Solomons Part3

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Yeah, it was complicated but we kinda knew the territory...

After departing Vanga Point we motored over to Paraso Bay on Vella Lavella, about 18 miles west. We wanted to visit the Ulo Thermal Area in a semi-extinct volcanic crater.

As always, we were greeted by lots of cute, well-behaved kids. Our juvenile entourage escorted us to a leaf village near a logging camp.

This four year old's accessory gracing her neck is intended to bring the bacon home, or rather the bird who is unfortunate enough to capture her eye.

This is their new village, built since the tsunami washed away the old one located on the beach. We have seen this repeated all over the Solomons.

We managed to hop the bus to the hotspot, which in reality is a 4WD truck operated by the Chinese lumber company.

OK, here's the Ulo Thermal Area. That's boiling mud in the foreground, crater rim in the back. We didn't find a great picture here, but it was indeed odd to see boiling mud and elemental sulphur in the middle of the jungle. Megapode birds live here, too; they bury their eggs in the volcanic earth rather than sit on them.

Here the admiral slogs back to the dinghy past a pile of fresh-cut logs. Such clear-cut logging is terrible for the environment here as the soil is very loose and prone to landslides. Moreover, the Asian logging companies are not known for their environmentally-friendly operations.

Here's the local beach hangout. The sign says "ALL WELCOME FRIEND!! HI YO!!!" We loved the people here, who were very friendly and undemanding. Unfortunately, the bay was full of crocs and rough, so we decided to seek a calmer anchorage.

Here it is, Maloko Bay, on the north end of Vella. The main downside of the shelter, however, is even more crocs, some of them partial to human flesh. One story we heard here is that a woman was gathering seaweed in the bay when a croc "took her". A search party went up the river but all they found was bits of her clothing. She left behind two small children. The RAMSI police were called and shot at the monster, reported to have a head "as big as a drum". The people here were wonderful but we did not feel much like romantic walks on the beach.

Here's what is left of the chief's house, damaged by the tsunami. The "beach" hereabouts is mostly mangrove mud, crawling with crabs, bugs and other vermin, crocs aside.

Here's an over the water bungalow which does not require high maintenance . the owners are not expecting a high tourist season! Man eating crocodiles somehow make it less appetizing for passing yachts.

Here's an island that got away. It's called Bava, off the SW coast of Vella. We planned to stop there but the only good anchorage was another crocadelic swamp so we gave it a miss. We motored on back to Gizo so we could start making arrangements to sail for Bundaberg and some first-world luxuries, not to mention a return to the US for the Holidays.

We decided our last fling here would be a trip to islands of Rendova and Tetepare. Our first stop was the secure anchorage and peaceful village of Egholo, on the NE tip of Rendova. At the entrance we see at the water's edge a US barge left over from WWII.

Here we see kids doing what kids do best: have fun.

One thing not in short supply was the usual cute kids in canoes. Probably the oldest in this pic is 5 but they all know canoe operation backwards and forwards. They started out trading for balloons but wised up and started asking for school supplies.

Next stop was Tetepare, the largest uninhabited island in the S Pacific. Here's Tubby aboard The Tub. We're anchoring behind a cute little island, nicknamed "Picnic Island" by yachties but really named Suaramana. It looks like something out of a "Far Side" cartoon.

There are differing reasons why Tetepare was abandoned about 100 years ago, but it may have been cleaned out by headhunters, which created a general fear among the locals that the place was haunted. If you look carefully at the foreground you will see coral just beneath the surface in the crystal-clear water.

You might think this is a ninja sumo wrestler, but it's really el hubo checking on the dinghy. Tetepare is really breath-taking as the true forest primeval. The World Wildlife Fund is working to keep it that way by helping the locals turn a buck without cutting all the trees down or catching all the fish.

Here we see the admiral, complete with her Peter Pan dagger, checking out a natural bromeliad hanging basket.

Anyone with a sense of adventure hacking their intrepid way through these boa infested jungles, may slosh across a swamp of amphibious rivers.

The trees here are just awesome, all living just as nature intended, no pesky humans. The main problem we had was lack of access to the interior as the jungle was just too thick. This umbrella like tree looks like a prop out of a Spielberg movie.

