Three weeks on the Solomon Islands, 1

The nearly 1000 islands in the South Pacific are not places for hiking – only 347 islands are inhabited and dense jungle covers most of the land. Roads are basically not existing.

 

 

 

 

How did I end up in this place? It is because of my son Lorenz and his wife Ale. Since last fall he works for Adam Smith International (British consulting firm sponsored by the Australien government) for a project improving the economic situation of the islanders.

 

 

 

Ale and Lorenz welcoming me with the delicious and typical coconut drink.

 

Two days ago I arrived in Honiara, the capital of the Solomon islands. On the only street in Honiara, leading from the airport to town, Ale picked me up. The street was full of holes. Tropical heat surrounded us. I brought 30 kg of presents.

 

They live on hill. The valley down below is filled with noises of cocks, pigs, dogs mixed with the sound of humans shouting, singing, laughing. This place is full of live. In my first night, a huge spider wanted to catch a butterfly when sitting on the terrace. The butterfly was faster. 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day, we went shopping to the Central Market located between Mendaña Avenue and the Ocean.

 

 

 

 

 

Banana leaves

 

 

 

Local nut and eggplants

 

Close to the Market is the cargo harbor transporting goods to the islands. All the ships were once Chinese. Chinese calligraphy still could be seen underneath the new paint.

 

 

 

On Mendaña Avenue stands the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. The explorer brought it to the islands 450 years ago . Ever since it is venerated.

 

 

I could witness the homecoming of the cross, after it toured the Catholic parishes for  one month. It was celebrated with a big festival.

 

 

 

 

 

 

For hours, people were waiting for the cross to come. When it arrived, they all knelt down on the rocky ground. Girls dressed in white and red robes were dancing barefoot.

 

Unfortunately, I could not see the performance of the boys. Ale and Lorenz picked me up to go to a party of their friends, warmhearted, open, international people working to make the world a better place..

 

 

It was rainy the whole day today. Instead of going to the beach snorcheling and diving, we stayed at home all day chatting. Very relaxing! Rain swallowed up the noises all around. In early morning the house was trembling because of an eartquake.  Nothing was damaged.

 

 

gwwien
gwwienhttps://simplyjustwalking.com
Born and raised in a village along the Danube in Austria, Traude Wild soon ventured out into the world. After a two-year program for tourism in Klesheim/Salzburg, she spent nearly a year in South Africa and Namibia. By returning back to Austria, she acquired a Master of Economics at the University of Vienna. After moving to the United States with her four children, she studied Art History at Arizona State University and stayed in the United States for fourteen years. Here, she was teaching Art History in several Universities like Webster University and University of Missouri-St. Louis. Now, she lives partially in Arizona and Vienna and works together with her husband for the University of South-Carolina, Moore School of business as Adjunct Professor organising and leading Study tours in Central Europe. She also teaches at the Sigmund Freud University in Vienna. Since 1999, she is practicing Zen meditation in the lineage of Katagiri Roshi. She loves to hike and to write and is a student of Natalie Goldberg. During her often many weeks long hikes she brings her awareness into the Here and Now, describing her experiences in an authentic way. She loves to walk pilgrimages. The longest hike so far was the 1,400 km long 88 Temple pilgrimage in Shikoku, Japan in 2016.

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Comments

  1. Traude, how amazing your life is, one adventure after another. You certainly are living life deeply and fully. Love and hugs, Erica

  2. Traude, Thank you for sharing and letting some of us live more fully through your experiences. I am interested in what kind of work Lorenz and his company are doing specifically. Is it water related, helping people with small businesses, etc? Love, Chris

    • Hi Chris,

      Lorenz is doing economic development to help and the income of islanders – tourism, coconut and coacoa. Tourism is almost not existing and what they offer is very expensive. It is hard to plan. I was supposed to have a tour today, but suddenly they do not have a car.People are not in their office, a travel agency closed, but nobody knows. It is basic work they have to do. Another example is helping raise the awareness of the rhinoceros bug killing coconut trees. the main nutrition on the islands. They start to have radio shows, make a song, a movie about it, write newspaper articles in order to make people aware of the problem and act in by cutting and burning the effected trees.

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