It all started with fire.

In 2016, flying in the middle of the night in the middle of the Pacific, I saw two glowing balls of fire that seemed to draw me to them. I had no idea what it was, but I was enchanted.

I soon discovered that it was the twin lava lakes of Ambrym Island, Vanuatu. I had to go there.

Along the way, I got the chance to visit the Solomon Islands, spending extra time in the capital of Honiara on the island of Guadalcanal. This of course was the first Allied landing of the war - the "first step on the long road to Tokyo", and seeing it, after all the research I had done, made me really appreciate what the U.S. Marines faced as they fought their way across the Pacific. The first two segments of the video are a look back at war and remembrance, and it's not until the third that the Guadalcanal of today shows up.

The war parts almost write themselves (virtually all the footage is mine, except for some very brief shots). The rest of it is more of a challenge, the necessity being giving distinct flavors to various islands of the same general area. The hardest one comes toward the end, combining a very somber visit to the very precipice of a volcano mixed with the humor of what a complete muck-up the event disintegrated into!

These islands are quite isolated and most only get a couple of visits a year. (This was apparent in the improvised dance performances that had entire villages in hysterics :D ) The kids love making new friends, even if for only a few hours. Their complete immersion in the joy of life was infectious, and I tried to capture it here.

Other stuff: A French-language song begins the Vanuatu portion, since it was a French colony until 1980 (well, sort of - like most things in this part of the world, it's complicated). Also, as everywhere throughout the Western Pacific, betelnut has been chewed - and spit - for 2,000 years. That is the red stain you see both on the ground and in people's mouths. And a note about the photos: humidity is VERY high 10° south of the Equator. My camera felt its effects for the first few hours every morning and, on rainy days, throughout the afternoon as well. In some places it was virtually impossible to find anything dry with which to wipe the lens. So what you see is truly how it was at times - wetter than rain!

Finally, I need to mention the vast graveyard off Guadalcanal known as Iron Bottom Sound, where at least 50 ships, countless aircraft, and more than 10,000 souls sank to a final resting place in 1942. It is a tradition to maintain silence when traversing its waters, and I broke the silence only for a moment to leave something of my parents, as it was the turning point in the defining moment of their generation - WWII.

We remember.