Blogs from Solomon Islands, Oceania - page 3

We left Wallis island on 14th July at 3.00pm, however, not before I visited the dentist. All weekend and during the public holiday I had problems with my tooth. We decided to take the precaution and make sure everything was OK. It wasn’t. The dentist diagnosised a tooth abscess and gave me antibiotics for the trip. It worked a charm and felt a lot better, however it puts an end to the diving until it is repaired. So I will probably be home early. We went out the same narrow channel where we entered Wallis Island. Fortunately, the current was with us and we traveled out at a speed of 10 knots with the engine barely ticking over for about ½ mile. It was quite scary and I was glad when we were clear of the ... read more

With its beautiful strips of sands, corals, volcanoes, lagoons and small islands, the Western province is definitely the most attractive province in the Solomons. Gardens are tidy and full of exotic flowers and people are extremely friendly. After waiting for a ship a couple of days in Honiara, we decided with Steve to go straight to the airport. And coincidentally, we got the last seats available!!! The plane was OK and the best thing: it flew no higher than 2500mts, offering good views of the lagoon and atolls. Munda airport was built in WWII and under grassy terrain there is still the old sealed surface. Nearby, there are many remnants of the WWII, the US dump, a home-museum and really well preserved anti-aircraft guns. Munda is a good starting point for diving and there are still ... read more

Solomon islands were the last stop on my journey. And probably the most difficult. Anyway, they were well worth the effort. First of all, there are battlefields, shipwrecks and rusty iron from the WWII. And the atmosphere is pristine since there are almost no tourists. In six weeks that I’ve spent there, I only met one backpacker. And a couple of tourists in pricey resorts. The other foreigners you meet are normally people working on some research, humanitarian projects or British medical students doing their internships in the local hospitals. The reason for absence of tourists is probably remote location and the fact that you need both time and money to travel Solomons. And not many people have both :)) Since there is not a lot of information available online about the Solomons, I would present ... read more

As I stand on the end of the dock in Seghe, the most southern point on New Georgia Island with all my worldly posessions straped to my back, I can feel hat all too familiar feeling ball up inside of my stomach. I recognize it instantly as a twinge of insecurity as I watch the Solomon Express slowly turn, and with a belch of unhealthy black soot, groan away from me. A desparate re-apprasal of our current situationmakes me think that maybe, just maybe, the information that my attorney and I gathered from that guidebook that shall remain nameless, about Seghe being the "communications hub of the Morovo Lagoon", may be a bit overstated. It was only later that we found out that buy "communications hub" the author of "that guide book" must have ment word ... read more

Sailed into the Slot and Iron Bottom Sound, past Suva Island at dawn. Arrived at the Guadalcanal dock, not to be confused in any way with a cruise ship terminal. The line handlers are bare footed! There are towers of containers and a small gazebo type structure with a couple of hammocks and a small fire. My guess it’s for the night watchmen. The gangway presents a challenge and it is one of the strangest configurations I have ever scene. Even the Security Offices was grinning. A group of locals in native dress (loincloths’) and body paint welcome us with drums and pipes and dance. I can’t help imagining what the Marines felt when they first sighted the island. The jungle lowlands are backed by large volcanic peaks. These troops were not well trained or equipped ... read more