This Village Cooks in a Volcano

The Island That Cooks With geo thermal heat: Living on a Live Volcano 🌋 Before reaching the smoke and steam of Simbo, we had a major mission: Gizo. After three and a half months of off-grid living, we finally hit "civilization" to restock and refuel. In this part of the world, that means hand-pouring fuel from barrels and hoping the manual measurements are accurate! With the tanks full, we set sail for Simbo Island, arriving in the middle of the "New Year Games." This isn't your average holiday; it’s a week-long Olympic-style gauntlet. From high-speed canoe racing and spearfishing to the surprisingly competitive coconut-scraping trials, the energy of the village was electric. We even had the honor of being judges for the "Kings and Queens" competition, where the local youth share their visions for protecting the environment and their elders. But Simbo’s true power lies beneath the surface. Led by our guide, Stevenson, we paddled into the eerie, sulfur-scented Green Lake, where the water temperature rises as you approach the shore. Here, the island's geothermal vents act as a never-ending natural oven. We joined the locals to bake potatoes directly in the earth's vents and learned about the Megapode birds—prehistoric creatures that rely on volcanic heat to incubate their eggs in the sand. We finish by trekking to the summit of the crater to look down on the history of eruptions and tsunamis that have shaped this incredible, fire-breathing island. Previous Video → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsSnMRWMwSE ⏱️ Timestamps: 00:00 | Back to Civilization: Refueling in Gizo after 3.5 Months 02:30 | [Intro Sequence] 02:55 | Arrival at Simbo: The New Year Games Begin 05:05 | Judging "Kings & Queens": A Village Talent Quest 07:10 | The Sulfur Trail: Paddling to the Hidden Green Lake 10:35 | Nature’s Incubator: The Mystery of the Megapode Bird 12:10 | Geothermal Kitchen: Baking Dinner in Volcanic Vents 14:15 | Climbing the Crater: A History of Fire and Tsunamis 16:50 | The Taste Test: Volcanic Potatoes vs. Store-Bought 🎥 Episode 16 – Sailing Solomon Islands Become part of the crew 💡 PATREON ☞ https://www.patreon.com/c/onceuponareef ☕ Support Our Journey ☞ https://buymeacoffee.com/onceuponareef Or 🎁 Send us a gift ☞ https://throne.com/onceuponareef 🌍 Follow us: 📸 INSTAGRAM: @onceuponareef & @wheres.poppy 🎥 Poppy's YouTube Channel ☞ https://www.youtube.com/wherespoppy 📧 BUSINESS INQUIRIES - onceuponareef@protonmail.com Hey there, we’re Ryan and Poppy, a couple of adventure junkie sailors out to explore the most amazing reefs and islands in the world. We hope by documenting everything this lifestyle encompasses, we will inspire, raise awareness and support on going research to do our part in protecting these natural life systems. Subscribe if you’re on board! 📍Location: Simbo Island, Western Province, Solomon Islands #sailingvlog #SolomonIslands#onceuponareef #VolcanoCooking #SimboIsland #SailingAdventure #Geothermal #OffGridTravel #BoatLife #SouthPacific #TravelDocumentary