UNDERWATER POST OFFICE

The world's first (and only) underwater post office is just off the beach at Hideaway Island. It is might be manned by Vanuatu Post staff in Scuba gear but, if not, there's a post box for when no one's at the counter. You can buy special waterproof postcards at the gift shop and snorkel or dive down to post them. Visit www.underwaterpost.com.

UNELCO

This is the other very expensive monopoly (along with TVL). This one is solely French owned and run. They take care of power and water. Did I also mention they are also expensive? My monthly power bill, with no air conditioning, was around AUD$400 a month - imagine what a resort has to pay to light the gardens, run air conditioners and power up bars and restaurants! But Unelco’s annual Piste de Bleu is hard to beat and they do a lovely job lighting up the trees along the harbour front at Christmas.

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH PACIFIC

The Emalus Campus of the university has the law faculty for the South Pacific. It also caters to a range of other courses. It is situated just past the turn off to Le Meridien. Visit www.vanuatu.usp.ac.fj

UNSEALED ROADS

Most roads around Port Vila are sealed and generally those that aren’t sealed are in okay condition. However, if venturing around the island a 4WD is recommended as heavy rains can change a good road into a poor one overnight. The only rule is to take it slowly. Potholes in sealed roads are more of a hazard. Once one starts it can become deep in a downpour of torrential rain. As there is no blue metal (or whatever it is they put in tar) on the island, they fill the holes with coral, which, in the next downpour, actually helps gouge the hole into an even deeper state. Some time back, the Australian government allocated aid to supply enough tar to seal a good road all the way around the island but the cash-strapped government of the day on-sold it to the tiny nation of Niue. The US government is supplying aid money for a sealed road around Efate as well as one from the airport on Tanna to the volcano and on Santo to Champagne Beach. Fingers crossed, roadwork starts in 2008.