Vanuatu

Recently voted the happiest place on the planet, this remote South Sea destination is an adventurer's dream come true.
By Fiona McKenzie Johnston

The South Sea island state of Vanuatu is undeniably beautiful. The islands benefit from an equatorial climate, pristinebeaches, and virtually untouched coral reefs. While the capital, Port Vila, has many modern amenities-internet cafes, five-star hotels, and several diving schools-the majority of the islands have no electricity or running water, and certainly no mobile phone signal. There are internal flights between the bigger islands, but to visit others one has to charter a boat. The effort is worth it, for Vanuatu is one of the few places left in the world where one can see the possibility of a simpler existence: One might, if one is fortunate, be invited to join a village for some feast or tribal celebration, one will certainly be invited to drink kava, their traditional root-based drink, and one can dive, swim, visit the colorful local markets, and attempt to count the myriad of stars in the clearest night sky imaginable. The results of the 2006 Happy Planet Index placed this seeming paradise at number one.

However, if one looked closer this would, to the status-driven consumer in the developed world, seem an odd result: The islands suffer from extreme poverty, they were hit by the tsunami and one of the islands is home to an active volcano. But the index is not based on national economic wealth measurements such as GDP. The Happy Planet Index, put together by the New Economics Foundation, focuses on life expectancy, life satisfaction, and ecological footprint. The outcome represents the efficiency with which countries convert the earth's finite resources into a pleasant life for their citizens, it is "a measure of the ecological efficiency of delivering human well-being."

Colonization of Vanuatu ended in 1980, and for a long time, aside from the farming of coconut oil (famously bad in terms of reaping financial reward) little arrived in way of business interests-the islands have 113 distinct languages and innumerable dialects, which makes negotiation tricky with those who don't speak either French or English. It seemed that their only method of survival would be to sell off land to property developers who were keen to build hotels and resorts along the coastlines. While the islands would be a prime tourist destination, it would be a shame to watch them become another generic holiday hotspot, a fate that has befallen so many small communities. More importantly, developments of this kind would have a significant effect on both the tribal traditions and the ecological make-up of the islands.

One of the benefits of living in the developed world is that we can see the mistakes that we have made in our own countries and elsewhere, and therefore have the potential to positively influence less developed countries in their own progress. The key to this is education, which in Vanuatu-due to a lack of basic resources such as school buildings-traditionally stops at the age of twelve.

Aveda, a company founded on the premise of dedication to environmental responsibility, arrived in Vanuatu in 2004. Their aim was to buy tamanu oil from the islanders, but, as "responsible ," they were determined to work towards an agreement that would benefit the Vanuatans as much as Aveda itself. Tamanu oil has been used for hundreds, if not thousands, of years on the islands. It was used to condition the hair of the indigenous peoples, and as a first-aid essential for cuts and wounds that would otherwise have become infected in the humid jungle. The trees grow on the shoreline where they protect the coral reefs, and the nuts fall onto the beach before being collected by the islanders. Traditional methods are used to extract the oil: Using only manual labor, the process of drying, turning, and eventually pressing the nut takes three to four months. The environment is not affected in any way, the only trace that farming has even taken place is the footprint in the sand. Thanks to Aveda's interest-and incidentally they are keen that other companies should buy from their source- jobs have been created for both men and women, vital schools have been built, and the state of happy equilibrium is being preserved. Aveda maintains a strong relationship with the islands-aside from taking responsibility for the building of those schools, they are currently involved in digging wells, assisting in the evacuation and resettlement of those who live under the active volcano, and generally giving advice to the tribal chiefs when they ask for it. (Aveda is using the tamanu oil in the same way that the indigenous peoples do: The Aveda Damage Remedy Hair and Scalp Renewal In-Salon Spa Treatment System is essentially a facial for one's hair. A head massage stimulates the blood cells before the elasticity and general condition is tested. Once one's type is established, a variety of aromatherapeutic and botanically active ingredients are "painted" onto one's tresses to help reconstruct and repair, while sealing in the moisture. One is left with hair that feels smooth and full of shine, not to mention happy!)

It is impossible to go to Vanuatu and not become infected by the spirit of the islands. A place that is as naturally giving in its philosophy inspires reciprocation, and many visitors have found themselves maintaining an involvement long after they have left. When Aveda introduced the owner and founder of Zerofootprint, an umbrella organization dedicated to reducing our carbon footprint on the planet, he swiftly initiated the project "Lighting up Pentecost" (Pentecost being one of the poorer islands): Village by village, solar panels are installed on the roofs of the houses, doing away with the need for kerosene lamps. After an initial investment by Zerofootprint, each village pays for the next using the money that they have saved since having their own panels fitted.

The islands, which were in such dire straits only five years ago, are, post-decolonization, learning how to become self-sufficient in an organic and environmentally sound manner. "Yumi, Yumi, Yumi," goes the chorus of Vanuatu's national anthem, "We are happy to proclaim that we are the people of Vanuatu!" So let's hope that Vanuatu remains the happiest place on the planet-and such a truly unique group of islands to visit.

Fiona McKenzie Johnston is the London-based editorial associate for Conde Nast New Markets. Her work has appeared in Vogue Russia, Glamour Spain, GQ Russia, and Glamour South Africa.

GETTING THERE
Air Vanuatu flies from Aukland, Brisbane, and Sydney: www.airvanuatu.com (Possibly the only airline in the world where every arriving flight is greeted by an all-singing, all-dancing band.)

HOTELS
Port Vila, the capital, has a couple of luxury resorts:
The Iririki Island Resort: www.iririki.com
Le Lagon Resort: www.lelagonvanuatu.vu
Both of these consist of bungalows situated on the coast; the Iririki Island Resort occupies its own island Port Vila harbor. The other islands offer a variety of accommodation - www.vanuatu-hotels.vu

DIVING
www.vanuatu.net offers details of dive schools. The diving is some of the best in the world, and you are interested in diving wrecks, there is Million Dollar Point, the place where the U.S. Army sank its surplus military equipment at the end of World War II.