After checking in at the Atoifi clinic, and they using the
radio to confirm the aircraft was on its way, we went by
pickup truck down to the airstrip. The embarkation area was
at the far end of the airstrip, so we had to drive along it.
Clearance to do so is granted by asking the guys in the back
if they can see the aircraft, and they didn't.
When we had parked and could see the aircraft, the driver
honked the horn to warn all those walking on the runway.
The crew is two persons, the captain and a flight attendant,
so tourists who ask nicely can sit in the right hand seat
in the cockpit throughout the flight.
A few views of Honiara.
Some war remains, memorials and a museum on Guadalcanal
just outside Honiara.
Getting away to Rennell on time wasn't easy, as the plane was
overloaded. Several options were debated, including asking passengers
if they could leave some of their stuff behind, only allowing
16 kg for everyone, and not bringing unaccompanied freight at
all. The last option was the one mainly used. Certainly not welcome
on Rennell and Bellona, as the flights are usually the only
practical way of getting stuff there, as the islands don't have
any good harbours and freight ships are few and very far between.
I think the flight operations were performed very well and
professionally. Usually I think of Swedish airspace as rather
uncrowded, but here we might have been the only aircraft
airborne in the whole country.
From the airstrip on the northern part of the island we rode
on the back of a sort of scheduled truck on the road/trail
to the southern part of Rennell to the lake Te'Nggano
which is the largest lake in the Pacific. A very bumpy
five or so hours.
Then motor canoe onwards to the lodge.
Tahamatangi Lodge where we stayed two nights, as the first
tourists in two years.
The food wasn't cheap, but not just taro and sweet potato, there
were also some fish, papaya, rice and cabbage.
I mostly ate just the potato and rice, and some cabbage.
Here we weren't adviced to walk off by ourselves either. I don't think it was popular with the neighbours that all the tourist money ended up with just one family.
Here I had a most confusing discussion with a souvenir
salesman. He asked "what mission" were ours. I really
couldn't understand what he was asking, but I presumed
he asked which church we belonged to, so I tried to
answer "no mission", but that didn't seem to satisfy
him. Later on I understood why. I think.
Swimming in the lake wasn't all that practical as it was
quite windy with high waves and rocky ground. So we
made a hike to the ocean. There are steep cliffs almost
all around the coast. In spite of this, this place is
one of the few where ships anchor, freight is taken by
boat to the shore and then carried up the cliff on
a concrete stairway.
After leaving the lodge we went past the airstrip and
to a village in the northern part of Rennell. Again we
stayed with different families.
Very interesting, but sometimes you wonder how well you really
can communicate with the locals.
Here I got taro, slippery cabbage, for example tuna out
of a can and noodles. The noodles come out of those small
packets you use to make instant noodle soup. Everything but
the noodles themselves is of course thrown away, since it's
spicy. (Salomon Island food is supposed to be very bland.
I had to taste very carefully to notice that the otherwise
quite good curry and rice I had in Honiara actually had
some curry in it. That's not how I'm used to it.)
On Rennell and Bellona people are generally Seventh Day Adventists.
Which among other things means there's no tea or coffee there,
instead there's Milo which is sort of milk chocolate. It also means
that old traditions are practically eradicated. During one walk
around the area, we got to see a stone which use to be sacred
in some way, but now it's just a stone.
We also got to see what the young people did for sports,
soccer and
volleyball,
we took part in one of the very
frequent religious services (not very long, as that wouldn't be
practical when they're kept three times a day every day).
The short hop to Bellona took about 15 minutes.
On Bellona people felt more relaxed and friendly, which you could
notice already at the airstrip.
Here we were met by John Tay, who owns Aotaha Cave Lodge (it's listed
as a "resort" in some guide book(s), but he was careful to point
out that there aren't all the facilities which'd make it into
a resort.
No cars on Bellona, but quite a good trail for bicycles (although
I didn't try that), which we followed to the east end.
Aotaha means Daybreak, and that's just right as you can see the
rising sun from the cave mouth.
The lodge is situated more than halfway down the cliffside.
Outside the cave some areas are built up and levelled with
rocks and pieces of coral brought up from the sea.
Here we were the second group in two years.
When you're as many as we were, the cave is a bit of a
tight fit, so some of us had quite windy sleeping places.
Actually, it was quite windy outside most of the time
too.
The food here was very good (lots of lobster, for example), but
more importantly it wasn't cooked by the lodge staff, but by
different neighbouring families partly in order for the
good of the community.
When the tide is low, you can go down to the tide pools.
Not much to do most of the time but read, but that suited me.
If the weather had been clearer one could have seen Rennell
from the top of the cliff.
Apart from sunrise there were other things to see at Aotaha. At night one could look straight up and see passing satellites. I've seen ones before, but never straight overhead.
One evening we were visited by a local group of people who sang for us. Both adults and children. Only religious songs (of course) and with a religious introduction when children were supposed to sit still and quiet, after that was over one could act more relaxed. The little introductory speech made a point of that everyone one Bellona was christian and the assumption clearly was that we were too.
Assuming that Swedes are all christian can be seen as sort
of natural, but here we learned that some of these people
thought that we were sent to Salomon Islands by our
government. Or at least our church. I think this explains
the "what mission?" question. Previously I've been to
places where no tourist had been before me, but I don't
think I've been anywhere before they didn't understand
I was a tourist and what a tourist is.
The Bellona airstrip terminal is quite informal.
No radio at the moment (but I think there was one 15 min away by
motorbike), no scales so we had to remember our weights.
Checking in outdoors, on the grass.
The aircraft backed up right to the edge of the uncut grass
when taking off in order to maximise the available distance to
take off in.
Exchanging the local currency back to something usable has to be
made in Honiara.
The foreign exchange office at the Honiara airport
had a total of two Australian 50-dollar bills.
Not even any local currency (but they had had a little when we arrived).
And while it's possible to get Salomon Island dollars at the exchange
offices at the Sydney airport (if you don't want a lot of them),
they don't want them back.
It was quite an experience going there. Not physically demanding
but getting along with the culture can take some doing, and if
you do it like us it's certainly not rest and relaxation, but
I think it's more fun that way.
I'm almost sure we travelled with the only agency which arranges
"ordinary" tourist trips to Salomon Islands (at least it's been
for several years). Most tourists who go there probably go there
for the
diving, as there are said to be good places.
Photos from some of my other travels
Photos and sounds from 2001 July,
photos by me unless I'm in the photo myself or if the
caption says differently,
document created 2002 Jan 01
by
Urban