Epi is a great destination to just relax and contemplate life, while munching on fresh peanuts.
The beaches are black volcanic sand, and the water would be enticing, although it was a bit too rough for swimming and searching for the legendary Dugong which lives in the waters of Lamen bay. The waves did not stop the locals wading and then swimming into the waters with nets to catch their meals for the day.

We walked out of the village and into the lush interior. A local group of children soon started to follow us, playing with my son, and then showing off their foraging skills, giving us all kinds of fruit from the bush, and climbing the palm trees to get us fresh coconuts. They were so nimble and fast, climbing twenty metres off the ground and chucking the fresh coconuts down. I could not even begin to climb the smooth trunks, and I would have been petrified at those heights!

From the centre of the island the billowing smoke from Mt Benbow in Ambrym could be seen in the distance. At night the volcano would give off an eery orange glow as the lava reflected on the clouds above.

We returned back to our little hut on the beach, ready for the freshly caught fish and local yams for dinner, the hustle and bustle of Port Vila now long forgotten.