Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands
Honiara is the capital of the Solomon Islands and located on
the northern coast of the island of Guadalcanal and includes a seaport at Point
Cruz. Guadalcanal is a high, rugged
island with mountains reaching 7,900 feet.
The western and eastern coasts of Guadalcanal were the sites
of many World War II battles. The Guadalcanal Campaign of 1942-3 is regarded as
one of the most crucial Allied victories, if not the actual turning point of
the war in the Pacific. There are many
historical sites from the war that can be visited here including, Bloody Ridge,
Henderson Field, Mataniko River, Red beach, Western and Eastern Battlefields,
and the huge number of dive-able shipwrecks and aircraft.
Today we did not have a tour planned. We set off to see what was available close to
the port. Our first stop was a small
craft market called West End Market. There
were many beautifully carved ebony masks and statues of men, turtles, sharks,
eagles and fish. There were also many items of shell jewelry which are used for
currency (Malatian Shell Money) as well as dyed clothes in many different
colors and patterns.
After leaving this market we walk about a mile to the
Central Market. This was a local market
which was used for locals to buy and sell fruits, vegetables and fish as well
as jewelry, clothes, cloth and trinkets.
Again after walking and browsing hours in the hot, humid
weather, we were ready to get back to the ship for a cool shower. Again the
people were very welcoming. They are not
used to seeing white skinned people and we were continuously getting stared at,
with many, many, “hello, American” getting yelled to us with waves. After the rural-ness of Papua, New Guinea, I
was surprised by the urban-ness of Honiara.
It was a small city with cell phone stores, convenience stores and
little strip malls. II would have liked
to travel a bit more outside to the villages to get a feel for what the true
culture and history of this island stows.
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