Shopping for cocktails

We continue to do as little as possible in Vanuatu. The weather has certainly encouraged this endeavour. Yesterday it rained on and off all day, so we chilled indoors, enjoying moody ocean views from the comfort of our villa's lounge.

Today dawned breezy and sunny.  We took advantage of the sunshine and caught the resort's complimentary shuttle bus into town. Downtown Port Vila is pretty much as we recall it two years on from our first visit. Sadly, the devastating earthquake that struck the nation's capital in December 2024 is still evident. Construction sites and empty, weed-strewn plots of land are scattered throughout town. 

The earthquake measured 7.3 on the Richter Scale and killed 14 people. In Port Vila, at least ten buildings collapsed, including one housing the United States, United Kingdom, French and New Zealand embassies and high commissions. Much of this structure pancaked dramatically onto the ground floor level; images of it made headlines in Australia at the time. 

As we walked along the waterfront, we came upon several high-rise buildings with notices identifying their condition.  A sign at the entrance to one empty multi-storey glass-facaded building simply advised it was "Unfit for Occupation". It was all rather sad to see. 

The markets were as colourful as ever.  However, sites like the undercover Main Market were much smaller than those during our last visit. Even the building was smaller. An entire waterfront section of the undercover market has been demolished and fenced off.  We concluded that everyone makes more of an effort whenever a cruise boat is in town.

We stocked up on raw ingredients for ginger caprioskas at the market, then visited a temporary supermarket on the waterfront for a few snacks to accompany our next cocktail hour. It was then time to return to Eratap for a dip in the ocean and book a couple of complimentary massages in the resort's spa tomorrow afternoon. 

Oh yes, and here's where we'll be enjoying our cocktails this afternoon. This is our spacious beachfront villa complete with sun loungers on the coconut palm shaded sundeck, or sun loungers under a thatched cabana.