Paradise found

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A family rests in the shade of their home on Moso Island. (CANWEST NEWS SERVICE)

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A lagoon view from the balcony of Sunset Bungalows. (CANWEST NEWS SERVICE)

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A view of the turquoise waters of Erakor Lagoon from Mangoes Resort in Port Vila. (CANWEST NEWS SERVICE)

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A sunbather lounges on the white sands of Lelepa Island. (CANWEST NEWS SERVICE)

PORT VILA, Vanuatu -- Vanuatu has long been part of the vocabulary for me and my husband, Steve; an exotic-sounding shorthand for a more peaceful, less-frenetic way of life.

The moment we step off our flight from Brisbane, Australia, the scents of hibiscus, frangipani and bougainvillea mingle in the air and the gentle pling-pling of ukuleles signals it's time to leave job and other stresses behind. Nearly everyone we encounter in Port Vila, the capital on the main island of Efate, greets us with a dazzling smile and wishes us "Good day."

Even at the marketplace, populated by dozens of women in their iconic "Mother Hubbard" dresses that are a holdover from the days of Christian missionaries, you'll get broad smiles and nods of acknowledgment, but not the slightest hint of a high-pressured sales pitch. Even some of the massive, totem-like carved wooden drums known as tam-tams feature smiling faces.

The ni-Vanuatu or ni-Van people hold the distinction of top spot on a 2006 international measure of progress spanning 178 countries. By contrast, that same Happy Planet Index -- compiled by the U.K.-based think-tank the New Economics Foundation -- pegs Canadians at 111th, Australians at 139th, Americans at 150th, while Zimbabweans wallow at the bottom.

What makes for a happy ni-Vanuatu people? Turns out it's not material wealth and consumerism, it's being content with their lot in life, achieving a life expectancy of nearly 70 years and doing minimal damage to our planet.

Yes, the ni-Vans live with the threat of cyclones, earthquakes and, on some islands, volcanic eruptions. But the average midday temperature in Port Vila is 29 C in the summer wet season, and 25 in the drier winter (May through October), and a subsistence economy provides inhabitants with ample fish, coconut crabs, pork, fruits and vegetables. In an urbanized world, 80 per cent of ni-Vans live in rural areas.

Vanuatu, which is pronounced van-oo-WAH-too and means "land eternal," lies due north of New Zealand, and between the Queensland coast of Australia and the archipelago of Fiji. If you're still having trouble placing it, it was New Hebrides until gaining independence and becoming a self-governing republic in 1980.

From 1906 until that time, the country was referred to as a "condominium," under joint rule by France and England. Some islanders have argued that "confusion" and "pandemonium" might have been better descriptors for a place that had dual sets of post offices and school systems, and where those facing charges could elect to be tried under either British common law or French civil law.

Although it's a member of the Commonwealth, Vanuatu retains some vestiges of France's influence: People drive on the right side of the road, French cuisine endures, and you're as likely to hear French spoken as you are English.

A curious third language is a form of creole called Bislama. Billboard ads that proclaim "Toktok plante" are bewildering until you realize they're promoting cellphones with generous "talk, talk plenty" minutes. A personal favourite involves Tusker beer: "Biya blong yumi" denotes that the national beverage belongs to you and me.

Port Vila is a veritable potpourri of cultures, blending Melanesian and Asian as well as English and French. Its natural harbour draws cruise ships and charter boats, and the Vanuatu Cultural Centre boasts one of the finest collections of South Pacific art.

Also worth checking out are the Mele Cascades waterfall and the village of Ekasup, where the traditional ni-Van culture can be explored. Across the harbour from Port Vila lies Iririki Island, linked by a free, 24-hour ferry service. While the resort there features upper-end bungalows, moderately priced small- and medium-sized eco-resorts abound throughout Vanuatu.

And don't limit yourself to visiting just one island when there are 86 in the archipelago to explore.

* Tanna Island features Yassur, one of the world's most active -- and accessible -- volcanos. The island's rich, black-ash plains are ideal for growing kava, the root of a pepper plant that's ground and mixed as a drink. Once used ceremonially, it's now consumed for both social and medicinal purposes. (Years earlier in Fiji, I sampled this beverage resembling dirty dishwater and it quickly made my lips numb and my scalp tingle. I didn't take a second sip.)

 * Pentecost Island is renowned for Nagol, a land-diving ritual that usually occurs on Saturdays in April and May in celebration of the yam harvest. Jumpers choose their own vines, tie them to their ankles and leap from platforms on towers up to 30 metres high. It's believed to have provided the inspiration for the modern-day bungee jump.

 * Espiritu Santo, the largest island in the archipelago, is a veritable magnet for divers. The 200-metre-long luxury liner SS President Coolidge, wrecked when it struck two "friendly" mines during the Second World War, includes an array of Jeeps, trucks and rifle cases -- not to mention the various sea life that's attached itself over more than six decades.

Thankfully, all but two of the more than 5,000 crew and troops on board that day in October 1942 were able to escape after the captain managed to run the Coolidge onto a reef. No one believed the ship would sink.

Troops were ordered to leave all their belongings behind under the impression they'd be able to conduct salvage operations in the coming days.

Whenever we're near the sea, Steve and I make a point of adding fishing to our agenda. Because Vanuatu's waters drop off rapidly once you're away from the coast, large schools of fish can be found in depths exceeding 1,500 metres.

Potential catches include blue, black and striped marlin, yellowfin tuna, sailfish, sharks and giant trevally. In no time, our sport-fishing group captures numerous yellowfin tuna and wahoo (also known as Spanish mackerel). A blue marlin, however, is tagged and released.

Another day, as we're about to leave the main island of Efate for a day trip to Lelepa and Moso islands, the guide lets slip that our boat launch is just metres from where the reality show Survivor: Vanuatu was filmed.

A quick tour of the site reveals precious little besides a giant slab of concrete made to look like cobblestones -- the spot where tribal council was held. Despite what was shown in TV promos, there's no nearby volcano -- active or otherwise -- and the "isolated" contestants were only a few kilometres from a village.

-- Canwest News Service

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition June 13, 2009 E4