Galavanting in Gizo

So you always say in life... Sure when am I going to get the chance to do that again! And many times your right, you will literally never be there again. And I could have put a right arm that I would never be in Simbo Island again. I travelled there with a bunch of expats after being in the Solomons for about 2 weeks and it was indescribable, some where so untouched and so unique. All I saw was open mouths and twinkly reminiscent eyes when I said.. Guess who's going back to Simbo guys! OHH YEA!! 

Western province in the Solomon islands is THE PRIME time location for holidaying, beauty and everyone wants to live there. It has amazing snorkelling, surfing, resorts, beaches, diving.. need I go on. And Simbo island is one of the Islands part of Western Province in the north east part of the Solomon Islands. And it along with about 6 other schools were on the list of inspections/assessments for 2015. 

It was a work related trip again, and the starting phase like the rest of my travels around the Islands for implementing the 2015 infrastructure plan for schools. Again we had a very tight schedule and this was my last trip and my last two weeks in the Solomons. I had to get all of the schools done, reports completed and ready for funding and contract signing before I left (an impossible task, which I didn't fully completed on my own). 

So we hit up three primary schools to assess the needs and amount of funding and I three secondary schools to assess specialised classrooms and complete the scope of works for all. Anita, a lovely lady from the accounts department who had family in Ghizo (the main island in Western)  accompanied me on the trip, and two absolute legends from the ministry of education in Western Province. 

The condition of some of the schools as always were shocking, none more so then Simbo island. There had been a tsunami a couple of years ago which had left the main building uninhabitable. I found it really hard to focus and make decisions when I saw the condition that the students were in. I really couldn't concentrate on the job at hand and scoping for the amount of money we had this year when really the whole school needed to be rebuilt. But that in itself is the very reason that the school was in such bad condition, the previous school had been built by a voluntary organisation and the village themselves had no input of ownership in the school and so it was let to run down to an unusable state. The tsunami of course had a massive impact on the village but it was evident that there was a huge disconnect between the community and the school where in a lot of other places they were on in the same. 

I discussed this with hopeful and we come up with a strategy to part fund section of the project, the community would be responsible for the other sections. This had not worked well in the past and had lead to donors who had given funds and expecting finished completed schools to be disappointed that progress was significantly delayed due to communities not completing their part in a suitable timeframe. Understanding both side of wanting to get the job done for the students to have classroom to study while building the interest and commitment of the community in that place is difficult to achieve. 

Above is where the students are currently studying and what we scope for repair. We plan to remove the existing walls and replace with timber with open window with wire mesh for security. The classrooms sibilation will also be replaced. The roof will also be extended to provide shelter for the students and a walkway for them to enter.



The Tsunami Damaged Building where students were still being taught in is behind the team from the ministry, the school principle and some students who were loving the visitors to the Island. I saw so many kids from my previous visit who thought it was a dream that I was back on the Island.

We visited the island volcano on our trip back to Gizo, and had as always a very bumpy ride back. The trip to Simbo is a trip that is taken very seriously even by the locals. It is opens sea and the waves can get extremely dangerous. The time of day you go and the swell is very important. On my trip Honor (and education officer) told us of the story where two local guys started their kayak from Simbo to Ghizo island to see fresh fruit and veg at the market. They left in the morning at 5am to kayak back that night but were not seen for a week. Everyone on the island presumed them dead, a week later they heard they two were alive on a different island. The current and waves had been too strong of them and they ended up drifting to another island about 6 hours away and were on their way back. Solomon Life!! :)

Hanging out in Western Province with Anita..

Sasamunga and they yellow T Shirt

Well this was one of coolest places I have been in the Choisuel.. There had been a lot of missionaries and humanitarian aid in this part of Choisuel and it was so great to how great the community was at getting involved and owning their infrastructure.

We spent about 4 hours in Sasamunga assessing what their needs were for specialised classrooms, and like almost every other school we had visited Science was a priority for the school.

The building below had been completed a number of years ago and the new science building will go underneath the existing building. It was very common on our trip to see a lot of the structures built like this. The reason was so that the school could expand when it needed to and to also add shelter from he sun to the students. I am sure there are lots more local reasons for building on stilts like the classroom below.

