GALLERIES

There are a number of galleries including Michoutouchkine and Pilioko, L’Atelier Art Gallery and Diana Tam’s home studio and refurbished gallery in Ellouk (just down the lagoon from the Erakor Wharf and Le Lagon near Pacific Lagoon Apartments).

GAMBLING

The biggest gambling in Vanuatu is online with some major players basing their organisations in Port Vila because of the low tax system. For offline gambling there are poker (slot) machines at Club 21 (above the Sunset Bar at the Melanesian), Club Vanuatu (upstairs and downstairs) and upstairs at Palms Casino (Le Meridien). Downstairs at Palms are roulette, blackjack and other tables.

GAME FISHING

There are game fishing charter boats for hire - head to the Waterfront Bar and Grill and ask Don or Donna (the owners). You would be very unlucky to return without a catch and could be lucky enough to find marlin and fighting tuna. The boat ‘owns’ the catch, but the Waterfront will cook it for you that evening. Peter and Leanne at Nautilus have three boats and know the reefs and waters. For the ultimate fishing trip you can charter The Kahuna, part of South Pacific Anglers. The Kahuna is a 43ft Sports Ocean Cruiser game fishing boat outfitted with the finest electronics and game fishing equipment available. If you’re a serious fisherman email us and we’ll put you in contact with Steve and his crew. (more on game fishing...). Each year (around the middle of the year) there is also Vanuatu Marlin Classic game fishing tournament.

GARDENS

While the tropics are lush, there are not many spectacular gardens as such if you like lots of flowers. Yes, hibiscus bushes abound, but the flowers only last a day or so. Best to visit somewhere like the Secret Garden where they have many examples of local flora.

GAS

Most homes and resorts that have cooking facilities have gas (in bottles) for cooking and hot water as, in the past, electricity was not as reliable as it is today and would be interrupted by storms/cyclones. Origin Energy (formerly Boral) provides an efficient and reasonably inexpensive service (compared to the cost of electricity).

‘GARDEN BOYS’

Some visitors are taken aback at the sight of a group of strapping ni-Vanutau men coming towards them carrying bush knives (machetes). Fear not, they are just carrying their tools of trade. Bush knives are great garden tools and handy for attacking coconuts. Plants flourish in the tropics and gardens need more attention than they do in cooler climates. All expatriates have gardeners, either full or part-time. This is not as ‘colonial’ as it sounds. If people did not employ gardeners, the locals would frown on them for not giving employment to the local community.

GAUA ISLAND

Gaua is the second largest of 60 islands making up the Banks and Torres Island groups in the far north of Vanuatu. Only 13 of them are inhabited, the others are tiny islets of white sand or volcanic rock. Also known as Santa Maria, Gaua is dominated by Mt Garet. It’s a semi-active volcano with a smoking crater, a large sulphur stained lake and Siri Falls, a 120m high waterfall. (more volcano info)

GAY SCENE

There is no ‘active’ gay scene in Port Vila and no exclusively gay resorts but people are pretty much accepted for whoever they are. It’s more a place where gay and lesbian couples in a relationship can have a romantic break rather than a gay singles destination. Gay Devotion ceremonies can be arranged. Email us for details and check out the Gay Vanuatu website.

GECKOS

Geckos are small, harmless lizards with adhesive pads on their toes. Mostly nocturnal, they wander the walls and ceilings, cack-cacking, mating and keeping the mosquito population down. Repeat - they are harmless. I’m repeating that because of a resort in Fiji that told me they had quite a few American tourists complaining that there were baby crocodiles in their room.

GEOGRAPHY

Vanuatu is in the heart of Melanesia, with Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands to the north, Fiji to the east and New Caledonia to the southeast. For atlas readers, approximately 168E and 18S. The Vanuatu Archipelago is a Y-shaped 1300km long chain of four main islands and 79 smaller islands, of which 68 are inhabited. The islands themselves are mostly mountains of volcanic origin (several of the islands still have volcanoes) with narrow coastal plains and have a combined area of 12200 sq kms and a combined coastline length of 2528km. The lowest point is sea level, while highest is Tabwemasana at 1877m.

In July 2002 the population was estimated at 196,178 being 98% indigenous Melanesian, and the remainder being French, Vietnamese, Chinese, or other Pacific Islanders.

The principal religions are Presbyterian (36.7%), Anglican (15%), Roman Catholic (15%), indigenous beliefs (7.6%), Seventh-Day Adventist (6.2%), and Church of Christ (3.8%). There are three official languages - English, French, and Bislama - plus more than 100 local languages and dialects.

