The day the earth shook - 8 July

We went to bed early, but woke around 11:30 (jet lag) so decided to read.

Just before 12 there was a large rumble and the fare shook violently!  We thought a powerboat was crashing into our pylons over the water!

Allan worked out that it was an earthquake - very scary.

While nervously waiting for the tsunami, we looked it up on the net,  Apparently it 6.3 on the Richter scale, centred 15km away on Vila, but 100km deep.  So no tsunami and no aftershocks, but what a buzz amongst the tourists the next morning!

According to locals it was common.  But there was so much chatter, people who put on running gear in the night just in case, others who slept through because of sleeping pills, people who were scared being 3 storeys up and others who thought they'd slide into the water.

Apart from the initial scare, the morning followed the same pattern as yesterday with me in aprtnership meeting till 1:30 and Allan swimming and kayaking.

Market flowers

 
I realised when doing this blog that I hadn't taken many photos, probably because we were so busy.
Something freaky happened however.  Remember we stayed near St Saturnin d'Apt - popn just over 2000?  Well, amazingly at the local supermarket in Vila, we found a bottle of wine from there!
As a piece of history, Vanuatu was once the New Hebrides and has three official languages, French, English and a pigeon English called Beslami.
Dinner at the resort and an early night again - no earthquakes.