Tanna Video

When I went to Tanna to see the volcano, there was a New Zealand couple along on the same flight. They had moved from New Zealand to Chile and bought a dairy farm, which they'd run for around a decade before purchasing a sailboat and taking to the seas.

Vanuatu was an early stop for them. They were there waiting on some parts, and so took the plane to Tanna instead of sailing.

They messaged me today with "We made a video of our Tanna trip! You'll have to find it--can't figure out the link."

If you're curious about the volcano trip I went on, this is a pretty good summary. It's charming. 

Gallery of the Pacific

Here are some photos of other moments from the trip I took last week.

Enjoy! At least, I did. 

Pacific Postscript

I met up with my old friend Sean last night to check out 1) dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant in Darlinghurt followed by 2) the nearest iteration of Vivid Sydney, an annual light show. 

If I’d known the light show was this cool, I’d have gone to the Circular Quay installation instead, but I was too worn out by then to add more to my day.

Next stop: LAX. That’s all, folks.

Polaris Pajamas or Paw Paws?

The processing power of my brain has gone numb, and I am lying in a Best Western bed across from Sydney’s Hyde Park, unable to compute what all I’ve seen over the last week. The volcano alone would have been enough, but the land diving had put me over the edge, and I can’t take any more input. At least, not yet.

How did I used to travel like this for months—even a year once—at a time? Everything is overwhelming and exciting, and it’s funny I used to also build in time for writing. Right now, I feel like a social media post is about my max, and I’m woefully behind even on that, because sleeping feels more essential than social media.

The sudden shift from Vanuatu to Australia is aggressive, like flying to New York from Haiti. I filled my water bottle from the hotel room tap and took a few tentative sips, then laughed at myself and gulped it all down.

Noumea

I’ve been in Noumea, New Caledonia since Monday night, and it not nearly as exciting as being on the rim of Mt. Yasur in Vanuatu! But I could use a little down time.

Zoo Day

An unexpected day in Sydney, what to do?

I thought about getting a day room at the airport hotel and sleeping off my jet lag. (Don't judge me, remember I lived on and off in Australia for two years, Sydney isn't new to me.)

I went to the airport information desk.

"What would you do if you had a day in Sydney?"

The volunteer cheerfully said "I'd go to the Taronga Zoo!" That was fair. I'd meant to go there plenty of times as it reputedly had a great view, but I'd just never prioritized it.

Okay. I'd go to the zoo. I caught the train from the airport to Circular Quay, where the ferry leaves for the zoo. I had a grand afternoon looking at wallabies and koalas, then headed back to the airport for check-in.

Delayed in Sydney Airport

My phone gets free T-Mobile data on United flights, so I'd gotten a message from Air Vanuatu that my 11:15 am SYD-Vanuatu flight had been delayed to 7:20 pm. I was alarmed—my land diving excursion in Vanuatu was scheduled for 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, and only occurs on Saturdays in May and June.

I used Skype to call Air Vanuatu as soon as I was on the ground, because while on the plane, I'd looked up a backup plan but I'd have to race to the domestic terminal to get to Brisbane for a Virgin Australia flight.

The Air Vanuatu rep assured me the plane would leave tonight. I figured it was hit-or-miss. We're talking Air Vanuatu here, not Qantas, but I decided to believe the earnest man who reassured me. Especially because I'd demanded the late plane go to Vanuatu tonight. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes, I am sure." 

"Are you sure-sure? Because I'm a tourist and I want to go to Vanuatu!" 

"Yes, I am sure." 

This is living, folks!