Solomon Islands September 2010
AHOY MATES!!!
It's time to leave Honiara and head across Iron Bottom Sound towards Nggela Sule in the Floridas Group. Conditions are overcast skies with pond like water. There is a whisper of wind on the nose. Quite a contrast to yesterdays unsettled weather with wind and heavy rains. A large pod of dolphins entertains us as Blaze glides through the water. They gracefully race with the bows. We arrive in Roderick Bay just off Sandfly Passage. John the unofficial "greeter" paddles up to Blaze in his worn dugout canoe. He welcomes us with a huge "betel nut" smile. His teeth are stained orange and many have turned black. He is a small wiry man in dirty clothes and a ripped baseball cap. His English is good and he is quite happy to see us. We follow him in his canoe. He paddles on leading us around a submerged reef to a buoy right in front of his village. We meet his tiny wife Lillian. She has a halo of black frizzy hair around her head. She looks much older than her 30+years.( we discovered later many villagers do not know how old they are. Especially those 30+.) I actually like this idea!
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Ann was here in 1998 and has brought pictures. The shock and curiosity of these photos is priceless. One young girl in a photo is now a mother. Her mom and grandmother all live in this village and are amazed at the picture. The idea of 'seeing' the past is foreign. There is much laughter and curiosity over the photos. The children are beautiful with big brown eyes, wavy dark hair and brilliant white teeth. (no betel nut...yet!).They are very shy initially but too inquisitive to stay away. Lynn and I have star stickers. I put a sticker on a little girls hand. She runs off to show her mother. Soon we have a swarm of kids waiting politely for their turn. To my surprise the teenage boys are in line as well. John II invites us back tomorrow night for dance and music.
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Ann was here in 1998 and has brought pictures. The shock and curiosity of these photos is priceless. One young girl in a photo is now a mother. Her mom and grandmother all live in this village and are amazed at the picture. The idea of 'seeing' the past is foreign. There is much laughter and curiosity over the photos. The children are beautiful with big brown eyes, wavy dark hair and brilliant white teeth. (no betel nut...yet!).They are very shy initially but too inquisitive to stay away. Lynn and I have star stickers. I put a sticker on a little girls hand. She runs off to show her mother. Soon we have a swarm of kids waiting politely for their turn. To my surprise the teenage boys are in line as well. John II invites us back tomorrow night for dance and music.
Later we go ashore and visit John II. For some unexplained reason John's brother is also named John????? The 2 brothers have had a falling out. Now there are 2 villages. In these outer islands the Wantok traditions are practiced. Wantok custom refers to people from the same language group and/or blood relatives living in the same village. John II's village is spotless. No trash, no foul smells, the dirt has been swept and people look clean despite their worn clothing.(Honiara is the ugly stepsister compared to this village.) The island people are self sufficient. They live off the land and sea for food, shelter, and dug out canoes. Everyone lives in a basic thatched hut one maybe 2 rooms. No electricity or plumbing. The biggest convenience is a dugout canoe and batteries. Life here has frozen in time.
This morning 'Willy ' paddles up to the aft steps. He proudly unwraps. His carvings and places each piece on Blaze. We spend time admiring his work and asking questions. I have my eyes on a piece that is a traditional spirit used to fend off warriors. (I was thinking it could fend off pirates for Blaze.) The bargaining begins! We banter back and forth. He is firm on his price. I bring out sandpaper and the price drops. I happily buy my carving. Peter comes over and decides he likes a different piece. He tries his luck at bargaining. I come back to 'help' him. I hold the 'trump' card. Willie spots it immediately. His eyes give him away. In my hands is a set of small carving knives. The price on Peter's carving now hits rock bottom. I am happy with our carvings and Willie is thrilled with his new tools and 120 grit sandpaper. These were not expensive items. The small knife set was $12. We were asked for fishing line, hooks, batteries, clothes. These people were not aggressive and usually had something to trade. But after 10 lbs of bananas what do you do?
We have spent days gunk holing around Nggela and Tulagi Islands. We head for Toyoko Bay, sight of a submerged Japanese destroyer. Blaze maneuvers through Mboli Passage onto Ghavutu. Here we meet Mickey and Michael. They paddle out to the boat and tell us to be careful There has been theft. A not so cheery welcome. Mickey happily guides us to good snorkeling areas and WWII wrecks. He dives without mask or snorkel. One morning we dive on a US PBY plane wreck. A bit eerie to know a pilot went down possibly on a reconnaissance mission. It is a chilling reference to "Davey Jones' Locker.
We have been immersed in the history of WWII on Guadacanal. All I can say is those GI's were in brutal conditions. They were so young and simply amazing.
Hope everyone is adjusting to the fall weather! Take Care!
Capt Molly and Soul Mate Peter!