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Wala - 3rd January 2011
We arrived this morning at a little island called Wala. We were greeted with the sounds of small children singing songs in their local language. Their eyes light up when they see the visitors to the island and they say "Hello" to every body that walks past. There were little ones handing us flowers or posing for photos, and we even saw a couple of little kids with the family animals - roosters and a small pig.
We took a tour of the village with one of the locals. I was actually surprised at how little they have and need. They build their own buildings and houses - the rooves made from palm leaves and bamboo are completely water proof, and their houses last for 5-6 years, then they need to rebuild. Their beds were slim mattresses on the floor, the kitchen was roughly 2m x 2m and had just a couple of pits with hot stones for cooking, and a separate area where they washed their plates, cutlery and pots and pans. The bathroom was another small building, about the size of the kitchen, and had a small tub and some little bowls - the tub was filled up and the smaller bowls were used to scoop the water over yourself in the tub.
The local woman who gave us the tour of the village even said that they are very happy people, very friendly and relaxed. Seeing these islands re-awakened a desire in me to go overseas to islands and countries like these, or Africa and volunteer and spend some time giving something to the world. I had been seriously looking into those types of projects when I was 18 or 19, and the urge is now revived.
Tomorrow we'll be in Port Vila. We've got a tour of the Cascade Waterfalls organised which should be great and after that we'll wander the town looking at the shops and the sights.
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