TheBanyanTree: Banyans

[Peter Macinnis]

For those not in touch on Facebook or other such things, I am currently 
in Vanuatu, formerly the New Hebrides Condominium (known to cynics as 
'The Pandemonium'), a colonial experiment where until 32 years ago 
yesterday, the British and french held joint colonial power.

There are 83 islands, some 106 local languages, plus English, French and 
Bislama, a creole closely related to Papua-New Guinea Pidgin or Tok Pisin.

More to the point, it also has gigantic banyans, and I have been 
swinging on one of them today, a swing that took me out on a 12-second 
swing where I was at the high point, some 20 feet above a tangle of 
roots and nothing but my firm grip keeping me on.  Pictures in 8 or 9 days.

Today I drank kava, much against my better judgement.  I am now 
recovering with the aid of a bottle of Tusker, the local beer--this is a 
tried and true Royal Australian Navy remedy.

I shall expand on this at some future date.  We are going out now to 
stalk some wild horses.

peter


-- 
peter macinnis
currently on the west coast of Tanna