LTY UPDATE: Tuesday, September 4th, 2012
Port Villa, Vanuatu LTY time: 17:35 (Vanuatu time = UTC +11)
Location: Port Villa, Vanuatu
Position: 17 44.461 S, 168 18.650 E (you can cut & past this into Google Earth to see on map)
Wind: 5-12 knots (inside the bay)
Seas/Swell: flat
Air temp: 75 F 24C
Sea temp: 85 F 29.5 C
Barometer: 1020mm BYE BYE Port Villa
It's been a fun time here in Port Villa and I've taken full advantage of the big port city to get things like a cellular modem so I can have better internet connections as I sail through the rest of the more remote spots in Vanuatu, stocked up on groceries from the Au Bon Marche and other French stores with the likes of good bread, wine and cheese as well as several trips through the well stocked local market for lots of fresh veggies and fruit. I did have one interesting new adventure while walking all over the island to pick up all the supplies. I took the dinghy down to the far end of the Paray Bay to the gas company to fill up one of my propane cylinders so that I've got both of them full for the next two months and while I was walking back from the office to pay for the fill up I passed a very nice home with a gated yard and a young Chinese fellow was opening the driveway gate to let his wife leave in their car. We waved and said hello and I turned back to watch where I was walking when all of a sudden one of his dogs had rushed up to me and bit me hard on the ankle. Ouch!! Startled me more then it hurt me though his teeth did break through in four spots. The poor fellow was very upset and came down to find me at the gas company as I was getting my filled up cylinder and loading it into the dinghy. He'd brought down some good antibiotic cream and so I was able to wash the bite marks thoroughly and put on some of the cream. Hurt a bit walking afterwards but soon faded away and is fine now that I'm back on Learnativity a few hours later. Ruby has done her usual "Florence Nightingale" thing of immediately finding these wounds and licking them VERY thoroughly and cleanly, which I've come to believe really does work quite well. However just to be sure, and before all my health conscious and medical profession friends start writing me, yes I'm about to go below and clean it thoroughly again with some disinfectant and some more antibiotic cream. I'll keep an eye on them for the next few days but I'm sure they'll be fine and I always seem to heal very quickly. The people at the gas company also all came out to see how I was doing and everyone could not have been more kind and helpful. Yet another good story to add to my long and continuous list of such adventures. Weather continues to be overcast and drizzly and I so much prefer to be in smaller more isolated spots so we are going to weigh anchor late tonight and make the overnight sail up to the Maskelyne islands at the SE end of the larger Malakula Island. I'm headed for the small island called Uliveo and it is about 85nm NNE of here so should take about 14 hours if the winds continue to cooperate as they have so far here in Vanuatu. However the real reason for the quick exit is so we can get up to meet with Philip and Teri who are in Maskelyne now as it is Philip's birthday and Teri needs to fly out of Port Villa on the 14th so I'd like to get as much time together with them before they need to sail down here a few days before that. Plus Teri is apparently a real dog lover (Ruby thinks that's an oxymoron because everyone loves dogs or at least her?!) and we should be able to take the Wonderdog ashore to some of these remote beaches and islands up there. Forecast is calling for clearing skies and some sun as the week progresses so everything is looking up here on my side of the world. Hope yours is too and that all of you celebrating Labour Day are enjoying the long weekend and the end of northern hemisphere summer and the start of a new school year. Both from having kids and being a teacher for so long it always seemed to me like the real "new year" was the beginning of September not January as the new school year seemed to mark the real change. I'm of course not affected by any of that out here and with my current lifestyle and I'm more amazed at how it could possibly be September 2012 already! I had this vague notion growing up that time would slow down as you got older but it sure feels like the opposite to me. You too? In any case I'm too busy living in each moment and enjoying life by being present in the present to worry about such things. I no longer think in relevant terms of how fast or slow time goes by, just that it does and that I get to enjoy what seems like an unending continuum of great times and adventures. My hope and wish is that each of you are doing and feeling the same. Wayne & Ruby the Wonderdog
