I witnessed the busy morning commute through the Roma Street busway and malls then caught a flight to the Solomon Islands and immediate re-immersed to developing world conditions. I was surprised to see a wall of people standing on the airport roof waiving to arriving family members, but quickly rushed to beat others to the the buses. Given the Guadalcanal island’s shape, one main road followed the coast, so I simply needed to go the right direction. After checking into the Airbnb and getting a safety update, I was cautiously confident in my safety and headed to the tourist center and Central Plaza (market) to enjoy some coconuts and local food where I saw a pre-sunset rainbow amidst an abandoned shipwreck; the first of multiple ships, aircraft, and war machines I expected to see littering this country, which in some sense has frozen in time since WW2.

Tip:
When flying to a different region, climate or culture, consider the change in weather and social norms then dressed for the conditions in the least safe location. The period in transit when you are carrying everything is your most vulnerable. You do not want to open your bags at any part of the hectic process from boarding to disembarking and walking through airports because you’ll end up repacking poorly and increasing risk of lost gear/items and possibly missing transit connections.

Published by BE

I write about my travel and money experiences. View all posts by BE