GETTING AROUND

As mentioned in separate sections, getting around Port Vila and the island of Efate is easy (whether by hire car, a guided tour, bus or taxi). The outer islands are connected by planes but inter-island travel isn’t cheap. Buses charge VT100 for trips anywhere in Port Vila and, while taxis charge by the meter or have set fees for certain journeys, some drivers may negotiate a comparable fare for, say, four people. There are many streets in Vila with no names and very few with street numbers. Residents use post office boxes for all mail and landmarks are used for describing where someone lives. It is customary to draw a map on party invitations and to hang balloons on the gate to indicate the house. Another quirky address thing for delivery of gas etc is to use the name of the previous owner. For example, for three years I was known as 'ex-Brian Blake' even though the staff at Origin Energy knew my name. And now there’s someone living in my old house who has the name ‘ex-Ian Heydon’… spooky.

GIFTS

There are gifts to suit all tastes and budgets - copy t-shirts, market trinkets and souvenirs like coconut shell bras (‘basket blong titi’) and carved boats. More substantial carvings (pigs, masks etc) can be found in shops like Goodies, Exotic Arts, The Drug Store and Vila Handicrafts. For perfume and jewellery go to Prouds, Paris Duty Free or Shiraz Duty Free. Fung Kwei has a range of duty free watches and electrical goods as does the Sound Centre. Sharper Image is also worth checking out.

GO FINIS

‘Go finis’ (‘go finish’ in Bislama) means something comes to an end. When expatriates leave Vanuatu they have Go Finis parties and Go Finis garage sales.

GOLF

Le Meridien and Le Lagon have golf courses but serious golfers should head to Mele (Port Vila Golf and Country Club). The course is pretty, well maintained and quite challenging. This is where most competition golf is played and it has a clubhouse that welcomes visitors. Interestingly, the longest drive award at one annual presentation evening was one of several kilometres when a ball smashed through the back window of a bus and made its way from Mele to Vila. (more info..)

GOODIES

Goodies is a souvenir shop in the centre of town near the Olympic Café and attracts visitors to the shop by providing the best rate of currency exchange in town. Rates are written on a board outside and are always a good couple of cents better than the banks and certainly way better than exchanging at a resort. Goodies also has a booth opposite the ANZ and Westpac banks, Resorts the world over are notorious at giving poor exchange rates when you’d think they would provide a better service, just to keep the guests happy. I have the same argument for mini-bars and have no qualms about emptying them and re-stocking after a visit to the shops - apart from the savings, hitting the shops is a great way to get a ‘feel’ for a place.

GOVERNMENT (GAVMAN)

Governments come and go in Vanuatu quite often as ministers may decide to change parties depending on the political climate. Unfortunately there is a tradition of corruption, as there is in most third world governments - from perks like misuse of government cars and expenses to bribery and misappropriation of funds. However, the government, at the time of writing, appears to be anti-corruption and solid in its endeavour to do the best for the country.

Vanuatu is an independent, democratic republic with a 50 member Parliament elected by the people every 4 years. The executive consists of a Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister who is elected by Parliament from among its members. The President is elected by Parliament and the National Council of Chiefs for a period of five years.

The Prime Minister and the 12 co-members of the council of ministers oversee the administration of Vanuatu's 13 government ministries.

Independence was attained in 1980 after some 74 years of joint rule by Britain and France. The islands were then known as the New Hebredies.

The Constitution provides for executive and legislative arms of government, and the judiciary. The President is Vanuatu's Head of State. The judiciary consists of the Supreme Court with a Chief Justice and a Magistrates Court.

Vanuatu is a full member of the British Commonwealth, the French League of Nations, the United Nations, Agence de Co-operation Culturelle et Technique, the South Pacific Bureau for Economic Co-operation (SPEC), the South Pacific Commission, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (which has its regional headquarters in Port Vila).

The Vanuatu Government web portal is at www.vanuatugovernment.gov.vu.

GUIDE BOOKS

Guidebooks are pretty thin on the ground for Vanuatu. Lonely Planet is, as always, reliable. However, about half the book is on other islands apart from Efate where most visitors spend their holiday. Moon Handbooks South Pacific, written by David Stanley, is an excellent publication but is not available in shops in Australia and New Zealand. Visit the Vanuatu section of David's website, The South Pacific Organiser.

GUILLOTINE

As part of the condominium, the French dabbled in introducing capital punishment au Française in 1932 when they used the guillotine to decapitate six Vietnamese-French found guilty of murder. They are buried in the current graveyard minus their heads (in the Vietnamese section on the right when you enter).

GYMNASIUM

One of the thrills of holidays is breaking routines but, if you want to work out, there’s a good gym attached to the tennis centre and squash courts (Cercle Sportif). There are aerobic and kickboxing classes at various times during the week and visitors of all fitness levels are welcome.