Hitchhiking in Vanuatu: Laonamoa Village
14th of September, 2025.
I want to go for a walk around the next village, Laonamoa, which is a short distance from Warisifiu. Francis prepares some delicious donuts for breakfast, and we have it with tea, and also some bananas. As it’s Sunday, they are going to church, which happen to be located in Laonamoa, so we decide to take the walk all together. Apart from Willie, who has a meeting in town, so he’ll be taking the boat soon after breakfast.
Francis is a very sweet woman and we have a nice chat on our way there. Once we arrive, she shows me around the village quickly, and then to the church, where soon the service starts. I tell her not to worry about me, as I will be back sometime in the afternoon.
It’s extremely windy here today. I wonder if it’s like this every day. The area in front of the beach had barely any houses, just a few buildings, and perhaps it’s because of the wind. It’s a large village though, with most of the houses built away from the sea and sheltered from the wind. There are not only the community hall but also a community sports quarter, and a few more open public buildings. They even have Wi-Fi.
In my offline map, it shows three bungalows around here. They all look abandoned right now. Or perhaps just waiting for something to happen.
There are some kids playing around. Apparently, they are all from Port Vila, and have just come here for the weekend, to visit family members.
As I walk around, I meet some other kids, locals, and I pass in front a cute house, with a lovely and tidy garden. I know most of the houses in Vanuatu keep a nice garden, but this one has very nice flowers, plants and trees, I think it looks super cute. I ask the kids about it and one of them say it belongs to her grandmother. Of course! Here in Vanuatu everybody is related to everybody. And yes, unfortunately it’s a lot related to incest. We walk there and I quickly talk with Lisa, the grandmother and a lovely lady, who lives here alone. Back to my walk, I meet her daughter, who asks me if I’ve had any lunch, to what I answer that I’m OK. I don’t know why I said that. I talk with a lovely young lady, Elodie, who’s with her husband in front of her house / shop, playing with their newborn baby girl. As we talk, she tells me there are about 10 shops in Laonomoa. In Warisifiu there is only one. Elodie gives me some nice bananas, which I would have for lunch, and I also try some local nuts.
I go back to the beach after that and I read for some time, before heading back to Warisifiu, earlier than planned but because the weather is starting to look not so good.
Once I’m back, Francis gives me some bread fruit to try. It’s very yummy! And it actually tastes like a few different types of bread. You roast it on the fire, then you add coconut milk. You can have it with a kind of sauce they make by frying onions, tomatoes and island cabbage, the same one they use to have with Simboro. Soon after, I take my way back to Pilliura, because I can see the rain it’s coming already. Francis is quite emotional with my departure, which I think it’s very touching and it surprises me as well. She is the first lady to feel like that about me during my travels in Vanuatu.
On my way back, guess who I encounter? Irene! Laugh. She’s with her new crew of three girls, and they are just taking a walk around the villages. I think it’s hilarious that we are to see each other once again. She’s a sweetheart as always, and we chat for a little bit. There’s a drizzle falling down so I soon resume my journey. This time I’m barefoot and so is Irene.
I’m welcomed back by Jason. I like him a lot. We start singing and I tell him again what a beautiful voice he has. We talk about my friends who will be passing by the village soon, so he should sing for them. He tells me he’s not a shy boy and we can do that. But when Irene and her lovely crew come back, he becomes extremely shy and barely say any words to them. One of the girls is an actual singer and has a beautiful voice. She tries to engage him to sing with her, but in vain. When they leave, I make fun of him for being so shy, but then I also realize that I’m privileged and considered a friend already, because he’s not shy with me.
At some point, Jason gives me a piece of fresh bread which is delicious! Soon enough, I meet the girl who baked it, Joanita, and she’s only 14 years old. We start chatting and she actually can do many different things, like weaving, carpentering and other stuff. I’m amazed! Her English is also great and she’s extremely eloquent. Joan has a twin sister, Jenine, and soon enough she also joins us. There are also two other young girls, and we all start talking about school. They tell me some really devastating details about what happens inside the classrooms in Vanuatu. It’s terrifying! I feel outraged about it, and I cannot believe that, in a country where people are so nice, happy, calm and peaceful, teachers and headmasters are treating the children in the schools like criminals. The common cases of violence, physical and verbal, are outrageous, and to imagine that it happens in so many schools, with children of all ages, it’s a shame. When I ask about why don’t the children report the teachers to the headmasters, they told me that, if they do so, the headmaster will punish them just as well. These children are been abused and punished publicly, day after day, as a form of rehabilitation for their bad behaviour or whatever, and it’s insane to think that in 2025 that are still nations who believe that this is effective. This must change!
We take lots of photos. Joanita gives me some more bread, and they also make me some coffee to have with it. It’s an amazing dinner and night with these kids. How come their teachers can’t see how incredible they are? Yeah, I understand they might be naughty and behave completely different in the classroom, but there’s always a way to help them, and it’s the teacher’s duty to do so, through the right way, with the correct methods, and not through punishment.
15th of September, 2025.
I get up real early and get ready. Trishia brings me some tea and breakfast. I take more photos with the kids, this time in front of the village sign.
I take the boat of Trishi’s family with all of them apart from Jason. There are also lots of other people, so the boat is basically full. We have to use a big plastic as a cover for the splashes from the waves, which are many. We have to drive slowly, so it takes us some time to get back to Emua Wharf. But we arrive safe and sound.
10 Years Around the World 