One way we did penetrate the jungle was by walking up river beds. Here the admiral poses beneath a tree trunk covered with bromeliads, like something of of the new version of "King Kong".

OK, this isn't a dinosaur but it is a large monitor lizard, maybe 2 ft (60cm) long. Too bad we didn't have a Barbie for some realistic terror shots.

Even our attempts to explore the island via river beds could be thwarted by narrow scoured gorges, barely wide enough to squeeze through. Only after our exploration did we find out that boa constrictors inhabit this lush Eden.

This is the ranger station on Tetepare - and the US Park Service complains about funding!

How many sharks can you see in this picture? We only see 6, but there were about 15 involved in a feeding frenzy. The rangers had caught a wild pig and were butchering it on the beach. This brought scads of these black tips swarming around in ankle-deep water, waiting for bits of pork to be flung into the teeming throng. Needless to say, this damped our enthusiasm for wading or swimming, which was unfortunate as Tetepare has the best snorkeling we have seen anywhere in the world.

While we really enjoyed our stay here it's not a secure place to anchor, so we decided to split before we had problems. You don't need a boat to come here, just look up the WWF and make reservations at their resort.

We neglected to mention that we spent a few weeks in Munda. We did a lot of diving here but didn't take many pictures as we already had a bunch from last year. We did think this ad hoc sailboat was cute, with a single palm frond as a sail.

As promised, we next sailed to the small island of Simbo. It was very close to the epicenter of the big earthquake and tsunami that people associate with Gizo. As a result, it suffered much more damage but didn't garner as much press coverage. This is where a Methodist bishop was killed as a result of the tidal wave.

Here's the harbor at Simbo. If you look really close you will see El Tubbo about in the middle.

We would guess this was the church where the new minister was ordained on the Sunday prior to the tsunami. The news reports said he bishop died during the ordination but the earthquake was 8AM on Monday, 2 April.

We saw the church during a walk from the harbor to the windward side of the island. Here is a convenience store on the way. You can't see the items available for sale, but they included fresh green coconuts and tapioca root. This open air cabana works on the honor system.

Here's the local laundry, typified by a woman beating the clothes on a rock. At least they have running water, supplied by a spring and a lot of hose. There is nothing romantic about wringing clothes out by hand but this beautiful and candid scene breathes tranquility.

Here's the Tubhub posing near a rock almost as big as he is, trying not to resemble a kind of tropical Santa Claus. It is rumored that the admiral keeps these pics for use as blackmail.

Here we have a better subject, younger and slimmer. The kids here just love having their pictures taken, we just wish we could hand out photos.

Our little Gaugin is as classic as any lovely island girl.

This is the sea-battered side of Simbo.

"But a woman's work is never done" - this woman is carrying a big load of tapioca root. Note the machete above the load. These people endure a hardship most of us cannot imagine without being aware that is is ever otherwise.

Here's some more of those kids who can't get enough exposure. Every expression is unique, like a Renaissance painting.

This is their preschool. They don't have much but they take good care of it.

This is the bathhouse. As mentioned before, the water is piped in from springs, so they at least have running water.

This is one of the fancier houses. People here take pride in what they have.

Simbo has an active volcano, which we naturally wanted to see. It's rather small, being the cone at the right edge of the island, conspicuous for its lack of vegetation.

This is a skull site. Headhunting was a major pastime in the Solomons a hundred years ago, resulting in the total depopulation of many islands. Note the holes in the skulls caused by clubbing.

Simbo has megapode birds like many volcanic islands in the area. The birds bury their eggs in the warm volcanic earth rather than sit on them. The islanders harvest the eggs by building nesting sites, then taking the eggs laid, which is what this boy is collecting. Killing the birds is taboo.

This is the view from the volcano, looking north to Ranongga. The lake in the foreground is fresh water.

We departed Simbo back to Gizo, so as to check out of the Solomons and prepare for the trip to Australia. We will miss the gentle and courteous people here, who are very friendly and rarely demanding. However, the season is getting late and we need to leave before the cyclone season begins in earnest.

Some readers may have had a bit too much of the Solomons, but we found it to be about the nicest piece o' of paradise in the South Pacific. We hope those who have made it this far will feel rewarded and have the strength to continue with us to our next destination, Australia.

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