Vanuatu, like the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, participated in World War II. However, Espiritu Santo, the port where we docked, was an American base during WWII, rather than a battle zone. Our guide explained that the still-existing wide streets in the tiny town were built so that large Army trucks could pass each other and turn around.
An arch near the bay commemorates the sinking of the President Coolidge, a troop ship that was sunk by friendly fire as it entered the bay. Luckily, no soldiers were lost.
Rusted remains of Army equipment lay on the beach. When the Americans left after WWII, they offered their remaining equipment to the returning French colonists for a couple of million dollars, which was pennies on the dollar, compared to the equipment's worth. The French refused to pay anything, so the Americans threw the equipment into the bay.
Our morning was free, so we hired a taxi driver to show us around. He led us to a "cultural immersion" village that was a work in progress. We arrived at the listed opening time, but no one welcomed us. We sat on a bench and waited until the head of the tribe arrived, puffing from his efforts. However, the total effect was charming, if not smooth.
We went first to the "men's house," where a teenager was learning how to make Kava, the ceremonial drink used throughout the South Seas.
Children danced and sang with their elders.
The women of the village then put on a program of splashing rhythmically in a pool. I never saw such a program again and don't know if that was a real cultural tradition or something cooked up for the tourists! The tribe elder said they were going to take their program to America. Maybe.
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