Well! Back from Vanuatu after a week with no internet access. Not huge withdrawal symptoms, just a bit of frustration not being able to post/email. Highlights for me were different to the school students I guess because I have previously been on the Coongoola cruise, to Ekasup Cultural Village, Rentapao River for kayaking, Mele and Lololima Cascades, Mt Yasur volcano etc BUT I had not seen the fire show put on by the Wan Smol Bag Theatre troupe – I had the budget to get them to come and perform on the beach where we were staying on the farewell night – absolutely brilliant! Theatrical, mesmerising, exciting – and they stuck around to let our boys have a go. Most guys had a rewarding trip and five ‘tools’ in a group of 26 is pretty much par for the course. Guess you can’t notice the winners unless there are the losers.

Had a few coffee stops around town with expats Lana, Linda & James, Tiffany, Andrew, Jo, Gerri, Barry & Amanda and enjoyed a Japanese lunch with Pam & Tony and tried the new Aquana Restaurant with Jenny and Rolls – sensational food cooked by chef Marcel – had two entrees – fish salad and calamari – sounds ‘ordinary’ but memorable Asian infusion – tried one of Jen’s garlic prawns and a slice from Rolls’ beef tournedos – also great. The wine a little pricey at $45 for a bottle of Oyster Bay but the lagoon view made up for that (above).

Good to be back – the MS doesn’t do well in the tropics. Was dragging a foot around yesterday like I was the lead in a crap production of Richard III but better today. Went to my Froggie Port Vila chiropractor, Gerard Sariani, on Thursday (right) – he was one of the first to notice my MS a couple of years ago – “Monsieur, you are walking like your legs are on backwards…”

Gerard’s son has a girlfriend with MS. They live in France and she is 24. Quel dommage. In French we both have ‘Sclérose en Plaques’ or ‘SeP’. ‘SeP’ in the Hitchikers’ Guide to the Galaxy was ‘Somebody Else’s Problem’.  I don’t have a photo of the French version of MS, so will leave you with the Kan Pai restaurant, where Pam, Tony and I had lunch – at the table in the far corner overlooking the harbour.

Back to the emails for now – will post again tomorrow.