Four Day Itinerary for Espiritu Santo

Getting to Santo

Continuing my journey around the South Pacific, I visited another island in Vanuatu, Epiritu Santo (better known as Santo to islanders). I arrived in Santo after taking a connecting flight from Tanna through Port Vila. Once again, the flight left 30 minutes early after the headcount was taken and all expected passengers were on board.

I was now aware of Air Vanuatu’s strict guidelines for electronic devices and didn’t turn on my phone during take off or landing. Additionally, I made sure and every item was substantially under the forward seat for the drill sergeant flight attendants.

LET’S GO
mount yasur in tanna, vanuatu

Three Days in Tanna

About Vanuatu

After two weeks of no cell service and one week of no WiFi while in the Solomon Islands, I’m back online to post about my previous adventures in Vanuatu. What a wonderful place! The archipelago, which gained independence from France in 1980, comprises 82 islands, of which 65 are inhabited.

Vanuatu is a very poor South Pacific Nation whose mainstays are agriculture, tourism, offshore financial services, and cattle raising. Citizenship may be purchased for $150,000, and many Chinese have been moving onto the islands.

The National language is Bislama, similar to Pidgin English, and the official languages are French, English and Bislama. It’s amazing these islanders that have so little are at least tri-lingual and maybe more as many have a tribal dialect too. I’d just like to be bilingual which I’m working on with my next trip to Panama in a Spanish submersion school.

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Three Days in Tonga

My island hop adventure has taken me from Hawaii, to American Samoa, to Samoa, and now Tonga. I knew nothing of Tonga prior to making my reservations. After browsing my Pacific Island travel guide, I learned the people are devout Christians and island doesn’t cater much to tourists. Not knowing what to expect, I was a little nervous about visiting, especially via Talofa Airways.

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Upolu’s Southeastern Coast

Where to Stay on Upolu’s Southeastern Coast

Saletoga Sands is a lovely resort on the Southeastern coast of Upolu between Utulaelae and Matatufu. If I had my time to do over in Samoa, I might have stayed all four days here. The resort offers an airport transfer for a fee and has a variety of tours. For anyone who wants more freedom, they also rent both cars and scooters. Having seen the potholed roads, I’d stick to a car.

I spent two days in Apia, the capital of Samoa, and rented a car from Talofa Inn in order to get to the southeastern coast. The rainy weather wasn’t too conducive to beach going so I made a handful of stops along the Cross Island Road which cuts across the middle of the island.

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Around Apia

About Samoa

Samoa, once part of a larger island chain, was given to the Germans during the Tripartite Convention of 1899. At this time it became known as Western Samoa, though “Western” was dropped in 1997.

The archipelago is made up of ten islands though half are uninhabited. Savai’i is the largest island while Upolu is the most populated. The aforementioned are the most visited and four of the uninhabited islands are situated off the east coast of Upolu and comprise the Aleipata Islands which may be visited by boat.

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Lot River Valley

A Day in the Lot Valley

During my recent farm stay in the Corrèze region of France, I spent one day exploring the Lot and Célé valleys located in the Lot Department of France.  In my opinion, these valleys are just as pretty, if not prettier, than the nearby Dordogne Valley. The area is also less busy!  If I had to do it over again, I would spend two days visiting the area, or shorten the guidebook’s proposed drive that I followed in one day.

My guidebook recommended six stops over 100 miles in two days which included Grotte de Pech-Marle, Marcilhac-sur- Célé, Espagnac-Ste.-Eulalie, Figeac, Cajarc, and St.-Cirq-Lapopie.  I made four stops in one day after driving 1.5 hours south from Lagraulière to which I returned later.  Needless to say, it was long, yet very good day.

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Rocamadour in the dordogne valley

Rockin’ Rocamadour

Rocamadour is a picturesque village that clings to the side of a cliff overlooking the Alzou River.  It has been a renowned Christian pilgrimage site since the Middle-Ages.  Both its religious importance and spectacular scenery have qualified Rocamadour as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a Grand Site of France (of which there are only 46).

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view of dordogne valley from Domme

A Visitor’s Guide to Domme

Domme is a medieval, bastide town located in the Dordogne Valley in the Nouvelle-Aquitane region of southwestern France.  Perched on a rocky outcrop, Domme provides magnificent views of the Dordogne River and valley.   A member of the association, Les Plus Beaux Villages de France, Domme is a popular tourist destination.

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garlic and olives in the sarlat market

A Guide to Visiting Sarlat

Sarlat-la-Canéda is a lovely French village in the Dordogne Valley.  It is home to the highest concentration of medieval, Renaissance, and 17th-century architecture of any town in France.  Its picturesque lanes and facades display the privileged status Sarlat received in return for its loyalty to the French crown during the Hundred Years’ War.

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