hold the compass for the driver! I had to hold it just right so he could see it but so that it wouldn’t fly off the bench when we hit a wave. As the rain fell harder, I got another important job… using my free hand to bail water out of the boat.

Needless to say, I was a little wet when I got to my destination.