By David C. Henley

Publisher Emeritus

PORT VILA, Republic of Vanuatu - The wind was blowing hard and the rain was coming down in torrents as the Air Pacific jet carrying me from Fiji landed in this capital city of Vanuatu, an independent island-nation in the remote Western Pacific.

Soaking wet when I reached the hot and humid terminal building, I asked the young lady at the travel desk if she could recommend a moderately priced hotel in town.

"Try the Chantilly Inn. It overlooks the harbor, is only a short walk to town, and is not expensive," she said. She also handed me a travel brochure on things to see and do here, and a copy of the daily Vanuatu Post newspaper.

"Tell the driver to go slow. There's much flooding as Cyclone Funa passed north of here yesterday," she continued as she escorted me outside and into a taxi that would carry me along rutted roads, knee-deep in floodwaters, to the 24-room Chantilly Hotel, located on Port Vila Bay with breathtaking views of the city, harbor and a dozen freighters and fishing boats straining at their anchors in the wind-whipped port.

A room was found for me, but the hotel was in darkness because the storm had caused malfunctions in the island's electrical generators. I found my room with the help of two candles presented by the room clerk.

Once settled in my quarters, I read by candlelight the travel pamphlet and the local newspaper. One of the excursions offered in the tourism materials included a visit to Epule Village, 42 miles from town.

The village is populated by "fierce Namba warriors also known as cannibals, and the last reported cannibalism is 1985," said the travel brochure.

"That's only 23 years ago," I said to myself.

The newspaper is printed in English, French and Bislama, the latter a sort of pidgin English that is the national language. England and France jointly administered the 83-island country from 1906 until 1980, when it became independent and discarded its former name of the New Hebrides Islands favor of Vanuatu, which means "of the people" in Bislama.

The Post's main stories featured news of a crime wave, including several murders, rapes and armed robberies carried out by "thugs wielding bush knives" - or machetes - the damages caused by Cyclone Funa, the electric blackouts and the proliferation of garbage in town and human sewage in the bay, the latter caused by refuse truck breakdowns and malfunctioning of a sewer pump station.

The next day saw the return of electricity and clearer weather, and I paid a visit to the owner of the Post newspaper. He suggested I meet with Vanuatu President Kalkot Mataskelekele who likes to greet foreign journalists. I telephoned the presidential palace and spoke with the private secretary of the president who put me on hold while he sought to arrange an appointment. During the intermission a musical recording played "Home on the Range." I felt right at home.

"The president will see you in two hours," I was told. I raced back to my hotel, donned a coat and tie, and sprinted to the president's offices to be greeted by the bearded, 57-year-old President Mataskelekele.

"We like Americans here. They have been very helpful to us," he said, noting the financial aid the United States has given his nation and the presence of 97 Peace Corps volunteers serving throughout this land of 220,000 people.

Vanuatu, which lies 1,200 miles northeast of Brisbane, Australia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, is going through difficult times because of the increasing crime, brought on by disaffected, jobless youths, as well as ethnic and tribal violence fanned by sorcerers and adherents of black magic who put curses on their enemies and then kill them with knives and swords.

Prior to my arrival here, a state of emergency was declared, public meetings were banned and the nation's unarmed police were given special permission to carry weapons. Although Christianity has strong roots here (the first Protestant missionary arrived in the 1830s, but, alas, he was captured and eaten when he stepped ashore), native superstitions continue to be strong, particularly in the outer islands.

Following my visit with the president, I toured the national museum here. The most prominently displayed painting in the art gallery depicted two missionaries tied up and hung from poles being carried by half-naked natives to a cooking pot, where they would be skinned alive and then eaten.

Vanuatu, however, has more appealing sights to interest the traveler.

Magnificent beaches, colorful native villages, a spectacular active volcano, tropical forests, and incredible dive sites welcome the overseas visitor.

The underwater wreckage of the 615-foot luxury passenger liner SS President Coolidge, located off Espiritu Santo Island where U.S. forces marshaled during World War Il to fight the Japanese, is considered one of the world's top SCUBA sites. Under U.S. Army control and carrying 5,000 American troops, the Coolidge sunk off Espiritu Santo when it hit an underwater American mine on Oct. 26, 1942.

Only two Americans were killed when the ship slowly sank on its port side as the crew and military passengers jumped off the ship and swam ashore. Divers today are able to explore the ship and view its dining rooms, cabins, engine room and deck house.

Vanuatu beckons visitors who seek adventure and something out of the ordinary, but stay clear of the sorcerers, and bring candles and a flashlight.