Port Villa, Vanuatu LTY time: 17:35 (Vanuatu time = UTC +11)
Location: Port Villa, Vanuatu
Position: 17 44.461 S, 168 18.650 E (you can cut & past this into Google Earth to see on map)
Wind: 5-12 knots (inside the bay)
Seas/Swell: flat
Air temp: 75 F 24C
Sea temp: 85 F 29.5 C
Barometer: 1020mm BYE BYE Port Villa
It's been a fun time here in Port Villa and I've taken full advantage of the big port city to get things like a cellular modem so I can have better internet connections as I sail through the rest of the more remote spots in Vanuatu, stocked up on groceries from the Au Bon Marche and other French stores with the likes of good bread, wine and cheese as well as several trips through the well stocked local market for lots of fresh veggies and fruit. I did have one interesting new adventure while walking all over the island to pick up all the supplies. I took the dinghy down to the far end of the Paray Bay to the gas company to fill up one of my propane cylinders so that I've got both of them full for the next two months and while I was walking back from the office to pay for the fill up I passed a very nice home with a gated yard and a young Chinese fellow was opening the driveway gate to let his wife leave in their car. We waved and said hello and I turned back to watch where I was walking when all of a sudden one of his dogs had rushed up to me and bit me hard on the ankle. Ouch!! Startled me more then it hurt me though his teeth did break through in four spots. The poor fellow was very upset and came down to find me at the gas company as I was getting my filled up cylinder and loading it into the dinghy. He'd brought down some good antibiotic cream and so I was able to wash the bite marks thoroughly and put on some of the cream. Hurt a bit walking afterwards but soon faded away and is fine now that I'm back on Learnativity a few hours later. Ruby has done her usual "Florence Nightingale" thing of immediately finding these wounds and licking them VERY thoroughly and cleanly, which I've come to believe really does work quite well. However just to be sure, and before all my health conscious and medical profession friends start writing me, yes I'm about to go below and clean it thoroughly again with some disinfectant and some more antibiotic cream. I'll keep an eye on them for the next few days but I'm sure they'll be fine and I always seem to heal very quickly. The people at the gas company also all came out to see how I was doing and everyone could not have been more kind and helpful. Yet another good story to add to my long and continuous list of such adventures. Weather continues to be overcast and drizzly and I so much prefer to be in smaller more isolated spots so we are going to weigh anchor late tonight and make the overnight sail up to the Maskelyne islands at the SE end of the larger Malakula Island. I'm headed for the small island called Uliveo and it is about 85nm NNE of here so should take about 14 hours if the winds continue to cooperate as they have so far here in Vanuatu. However the real reason for the quick exit is so we can get up to meet with Philip and Teri who are in Maskelyne now as it is Philip's birthday and Teri needs to fly out of Port Villa on the 14th so I'd like to get as much time together with them before they need to sail down here a few days before that. Plus Teri is apparently a real dog lover (Ruby thinks that's an oxymoron because everyone loves dogs or at least her?!) and we should be able to take the Wonderdog ashore to some of these remote beaches and islands up there. Forecast is calling for clearing skies and some sun as the week progresses so everything is looking up here on my side of the world. Hope yours is too and that all of you celebrating Labour Day are enjoying the long weekend and the end of northern hemisphere summer and the start of a new school year. Both from having kids and being a teacher for so long it always seemed to me like the real "new year" was the beginning of September not January as the new school year seemed to mark the real change. I'm of course not affected by any of that out here and with my current lifestyle and I'm more amazed at how it could possibly be September 2012 already! I had this vague notion growing up that time would slow down as you got older but it sure feels like the opposite to me. You too? In any case I'm too busy living in each moment and enjoying life by being present in the present to worry about such things. I no longer think in relevant terms of how fast or slow time goes by, just that it does and that I get to enjoy what seems like an unending continuum of great times and adventures. My hope and wish is that each of you are doing and feeling the same. Wayne & Ruby the Wonderdog
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