Tanna part two

One of the highlights of Tanna is its active volcano which is one of the few in the world that is accessible. Except when very active it is possible to go right up to the crater to watch the fireworks. Taca and his pick-up were booked to take us up late one afternoon - it is all more impressive after dark. The previous day it had rained all day, and the steep dirt track was part watercourse and part slippery mud. Girls in the back this time, and as drizzle set in, it wasn't the most comfortable drive. Goodness knows why we hadn't taken rain coats but it had been hot and sunny all day. We were pretty damp by the time we got to the cooler altitudes of the crater and walked the last bit up to the top.

We had chosen a day when the volcano was having a bit of a rest unfortunately - other people had told us that it was the most frightening place they had been with loud rumblings and chunks of lava being thrown high into the sky. We had lots of steam, and as darkness fell and red glow was visible over the area. Every few minutes there was a whoosh and molten larva was sent high into the sky, slowly losing its glow as it fell. Not scary, but very impressive and in spite of damp mist and a chilly wind we stayed there watching for a couple of hours. After the ride back to the dinghy and a dinghy ride back to the boat we were ready for a bowl of soup!