By A. Odysseus Patrick November 6 at 7:31 PM

The hotel phone buzzed at 5:54 a.m. Roused from a deep sleep, 40-year-old Australian lawyer Veronica Riding groggily answered the phone.

Good morning, madam, a friendly voice at the other end said. I gave you my torch last night. Would you mind returning it?

Riding, her husband, two children and my family of four had arrived late the night before at the Warwick Le Lagon Resort and Spa, one of the five big hotels on Vanuatus main island of Efate. The flashlight was a loaner from a porter. He wanted it back. Now.

Vanuatu (van-oo-AH-too) is one of the South Pacifics rawest vacation destinations. In an age in which travelers expect modern conveniences and fast service, the archipelago is a throwback to an era before free WiFi, legal liability waivers and Taylor Swift. Its islands offer and this is why we went unspoiled tropical landscapes, friendly locals and a heritage that draws upon ancient Melanesian culture, colonial France and famed British explorer James Cook.

A former French and British protectorate, Vanuatu won independence in 1980. Eighty percent of its 250,000 citizens known as Nivans inhabit jungle villages spread across 65 islands. A form of pidgin English, Bislama, is the national language. Most families live in thatched huts; bows and arrows are still used to hunt game (including bats known as flying foxes), and children as young as seven wield sharp machetes against the thick foliage.

Our plan for a week-long tropical break from our home in Australia went wrong before it began. Its supposed to be a 3 1/ 2-hour flight from Sydney to Vanuatus capital of Port Vila. But Vanuatus international airport doesnt have an instrument-landing system, which means even some large airlines struggle to land during rainy weather, which is common. Our Virgin pilots tried three times before giving up. We then flew to Fiji, refueled and returned to Brisbane, a round trip of some eight hours.

We got to Port Vila the next evening, exhausted. The early-morning flashlight call was, though polite, unwelcome. Later, Veronicas husband, Alex, confronted the hotel employee.

Why did you wake me up so early? he asked.

But its daytime, the employee replied.

Continue reading here:

Adventures in unspoiled Vanuatu, the islands of highs and lows