FUCKEN SOLOMON AIR....

BUT WE MAKE IT HOME



A few cold ones later and our plane has arrived, things nearly turn sour here also as apparently, they aren’t going to let us on this flight, but luckily John has hung around with us and gives them a few stern words and somehow we are back on it.  We wish him well and thank him for our time together as we step onto the tiny plane bound for Honiara.   Or so we thought!! 

 They actually fly us north and the journey ends up being quite eventful, we have been told we will need to switch planes somewhere but as usual here, we are really in the dark still.  We have another heart pumping landing on a small island airstrip and get off the plane as we are told ‘ya ya, this your stop’.  

 It isn’t and is only through sheer luck that we manage to get back on the plane in time, as these things don’t waste time and are quickly turned around and taking off again.  Fucking Solomon Air….

One more hair raising landing see us get off at some idyllic little island and we are told we have a 2 hour stop here before our next plane arrives to take us back to Honiara, I  never thought I would actually be so keen to get back to that bloody joint!  I think we are in Gizo and with time to kill we go exploring, with some help from 1 local from our plane who spoke a little English, we catch a local ferry across to the mainland which has a small 'city'.  We figure, what the hell, may as well go find a cold Johnny. 

We do and also a pretty tasty little hamburger, both of which are enjoyed from an upstairs balcony looking out over the ocean, once again things are not so bad.   We actually decide it has been awesome missing the first plane and getting to see more of the Solomon’s and make a pact not to tell Stenty what he missed out on.  We actually stick to it for a while but eventually cave in and tell him what a great time we had that day!

Our mate who had helped us get over here finds us and it is time to head back across on the ferry.  Whilst waiting, we watch a couple of big Trevally smash schools of bait right at the pier where the ferry docks not more than 2 meters from a main road! 

 We make it just in time and once again it appears we are no certainty for this flight, there are way more people here than seats on that plane, but we are pro’s now and just elbow our way to the front and get on. 

 This flight finally takes us back to Honiara and eventually we are back at the same hotel and head up to our room.  Stenty is nowhere to be found, but there are no prizes in this competition, we just look at each other, laugh and say ‘He’ll be at the bar’!! and sure enough…     Aaahh, What the hell,  we’ve all earned one!

One last night ‘that we’ll never get back’ and we are on a plane back to Brisbane where we overnight and the boys have a much longed for steak, there has been no red meat on our trip, though I find I haven’t really missed it.  A couple of whiskey's and a few stories and we call it a night, with thoughts of the journey back to Perth and then up to our home town. 

 It will be hard going back to reality after being so far from it for so long, the dream of living on a tropical island quenched for the moment!