Gizo week 5

Final week here in Gizo. The hospital was surprisingly quiet this week for some reason. Monday was basically deserted so we went off to Sanbis (a nearby resort) for the afternoon due to lack of patients. Had a lovely final fish and cassava chips, sat reading my book in the sun and did some snorkelling. We spent the evening at Nikita’s house. It’s up on a hill, so the plan was to have white wine and watch the sun set. Unfortunately we got a storm instead. It was still pretty cool watching it pass over each of the islands in turn and sitting having dinner with the water flooding down off the roof around us.

Due to the recent unrest in the capital, Honiara, around the election of the new PM, and a high risk of further trouble this week, with a court case against him on Thursday, I was advised by the UK high commission to bring my flights forwards and get to Honiara ahead of the court hearing. This meant Wednesday was my final day in Gizo. I decided to spend it taking advantage of what the Solomon Islands are particularly known for- their war wrecks. I faced my fears again and went scuba diving at the Toa Maru wreck, a sunken Japanese war ship. The boat was much larger than I had imagined and a lot more wrecked. I only explored the more shallow part of the wreck- it goes right down to 32meteres, which I a) didn’t really fancy and b) wasn’t qualified to do. We swam above some of the deeper part though and got a grasp of the huge scale of the ship. There were holes where you could look inside, which was cool. On top of the wreck there’s loads of beautiful coral and vast amounts of fish! After the dive we all had a final lunch sat on the pier- my favourite veg rotis + a coconut from the market. I spent a final afternoon at the hospital and said all my goodbyes.

I had my leaving drinks at PT109, 1 of the 2 bars in Gizo and a lovely spot by the water. I took a final “Solbrew”, a Solomon islands beer. At home I don’t like beer, but I quite liked this one! I had a good turn out with all the gang and realised how privileged I’d been to have been able to spend my time in Gizo with such a lovely bunch. Even my neighbour George, a local, came along! He’s told me I must return to the Solomon islands and he’ll show me around his province- apparently they have a massive banana festival, which does indeed seem worth a trip! Had a final dinner with Amelia back at the apartment- veg stir-fry: a “Gizo classic”.

It was with sadness that I boarded the random little boat to the airport and then the tiny plane. I had some lovely views over the islands on my way to Honiara. It was great see Karen again, waiting for me at the airport. Her and Chris were very kindly hosting me again. I used the day as a bit of R&R. Did some research for my travels, uploaded pictures, caught up on admin etc. Also had a swim and played my ukulele- it felt great to play some music and sing!

Fortunately, there was no verdict from the court case against the PM- they will continue in a couple of weeks. This meant that there was no unrest and I could get to the airport absolutely fine, although there were police absolutely everywhere in case! The main opponent opened the court case, claiming the PM had not registered his party in time or something. The bigger problem is, however, that the people hate the PM voted in. He was chucked out after a vote of no confidence a couple of years ago. He has served several terms before. People want a change. Last week when the PM was announced there were protests and riots in the streets of Honiara. Several flights were delayed or cancelled as the one road through Honiara was blocked with riots, meaning some people couldn’t safely get to the airport. It’s thought the court case could go on for a while. Hopefully they can sort things out.

Unfortunately the flights from Honiara across to Tonga don’t line up particularly well, meaning I had 5hours to kill at Nadi airport, Fiji. Not realising I would have to go through customs in Fiji, I had used up my last sol dollars to buy some dinner, which I scoffed down in the luggage hall and received some funny looks. I had a bit of a field day when I arrived. There was AIR CON! The toilets had automatic taps! I found REAL CHOCOLATE. Fearing that good dark chocolate might be as scarce in Tonga as in the solomons, I took full advantage of the deal on guilan dark chocolate (5 for £5ish). I spent the time reading the entirety of the lonely planet guide to the South Pacific and planning my travels. I also enjoyed trying out all the different perfumes having become so accustomed to being constantly sweaty and smelly. Why they scheduled a flight leaving nadi at 23:30 and arriving 2am Tonga I’ll never understand. There were no flights at all for the 2 hours before our flight left. The airport was pretty deserted, filled only with the people stupid enough/ conscious enough about money to get this ludicrous flight.

After getting over the initial excitement of a glimpse of the developed world, the downside of nadi airport was the TOURISTS EVERYWHERE! Solomon Islands are so untouristy that it was quite a shock to the system. Maybe it’s a bit of the “gap year effect”, wanting to be off the beaten track! There were stereotypical overweight US tourists with caps and lame sandals and annoying kids running everywhere. I longed to be back in the solomons with a whole island to myself. I think that’s what made it so special there- that it was so untouched.

Selina, the driver from dayspring lodge, was there waiting for me on arrival in Tonga. Despite the ludicrous hour there were some jolly guys playing ukulele and guitar in honour of our arrival. It seemed quite comical when juxtaposed with the zombie-like, sleep-deprived passengers who had just arrived. Dayspring lodge is lovely- a 6 bed house with a cute garden and shared lounge and kitchen. Looking forward to staying here the next 3 weeks!