Volcano!

My husband and I just got back from an awesome week in Vanuatu.  The main reason we went there was to see "the world's most accessible active volcano" Mt Yassur on the island of Tanna.  Yeah we've seen volcanos before and tend to enjoy travelling in geothermal areas but our experience with this volcano was beyond anything we've seen before.

To get to the volcano we were driven1.5 hours on a rough dirt track to the remote area of this already remote island.  We got there at dusk, just in time to take the amazing views from the front of the volcano.  We got out of the car for a few minutes and could hear booms in the background as ash would occasionally blow through.   Then we had another 10 minute drive up the back of side of the volcano.  The road we drove up had steaming venting out in some places and other places were covered with ferns and trees.  It was an interesting contrast between the ash and plant life.

The very distinct start of the volcano
We got to the parking area and had a short 100 meter hike straight up onto the cradle of the volcano.  From there we could start to see giant chunks of lava shoot up in the air.  Our guide had us stay put for a few minutes while he watched the volcano to see what it was doing.  I saw some crazy people standing up on the rim and said wow, I'm glad we're not up there.  Then of course our guide said let's hike up to the rim!  We got to the top just as the sun was setting.


As darkness fell the show got even more spectacular.  The first time we heard what sounded like exploding fireworks I almost peed my pants.  I don't think any of us had really realized what kind of show we were in for.  You could feel the booms through your toes and the red lava sprayed through the air like a fire hose.  It was such a humbling feeling to watch this nature show and think about what could happen if we weren't lucky.
Eruption at dusk

Fortunately the volcanic activity remained relatively 'calm' and other than a few heart palpitations and taking a shower in ash we descended from the rim unharmed.  We watched the volcano for a little while longer and then happily headed back to the resort.

Zoomed in
We truly enjoyed the experience, it was an amazing sight that very few people get to witness.  We were still cleaning ash out of our ears three days later, but the feeling of intensity standing so close to an active volcano will last much longer.

Happy tourists
And now humour me by enjoying some more pictures -




See those people standing on the rim?  That's where we were!











Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Baw Baw Blog

Image
A couple weeks ago Phil set out to climb Mt Baw Baw again with a couple like-minded (read: crazy) bike friends.  We drove out with Les and met John and Glenda at the primary school in Drouin to start the ride.   The crazies started on their ride while John and I headed off to explore the area by car. Phil, Glenda, and Les at the start About 10km in to the ride, as they passed the Drouin West primary school, Phil realised that that was the place he meant to start, and now an already painful 80km ride had become 90km. John and I stopped at the Noojee Trestle Bridge and took a leisurely walk across.  Then we headed on to the "town" of Noojee and saw the sights - the water wheel that no one knows the origin of.  Then we enjoyed some lamingtons while we waited for the tiers to catch up.  They arrived and took a few minutes' break, then set out again on their adventure. Noojee Trestle Bridge Noojee Water Wheel John and I then drove to Tooronga Falls an...
Read more

Tanna, Vanuatu Part 2

Image
There was a wonderful snorkelling spot called the Blue Hole a short walk from the resort so we went there a couple times and frolicked with the fishies.  The weather was perfect and the water was warm so it was a very relaxing few days. The Blue Hole Fish in the Blue Hole More fish in the Blue Hole Blue starfish we found in the rocks Pretty sunset at the Blue Hole We also took a small boat up the coast to a place called the Blue Cave.  The boat trip in itself was worth the journey as it took us along unspoiled coastline for some amazing views. The coastline from the boat near the Blue Cave We got to the Blue Cave at low tide which made the opening just big enough to snorkel through.  Inside the cave was huge and the bottom was covered in clean white sand so it made the blue water of the cave spectacular.  A small hole at the top of the cave let a shaft of light through.  It was quite a spectacular place t...
Read more

An Aussie Birthday Party

Image
My parents arrived at the beginning of April and we took the opportunity to have an Aussie Birthday Party for my mom.  We invited her Aussie friends over for dinner and they enjoyed the chance to catch up.  My mom met these friends through a painting convention they teach classes at in Vegas.  Year after year she kept taking their classes and they became great friends.  The convention is now a yearly tradition for them, and they fit in plenty of fun before and after.  They had just been over for a visit in March, so it was nice for them to get together and laugh about their trip without all the distractions.  I made an echidna cake for dessert that went down a hit, even with the very American peanut butter filling.  After the party they spent a few days with Janice and Ted and then had a visit with Karen and family before heading to Kangaroo Island with us.  All in all it was a great way to begin their visit over here.  Gail, my dad, and...
Read more