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.

more to follow

Now begins our journey through the Pacific. Let's see if the islands really fulfill all South Seas dreams...

We landed directly in the capital Honiara on the island of Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands with a short flight. From the airport, we took a taxi to our accommodation near the American War Memorial in 15 minutes. A great view from up here over the city of Honiara. The underwater world right off the coast is shaped by World War II. Some ship and plane wrecks, and even a submarine, can be dived. That's exactly what we planned. However, it rained here every day and night, so the visibility was not good and we had to cancel it. Instead, we rented a car and drove around the island. More precisely, we drove along the road that stretches from the northeast coast to the north and to the west coast. We drove through many big and small potholes and rivers. We climbed mountains and enjoyed a great view of the green island from the Paransiju Mountain Lodge. We passed through small towns and along some beaches. To get to one of the black volcanic beaches, you have to pay admission everywhere because the beaches each belong to a landowner. Of course, we also visited the market in Honiara, stocked up on lots of fruits and vegetables, and had fun cooking in the kitchen again.