Where's Vanuatu?

I finally know where it is-- now that we're here! Greetings from an Internet cafe in Port Vila, Vanuatu. We arrived here safely Sunday afternoon after a long, but fairly uneventful and low-stress, trip. And our luggage made it as well so we have no complaints. It is so amazing that we are here and I am so grateful for all the wonderful opportunities we have to see the world because of Kirk's job. (especially when it means he works and I get to play!) We're staying in a nice hotel that is just a couple minutes walk outside of town. I just spent a few minutes wandering around the town, including an incredible outdoor market where it occurred to me that, yes, I am a world away from my life in Switzerland or in the US. What a fascinating place. I guess it's somewhat like the Caribbean, but everytime I've been there we've been at some resort set apart from the town, but here we're actually in the midst of where locals live and work. This afternoon I plan to take a taxi to hike around some waterfalls and then a ferry to a nearby island to do some snorkeling. Meanwhile, Kirk is giving a number of presentations at his conference with bank supervisors from the region. I am looking forward to spending a vacation together with him in Malaysia!