Honiara, Solomon Islands, Day 2

As today marks the end of a segment of the cruise, some passengers are leaving us while new ones are boarding. Therefore, the staff is quite busy. The returning passengers were able to take a short island tour first, and then were transported to the airport where they flew to Sydney on chartered flights.

We have booked an island tour to the battle and memorial sites of the Battle of Guadalcanal. In the battle, or rather the battles, over 20,000 Japanese and nearly 7,000 Americans died. The American victory is considered a turning point in the war. Besides the memorials, there isn’t much else to see. The course of the battle is very complicated and it takes a lot to understand how it all unfolded (see e.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Guadalcanal).

After the tour, we had a longer city exploration with a visit to the central market.

The traffic is unbelievable. To ensure our tour lasted only about an hour longer than planned, we were escorted on the way back by three police motorcycles that led the way with flashing lights, clearing the path and stopping oncoming traffic.

Our expectations were low due to the many violent disturbances and warnings about crime and the litter. However, we liked the island. On one hand, people everywhere were very friendly, and on the other hand, the island is very beautiful. Only the issues with litter, overwhelming traffic, and the dusty, poor air quality are true in the larger settlements. Outside of these areas, it is much less of a concern.

One of the monuments is located by the airport. Therefore, we also visited the airport. It is a small airport that feels like it is from a bygone era. There is a scanner for domestic flights, but it is not plugged into any outlet - there isn't one nearby (the power goes out often anyway).

The market is very large and primarily has food items. Additionally, there are also clothes for sale. Many stalls and stores sell second-hand clothes from Europe. You can tell by the brands and prints.

At farewell, a traditional music and dance performance was presented at the harbor.