Provisions running a bit low I decided to head to Luganville to pick up a few things to hold us over until full provisioning the day before departure. I got very lucky and five minutes after hitting the road had a ride in the back of a pickup. It was a nice ride, waving to everyone as we bumbled along. A slight detour at the edge of town made me notice that a cruise ship was in port. It was only a small detour and soon the truck pulled over for me to jump out.
First stop the BSP bank for some cash. Then a quick review of what was in stock at the LCM store. There is a WW2 Museum in town that looked interesting, walking by I confirmed they were not yet open and I continued through the park to a point to checkout the low tide and the anchorage, finding four boats. Retracing my steps I hit the market to pick up some nice looking red and white sweet potatoes and lettuce. By now the museum was open so I took advantage of the cool AC inside and learned about Santos influence on WW2 along with the salvage of the USS Coolidge and other military equipment.
The last stop was back to the LCM store, for carrots, broccoli, potatoes, potato chips, and red onions. Now loaded down with twenty pounds of stuff I began my trip home. I knew I’d have to walk past the cruise ship before any chance of a bus or hitchhike. That was a hot 2km, but I did get to check out all of the pop-up tents selling wares to the tourists. Once past I began my search for a ride. No buses, ugh. I kept walking and a bit later I flagged down a truck. Our language barrier made it a bit tough but ultimately, I hopped in the back and off we went. A few kilometers later he pulled over and I knew that was it. Still about 6km to go…
I kept walking and was dismayed by the lack of cars. On I went and finally I flagged down a second truck. They gave me a ride and it felt good to have the breeze blowing to evaporate my sweaty shirt. I knew they weren’t going the whole way and about 3km later they stopped. I thanked them and offered some Vatu (which they refused) but I did learn they drove quite a distance past their destination. That was so nice of them. With two kilometers to go, I prepared myself for the walk. And it was good that I did because I was only passed by a single taxi taking a cruise ship passenger on a tour. With heat exhaustion setting in, I made it to the beach and waved to Carl. I chatted with a local while waiting and he explained my timing was bad because of Sunday church. Oh well I made it.
Back aboard, Carl was heading into the water to clean the bottom. I downed a bunch of water and joined him. The growth on the bottom of the boat came off pretty easy but it was really murky water making it hard to see. I finished up about ¾ of the waterline before my calf started cramping and I called it a day. Whew, what an exhausting day.
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