 Planning out the location of the new Science classroom with the vice principle (Yellow T Shirt). A very interesting man  who had worked in Australia for over 30 years and returned back to his home to teach in the school there.

Discussing the existing building and looking at the old plans with the builder in the village who had completed the existing classroom we were going to build underneath.

My Mechanical engineering head was fascinated to see an old generator near the school, not much has changed in about 50 years. It still looks very similar to some of the generators I worked on before my Solomon life. 

 A beautiful guest house on the Island, absolute paradise!

The small village beside Sasamunga, where we visited the home of the vice principle.

The Solomon people feel very connected to family and its the most important thing in their lives. The  vice principle I met in Sasamunga was very interested to hear what my family though of me being so far away and asked 'how now famali blo uifella' (how is my family) so I couldn't resist taping some pidgin with such a beautiful background. 

Tripping around Choisuel

Holy Mary Mother of god, That was UNREAL!!

I will be relying on my videos and pictures to tell the story, because words cant describe! As part of working in Education in Infrastructure in Solomon Islands we spend time visiting schools all over the country. And the country has alot of sea between it.. and not alot of roads.




So I traveled all the way around Choisuel Island in a Bananna boat, and it wasn't always smooth sailing!

We gathered the gang, an education officer with a fantastic white go-t, the lovely Frances, and her two wontok including her uncle and cousin. The biscuits were bought, some tuna (standard), noodles and rice, spam, H20 and we hit the sea. The weather was already playing up about 10 minutes into the trip, but we journey on. Annnnnnnnd on.. for about 3 hours, in heavy rain, banging seas and big yellow rain coats that didnt work even a little bit. But man I was smiling! Work.. THIS is work, I was delighted with myself! And then came the lightening storm. I'm trusting enough really and mother nature has never really picked on my too much but when you can see lightening crack onto water about a km from where you are, that 1 in a million chance of being struck by lightening become 1 in 5 people very quickly! We ducked low and kept going, you really do feel alive though when your that close to be that statistic. But don't worry Kitty Kat (my mother) I wont be seeking the adrenaline rush of that one again any time soon!

Soaking and craving suger we landed in a logging camp, one of many to add to my list, but my first at the time. I don't know how the locals do it, stay clean that is.. when you are walking around in red clay soil. Frances, a Choisuel local was spotless not even a splash on her leg after walking up a slippy hill in the rain with no road. And I, well.. I have got a lot to learn. And white was a bad choice will be my explanation of that one, with a herd of women helping me clean myself when we reached the bottom again! I love the work that we did especially at this school, advising principles and boards on the new school locations risks for disasters, basic plans on how to reduce their risk and general school planning. Simple things like planting trees to protect the exposed area from wind and to reduce the risk of landslide. You really don't know what you know, until its coming out of your mouth!

After a long 6 hours on the boat that day, we settled down for the night with some instant tea (ADDICTIVE)!! And a hot meanl of noodles and rice... again.... NOODLES and RICE (full stop). How spoilt we are really, I learnt that thats the main meal for boarding school students in the country. Which I cant say shocked me, but makes your head hurt a little to think of how hard that must be for student to concentrate on a diet like that!

The trip continued in much the same way getting up with the sun at about 6am some rick/noddles for breakfast and away in the boat for the day visiting on average 2 schools a day and travelling on the boat for about 6-8 hours. Here are some of the pictures of the schools that I visited and assessed throughout the trip. 

Some more amazing photos and videos from the trip below.. 

Stopping off to use the rest room on our way around the island we just pulled into an uninhabited paradise island and did our thing! 

As we returned from a 6 day trip on the boat back to Taro, I was happy to be in the smooth straight home. The sea had been really rough for a lot of our journey at time it felt like we would fall out of the boat coming over some of the waves. There was little shelter for most of the journey as we were in the open sea. The driver was so unbelievably skilful at nativating those big waves that bucked through the boat to eject you out of your seat. When your mail form of transport it the sea its so natural to the tribes from Choisuel. 

