Tanna Islands, Vanuatu
Talk about starting off with a bang! Our visit to the island nation of Vanuatu started in spectacular fashion with a trip up Yasur volcano on Tanna. The mountain is a modest 361 meters in height, but what it lacks in stature, it makes up with a dazzling display of some of the Earth's most powerful forces. As we gazed from the rim of the crater, the volcano spasmodically coughed up fireworks shows of molten rock and billowing steam. The fiery eruptions were often immediately preceded by an impressively loud explosion of sound, and, on several occasions, the concussion waves were enough to truly scare us, despite the fact that we were waiting for the explosions to happen. The molten bombs of rock were hurled high above the level of the inner crater, while we watched from the relative safety of the outer crater. But even from our safe vantage point, we were able to hear the plop, thud, and hiss of nearly-liquid rocks hitting the slopes after being thrown up from the inner workings of the mountain. Some of the bombs were larger than compact cars, but most were closer in size to a comfortable chair. All were impressive to watch. This was especially true in the evening, for with the loss of the sun, the pale red glow from the volcano's core illuminated the steam clouds from below.
All of the ostentatious geology made it easy to forget that we also had our first exposure to the hospitality of the Ni Vanuatu – the People of the Land. On a beach of black volcanic sand we were warmly welcomed with traditional dances from the men and shy smiles from the women and children. The flashy heat of Yasur may be behind us now, but we can look forward to the warmth of the Ni Vanuatu for several days to come.
Talk about starting off with a bang! Our visit to the island nation of Vanuatu started in spectacular fashion with a trip up Yasur volcano on Tanna. The mountain is a modest 361 meters in height, but what it lacks in stature, it makes up with a dazzling display of some of the Earth's most powerful forces. As we gazed from the rim of the crater, the volcano spasmodically coughed up fireworks shows of molten rock and billowing steam. The fiery eruptions were often immediately preceded by an impressively loud explosion of sound, and, on several occasions, the concussion waves were enough to truly scare us, despite the fact that we were waiting for the explosions to happen. The molten bombs of rock were hurled high above the level of the inner crater, while we watched from the relative safety of the outer crater. But even from our safe vantage point, we were able to hear the plop, thud, and hiss of nearly-liquid rocks hitting the slopes after being thrown up from the inner workings of the mountain. Some of the bombs were larger than compact cars, but most were closer in size to a comfortable chair. All were impressive to watch. This was especially true in the evening, for with the loss of the sun, the pale red glow from the volcano's core illuminated the steam clouds from below.
All of the ostentatious geology made it easy to forget that we also had our first exposure to the hospitality of the Ni Vanuatu – the People of the Land. On a beach of black volcanic sand we were warmly welcomed with traditional dances from the men and shy smiles from the women and children. The flashy heat of Yasur may be behind us now, but we can look forward to the warmth of the Ni Vanuatu for several days to come.
