Wings Cruising Log

Hi Everyone,

We are writing this from a small island in a remote province of a small remote country, the Solomon Islands. Lata, on Santa Cruz, is the provincial capital of the Temotu province, some 350 miles across the South Pacific ocean from the capital of the country, Honiara. The Solomons has had problems recently (none out here though) and the economy is in ruins. There is little money for the government to spend, and the outlying provinces, out of sight and out of mind, get to feeling very neglected. The supply comes here irregularly by rusty ship, occasionally, and usually does not include much beyond rice, snack foods, and canned meats. There are two telephone lines here though, and a huge satellite dish, and so today I am going to see if I can get this email out. If you get it on or about the 26th of November, we were successful. Otherwise, it'll be another week or two before we are in a place where we can try again. Oh for a satellite phone and a reasonable rate plan. We get some news on Voice of America, but we really miss hearing from you.

We've have been fine, adjusted to the constant rain which is a part of the this time of year as the NW monsoon begins to affect the region. We made a new awning which is a very effective rain catcher, so our water tanks have been full al the time. Showers can be indulged in whenever we want one.

The anchorage here is great, calm and beautiful, and we've been here a week now. The local people are very nice, and the villages around the bay are gorgeous. The houses are mostly raised hardwood floors on timber posts, (all cut by chain-saw saw mills) and the walls and roofs are native materials. They are well constructed, airy, and rather large. The yards are very well tended and laid out with flower and vegetable patches, separated by walkways lined in stone or coral chunks. The community and most families have larger gardens or farms out in the bush and are mostly self sustaining. People go off each day to work in the garden, sometimes a walk of an hour or more. There is a community tractor which is used on the rice paddy they have up on the plateau.

Several people have Honda motorbikes, and as opposed to other places we've been, here, if something breaks down they immediately work on fixing it. Instead of just leaving their motor bikes broken and lying on its side in the yard, you are likely to see them on a work stand under the eves of a house or shed, parts carefully laid out and covered with a tarp. Of course, there is no Honda dealer here, or any dealer of any equipment here, so parts have to be shipped from Honiara, and who knows when the next supply ship will come, or if the part will be on it?

When we walk through these villages we realize that living in a poor third world country doesn't mean a miserable life of poverty and squalor. People here are happy, mostly healthy, clean and well adjusted.

We've been meaning to get away from here every day for the last three, but have not made it, for a variety of reasons. Yesterday we worked on the engine, and we hope we have solved the problem which was allowing diesel fuel to get into the crankcase. It is a major worry if the engine fails in a place like this, but for now it is still running fine, and we're all OK. If we do have a big engine problem we will probably change our plans and head immediately for some place where we can get work done.

Otherwise our next significant stop will be Gizo, in the Western Province, and we might be there by the end of the first week of December, or sometime around then.

Meanwhile, we are here in the boonies, enjoying the company of a couple of boatloads of young people, also cruising this area, and living on a shoestring compared to us. We are having fun with them being around.

We hope all is well with everyone back home, we'll write again when we can.

Fred & Judy