Honiara

I was extremely lucky to have been put in touch with Karen and Chris in Honiara (thanks to Hilary who I play oboe with!), who very kindly hosted me while I was there. The Solomon Islands are having their elections at the moment so everyone was moving around back to their home islands- this meant it was really busy and there were lot of rallies in the streets for various candidates. I was fortunate to bump into Rachel, another medical student on elective, at Honiara airport coming off the plane, so she joined us over the weekend. We visited the market, which was bustling and beautifully colourful with gorgeous flowers and an array of fruit and vegetables. Karen and Chris have just got a boat, so we took it out for a spin, going along the coast, including past the famous Bonegi I and II, two ship wrecks that jut out from the surface of the sea. Chris also caught a massive Spanish mackerel! We visited the war memorial- a huge number of lives were lost from both the Japanese and American sides. On Sunday, we joined some of Karen and Chris’ friends boating over to Nuhu (no idea on spelling!), an uninhabited island, where we snorkelled and chilled out on the beach and in the sea. It was so interesting talking to everyone about what had brought them to the Solomon Islands and their lives here. I was privileged to try some of Karen’s pizza on my final night, whilst watching some Australian TV, a last glimpse of westernised life- soon wifi and air con would be distant memories.