Christmas Shopping On The Sun!

It seemed only slightly less hot than the sun when Alecia and I headed into town today. Both vehicles still broke down, we set out on foot. I was carrying a box of Christmas gifts to be sent to my family in the States and she was carrying the Banana bread I had baked for the hospital. For the longest while, we couldn’t get a taxi or a bus, so I figured since they would charge us the same as if we hadn’t walked this far, we might as well walk all the way to the hospital. Big mistake! It’s about a five or six mile walk with three large hills to climb.

After handing out banana bread, we headed towards town, stopping at the market to pick up some fresh produce for Christmas cooking. At this point, our clothes were literally wet with sweat! I now have a sun burn on my neck, minus the end of my bandanna and the back pack straps that have softened some of the blow. Being so close to the equator makes the sun seem even hotter on this December’s summer day.

We walked a few more miles, headed toward the grocery store, carrying our heavy load up and down the hills as we went. When we finally reached our first stop in town, the sun was so bright I could barely see the faces of the people walking by. The first store we passed had their radio blaring in true Vanuatu fashion (so lout my ears hurt) and I hear in a thick Bislama accent, “and now, here is a very good one, Jingle Bells.” I started laughing hysterically as it began to play and Alecia looked at me like my need for water had finally gone to my head! I finally regained my composure enough to explain: “Here we are, soaked in sweat, carrying tropical fruit, walking from shop to shop (none of which have air conditioning), my first Christmas overseas, and this radio dj has the nerve to play Jingle Bells, which has lyrics saying ‘dashing through the snow’!” Snow! I remember snow! I’ve seen and felt it! I know what it is to be cold!

We did eventually get some water and continued shopping for several more in the heat. When it was finally time to go home, we waited for a taxi! I learned it is a small price to pay in this heat!