When you are based in Australia or New Zealand, a short trip to one of the Pacific islands seems like a no-brainer. I constantly hear friends or colleagues organising trips to Fiji, Bora Bora, Rarotonga, New Caledonia and so on.

We have been to Rarotonga few years ago, and we loved it. It was simple and relaxing. When we wanted to have a getaway trip this year, we decided to give Vanuatu a go. Vanuatu is officially called the Republic of Vanuatu, inhabited originally by Melanesian people who are one of few groups of non-Caucasian with blond hair. The French had very strong influence back in 1768 on the island. We still could find nice French wine there during our trip, which was a nice surprise.

Among all the islands, we decided to stay in Efate. It’s the main island of Vanuatu. We booked a villa facing the beach. A tropical island holiday is completely different from a trip to Europe. There is not much to see in terms of history and culture compare to European countries. However, it offers a more relaxing atmosphere. Lifestyle is simple. Local people seem have their own “island time”. What does that mean? It means when you call a taxi, you probably have to wait extra half of an hour for it to arrive. Everything is slow. There is no rush.  😉

Time just simply stopped. What we did were sleeping, reading, snorkelling, kayaking, fishing, and etc.  We bought food from local farmer markets. Almost all the fruits and vegetables are organic on the island. Look how big the avocados were. Their banana and pawpaw were so delicious. We certainly enjoyed all the food.

We also met Coconut, the dog of the owner of our Resort. She was such a gentle soul. She came to keep us company almost every day in the morning and afternoon. We read our books. She just sat next to us quietly. Then, we would get some cuddles from her. Just so sweet. 🙂

I wouldn’t say our trip to Vanuatu was exciting. I don’t think we always need exciting trips. Sometimes, we just want quiet personal time to clear our head and thoughts. It was nice, slow and easy. We had a good time to rewind and recharge.