This little tale will ring a bell for those who remember Port Vila from the days when it was just Vila in the New Hebrides. More recent expats might be amused to learn how bad things used to be, in telecommunications.
In the 1970s, the two nations made half-hearted attempts to establish an offshore tax-haven (paradis fiscal, in French). Their attempts were thwarted by the inadequacy of international communications. The overseas phone service was an antiquated radio link. (“Do you copy?” “Roger; wilco.” “Foxtrot Uncle Charlie…” “Over and out!”) We were connected to the world via an undersea cable to Australia during the scheduled British sessions, and one to Tahiti during the French sessions. I was once cut off in the middle of an incoherent exchange with a client in New York, when the session changed. I pleaded with the French operator (je vous en prie!), and she kindly gave me an extra three minutes.
That is an extract from a blog-post of mine from 18 months ago that can be found at
http://barlowscayman.blogspot.com/2014/ … rides.html
