(1888PressRelease)
November 07, 2008 - The world reels in the face of financial crisis, yet people flocked by the thousands to the Melbourne Cup Race in Australia. It is the day when an entire nation is stopped by a once a year-horse-race. Where ever Australians go in the world, they stop on the first Tuesday in November for the celebration of the apex of Australian horse racing. Aussies in the tropical island nation of Vanuatu are no exception.
Vanuatu is just three and a half hours plane flight north east of Sydney Australia with a population of around 3000 Australian expats.
You could be excused for thinking you were in Australia, instead of sitting on an exotic tropical island in the South Pacific under a brightly coloured marquee, with all the trimmings you would find at any fancy hotel in the world.
The guests were greeted with a glass of a lethal tasting fruit punch, quickly followed by buckets of iced champagne. The ladies were decked out in a wide range of exotic looking hats, beautiful outfits, right down to extreme high heels.
As the temperature soars under the marquee, various sweepstakes and raffles flow freely throughout the afternoon. This included the auctioning of three 'beach boys'. A large TV screen in centre stage screens the horse race. The screams, shouts and cheers are defining as the winner goes over the line by the breadth of a nose, to win by a photo finish.
The celebration under the marquee flowed well into the night, leaving one wondering just who was looking after the 'family' and how many ladies found it necessary to be chauffeured home.
All in all it was a lot of fun than trying to fight your way through 100,000 people to attend the real Melbourne Cup.
Our suggestion is that ladies circle the first Tuesday of November 2009 as a great day to visit the tropical island of Vanuatu. If you pack the most outrageous outfit you can find you will blend in beautifully with the local exotic colour.
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