I’ve rarely felt more welcome than I did in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific about 1900 kilometres east of Brisbane, Australia.
The people I met were friendly and very proud of their country. Taxi and bus drivers eagerly volunteered information and pointed out interesting sights.
My cruise ship, P&O’s Pacific Aria, docked at the small commercial port, and getting off is an exercise in avoiding the shipping containers and weaving through the temporary market that springs up when passenger vessels arrive.
A policeman warns against touts, but it’s hard to tell the genuine taxi drivers from the wannabes who volunteer to take you on the 10-minute trip into the city or to provide a tour of the whole island of Efate, which is the political and economic heart of the nation and home to about a fifth of the 83-island archipelago’s population.
Tourism is important to the economy here, and visitors are treated well by the laid-back local residents. I certainly felt comfortable and safe.
While it has a mixed British-French colonial history, English is the predominant non-native language (unlike nearby New Caledonia, which remains a territory of France and French reigns supreme).
Port Vila has some expensive five-star resorts — at odds with the modest buildings of the capital — and is regarded as an adventure destination.
I didn’t indulge in the powered water sports, but I did try the local beer, Tusker, and took the time to wander through the streets, visiting a cafe and the fruit and vegetable market, during the short shore time allowed by the cruise itinerary.
I also found myself staring into a real-estate agent’s window, wondering whether I could afford to buy a slice of this island paradise.
If I do return by boat, it may be the new cruise terminal which is under construction adjacent to the existing facility. According to my taxi driver, it is being funded by Japanese investors.
