16th February

I made several hundred new friends today at work. They’re about 10mm to 12mm long, pale orange and bite.

We’re removing some trees in the centre of the nursery, unfortunately there is a colony of ants taken up residence in them as well. They literally swarmed over my feet, dropped from the branches onto my head, back, shoulders, and arms, then started biting.

I wasn’t the only one, the other three were covered in them as well, and it was a case of brushing them off each other, and still holding the ladder, ropes, while Jack was up the tree cutting branches off.

The other guys seem to be used to them, I was by the end of the day as well, but as I was only wearing board shorts, and a loose muslin top, I was very conscious of any that were making an expedition up my legs. The ants have a sharp sting type bite, more of a nuisance than anything, but I wasn’t game to let them try on any sensitive areas. I’m covered in hundreds of small white spots where they bit, about 1mm in size, no swelling.

The Metroxylon salomonense I posted a pic of earlier, there is one by the lily pond that flowered late last year, and is now dead, which is natural, they grow for about 20 – 50 years, flower once and die. Anyway, when this one falls it will land in the lily pond, and probably damage a few other plants on the way down, so I asked if we could pull it over onto the lawn area with the truck, “Why you want that fala tree?” Mifala want himfala fruit to grow another bigfala palm with” Lot’s of bigfala tri like thatfala, why grow morefala?

I’ve counted 15 Metroxylon so far in the gardens, and there are lots more through the town and surrounding area, but the ones in the gardens are all near flowering over the next few years, and once that happens we won’t have any left. I tried explaining that there are people who would come here just to see a fully grown Metroxylon, to looks of disbelief. I guess if you live here and see them all day everyday, they aren’t all that spectacular. Anyway, we’re pulling it over later in the week, I’ll get my seeds to start new plants with, and the guys seem convinced I’m not quite right in the head. People will come to look at a palm tree?

When you see them here, they are the most spectacular palm, ok, moving on.

I wandered up the river track today, trying to recognise the different trees, on the other side of the river I spotted one I recognised, very distinctive, it wasn’t till I got around the track, climbed down the bank and looked up that I was sure, a mature Agathis macrophylla, related to the New Zealand and Australian Kauri. Beautiful tree, it’s about 20m to the crown, straight bare trunk, and about 7 headers off the crown. Found a younger one further along, still with the side branches, about 5m tall. There’s a tall Eucalyptus deglupta in the open area, reddish streaked trunk where the bark is peeling in strips and a huge assortment of fishtail palms Caryota sp. scattered through the river area.

I’ve counted 8 different coloured Strelitzia so far, from yellow to a deep red, with orange and multicoloured flowers, Mango trees Mangifera indica are everywhere, in the main street, over my house, the fruit drops everywhere, I find at least 4 each night when I get home from work on the ground by the door.

I’ve mentioned the betel nut Areca catechu a few times talking about the betel nut stalls. Until you see people chewing it you tend to think of it as similar to chewing gum, or similar. The footpaths and roads are splattered with what at first you think are bloodstains, then you see a few people that look as though they have had a good solid punch to the mouth, all red stained lips and teeth, gums, tongue. It has a mild narcotic effect, well, that’s what is written about it, I’m not in a hurry to try yet. Steve said it gains you a lot of street cred if you have to go to the outer islands, and you arrive chewing betel nut. I’ve been talking to one of the local sellers at the bottom of my road the past few days, in the mornings and evenings coming home from work, I’ll get a pic of his stall later this week. I’m not an in yer face with a camera tourist, I’ll spend a bit of time with someone first before taking pictures, and if I wait till my cartons finally arrive, I’ll have my printer so I can print him a few copies.

One of my pet peeves is what I call the sock and sandal wearing lentil munching eco save the planet goofballs. I’m trying to help some of the people I worked with in Auckland last year organise a fishing trip here later in the year. The fishing around Honiara is a bit poor, once you see the number of Korean and Japanese fishing boats off Honiara you realise why. Anyway, the best fishing is off the Western Province, Choiseul, Malaita, and with the exception of Savo Island, Gizo, and the resort on Makira, all the accommodation is in eco friendly, no amenities, basic bush hut type accommodation. I don’t know about you, but if I was paying $2,000 a week for a fishing trip, a hot shower, toilets that flush, and a kitchen rate fairly high on my list of basic requirements.

If I ever meet any of the sock and sandal wearing idiots that convinced the Solomon Island Tourism dept that people would be beating down the doors to stay in primitive bush huts and pay over the top for the privilege of catching malaria and drink dodgy water, I’ll make them go stay in the places they foisted on the islands. Which they never do, they can’t afford to for one thing, and they are probably already away on another Aid Agency sponsored trip to somewhere else preaching the sustainability good, progress bad mantra.

Some of the islands have spent over 5 years of income building tourist facilities along eco guidelines, and are now in a worse state than they were before the lentil munchers arrived, and they see the resort islands and **modern** places getting all the tourists.

They have no income from the ventures, you can see and book them through , or you can stay in a good resort with all facilities, and fishing trips, diving, sightseeing organised and at the door, for the same price.

I’m off my soapbox now

Early gecko warning, there’s a small one sitting on the top edge of the laptop screen watching me at the moment

The girls at work think I’m slightly nuts over going on about the geckos, no comments needed in reply thank you very much

I loaded 50 or so hours worth of cds’ onto the laptop before I left Auckland, thank the Lord I did. My radio is still in transit between Auckland and Honiara, I think it is going for a South Seas Cruise, closest date I can get for everything to get here is possibly the end of February, and he didn’t sound all that positive about the possibly.

I got caught at the supermarket tonight, I had $250 in my wallet, and needed a few things, onions, coffee, chillies, toilet rolls. Got to the checkout, and I was $40 short, so there went the coffee at $47.80 a 200gm packet

I’ll have to get used to carrying more, but the Central Markets are rife with pickpockets at the moment. One is in hospital after being chased out of the market and trying to run across Mendana Ave in rush hour traffic. He didn’t make it to the median strip before a mini bus collected him

Pic for today, my corner shop