The Time I Took a Taxi Plane!

Mallicolo — a lush green island floating in the vast Pacific Ocean. A dream becoming reality.

We had spent a few days with the Small Nambas tribe, whose members adorn themselves with chicken feathers and wild boar tusks for their ceremonies. On the day of our departure, we left the jungle and made our way to the island’s tiny airstrip to fly back to the capital, Port-Vila. Spotting a small plane on the dirt runway, we walked over to the steward to hand over our luggage.

“Ah, but that’s the plane for Santo! The Port-Vila one is coming soon.”

So we stepped aside, and I started filming this charming little airport. The plane began to taxi, then took off. As it climbed into the sky, I heard my husband say quietly: “Alix… look around you.”

I turned around — and realised we were the only passengers left, along with a white family: two children, grandparents, and a pregnant woman. Stranded in the middle of nowhere.

I rushed to the last Ni-Vanuatu man who remained. Looking genuinely puzzled, he said: “Of course that was the Port-Vila plane! You’ll have to wait for the next one.”

“When is the next one?” I asked, alarmed.

“In 5 days,” he replied, entirely calmly.

My husband went pale. He had an important appointment in Nouméa two days later. The pregnant woman burst into tears.

Seeing our despair, the man decided to help. His first task: protect us from the scorching sun. He settled us under a large banyan tree and disappeared. We were desperately thirsty and longing for cool water — so imagine our surprise when he returned carrying a colander! Inside it: fresh coconuts. He had macheted them open on the spot to give us coconut water. Delicious.

After a long wait, a tiny twin-engine plane appeared on the horizon. Our rescuer had radioed for a “taxi plane” — a chartered light aircraft that serves the remote islands of Vanuatu. We squeezed in along with our luggage, the pregnant woman, the children and the grandparents, and took off into the brilliant blue Pacific sky. The views were indescribable.

An adventure I will never forget — and one that taught me that in Vanuatu, things always work out in the end, just not quite on schedule!