When we returned from our big trip around the island Frances and her family took me to the waterfall on another island. We travelled again by banana boat up a river this time to get to the waterfall. Frances sister in law and uncle are in the video below walking up the waterfall.  I on the other hand was at this point holding onto a twig of a branch trying to balance on an average enough bit of land beside the waterfall. And I think I must have spent too long focusing on health and safety in New Zealand because I was genuinely shocked that they were not wearing helmets doing this! I didn't dare to step foot on the rocks (wearing my specially designed trail runners (what a loser)) because I could picture the second step being a summersault down the river. 

On our way to the waterfall up the river

Flying First Class

One of the best parts about working in civil engineering is the travel, you get to go and see amazing things, amazing places and meet amazing people. Part of my role during my assignment in the Solomons is to assist as an infrastructure Advisor in implementing the Education Infrastructure plan for 2015. So of we went to implement at the end of May 2015.

I have been so lucky to have been able to travel with work and travelling has been an experience in itself. My trips have been Choisuel, Western, Seghe.

Flying to Choisuel

Myself and my co-worker made the flight from Honiara to Gizo, and then a shuttle flight from Gizo on to Choisuel. An the flight was really a pacific experience ! A false start on Sunday with a tropial cyclone hovering over our intended destination had us waiting in the airport for 6 hours before cutting our losses heading the following day. You really get into the island attitude, 6 hours was filled with pretty much reading the Solomon Star and chatting away to the security guard at the airport. A great character who was so delighted that we were going to visit his home village that he took our numbers and informed us the next day of our flight details!

When your actually on the flight, with all your western security and safety senses heightened- well you really just have to get over it and think if you can put your legs straight out in front of you on a plan and have a view of the cockpit.. thats a first class trip to me! I cant say I'd do a long haul 32 hours of it, but flying in Solomon Islands has been a real experience in itself. This is me on my way to another part of the country, heading to Seghe with another co-worker for much the same work.

When your finally in the air, I have really come to love internal flights, they are a little present to yourself when you would otherwise be driving or in the case of the Solomons taking a 24-36 hour boat. Waiting for our shuttle at Gizo, I watched the aircraft we were about to get onto be refueled. I thought of the little old airports I visited in Ireland- Sligo, Donegal even Kerry and except for the heat I could have been there! Check out this little clip I couldn't help taking of the emptied aircraft barrel rolling toward the seating area of the airport. And I know what your thinking... airplane fuel? Heat? gravel surface? Friction? Fire?... Explosion???

Outdoor War Musuem

Photos and Videos say it all! 

I'm not going to pretend to give a brief history of role the Solomon Islands had in WWII, for those of my friends who haven't a clue. Well it had a big affect on the way and there are lots of ships, planes, helmets, guns and everything else you can think (landlines) still visible on Guadalcanal. And there is a war museum, which is where I went on this fine day. 

The guy giving us the tour was so sound and we had great fun with him.  His father had decided to collect all of the old war remains about 70 years ago, with no cars etc is unbelievable. They are all still in excellent condition though after being carried from all corners of Guadalcanal to the museum/garden. 

The one thing I will say, and I don't say a lot in my blog in terms of actual advice on the Solomons.. as I am sure you gather by now its just a whole load of random jabber about some cool places I went. But here goes.. There ARE no signs for ANYTHING. You will get lost, and you will wonder am I driving to my a lovely village/ to my death (not that dramatic) when you actually find the war muesuem/garden, beach, hike etc in Honiara. Its very exciting! :) 

One of the coolest places to visit, I went there with my replacement engineer Fraser and the lovely Elizabeth! We had a lot of fun at the garden and were also quiet blown away by the history and real and tangible presence of the war.

Learnt lots of interesting facts about the war and I hope to wow people with these very soon, I just need the conversation to naturally turn to WWII.. I don't want to be a show off :P 

Its almost surreal when you think that you are now stand on a cannon that was used in the war, who was the last person to use it and could they ever imagine that the likes of myself would be standing on it so many years after like idiots pretending to shot the same cannon.