Port Villa, the capital of Vanuatu, has a large, majestic cove which is also a common cruise ship port. The only real excursion attraction lies about 10 miles outside of town, Cascade Falls, and we knew if we wanted the place to ourselves we'd have to get up early.
Worth it.
The hike up the falls takes about 30-35 minutes depending on how quickly you climb. Barefoot and super eager to show me the top, Jeff led the way pausing only to fill up our water bottles in the falls.
I watched him and I thought, "I guess we got those immunizations for a reason."
Once at the top I kicked myself for not having my bathing suit. The pools were like something from a painting that used only the prettiest shades of blue. I wanted to wrap it up and bring it home with me. Alas, waterfall was not for sale.
Later that afternoon we made the hour trek by bus to Nancy and Ivans wedding. Nancy and Jeff are old friends from their time spent in the Peace Corps together. Nancy met Ivan while serving, and never left. Ivan, from Australia, has lived in Vanuatu for over 10 years.
Oceanside and surrounded by family and friends, they exchanged vows. The wedding is what I'd describe as... if a DIY Pinterest page titled 'wedding' was real life. It was beautiful.
To Nancy and Ivan, thank you for including us in your big day and for sparking our trip to Vanuatu. Without your wedding invitation, who knows if we would have ever talked about visiting.
