Trip to Malaita

   

On Tuesday, June 12 we took 2 cases of megaphones and boarded a boat headed for the island of Malaita. It was supposed to be a four-hour trip, but actually took 6 hours because the boat broke down half-way out in the ocean. We saw some gorgeous sights along the way and we were grateful for a calm sea.

The Barefood Captain

Leaving Honiara, we watched boats unloading bags of coconuts at the harbor. 

Looking back at Honiara from Iron Bottom Sound. Wonder what it looks like down there with all the sunken ships. On the left is the airfield and bloody ridge where famous land battles were fought during the war.

 

On the other side of the bay is Tulagi, our first stop. It took us about an hour to get there. The scenery was unbelievable.

This is what we saw as we approached the harbor of Tulagi. Can you imagine what it must be like to live here? Little barefoot boys came running down the road to meet the boat.

Tulagi used to be the capital of the Solomon Islands until the Japanese invaded. Then everybody fled. This is the harbor where we made a short stop before continuing on our journey.

   

Next, we headed up a wide river through the island. We were only gone a short time when the engine stopped and the captain told us something was wrong with the boat and we could expect help in about an hour. We waited. It was hot. We were happy we brought peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in our bag. They sure tasted good. This guy took a little nap while we waited. 

In about an hour a repair boat arrived, fixed us up and we were on our way again.

Next stop: a small village to let off a couple of passengers. The boat pulled right up on the beach and the people used the ladder to get off. The people from the village were waiting and the children were playing and swimming in the clear water. We really wanted to jump in, too. It looked so refreshing.

Finally after a 6-hour boat trip (that should have been 4), we arrived in Auki on the island of Malaita. We were met at the dock by some medical workers who had been notified that we were coming with megaphones.

We had arranged to rent a truck and drive to the village of Faubu ourselves.  However, the man who rents the truck told us he would rather drive us because the fan belt was weak and the tires were not reliable.  It was an extra charge to have him drive, but we were glad to let him do it after he explained the condition of the truck.  This is Nathan, a local church leader, James the driver and Peter Ramu, a counselor in the district presidency who went with us.

The Kilu'ufi Hospital is on the outskirts of Auki.  We stopped here to meet the Administrator and formally donate the 5 megaphones they picked up at the dock.

 We fueled up at the local gas station.  Two liters of gas poured through a funnel.  Total cost:  $27.   And we thought gas was expensive at home.

The road to Faubu

Fuabu is about 29 kilometers from Auki on a pretty bad road.  We were glad we had a driver who could fix the truck if we broke down, but we didn't.  The scenery was absolutely breathtaking. 

People really do live out here in the jungle--including these two little "jay-birds."  It was really hot, and we don't blame them for running around naked.

A little over an hour later we arrived at the clinic in Faubu.  This last year the clinic was remodeled as a humanitarian project by the Church.  The administrator there is Father Michael, an Anglican minister/medical nurse.

Unloading megaphones in Faubu

Father Michael really liked the megaphones we gave him.  We heard later that they were very useful to the teams that went out into the villages.

There's a small branch of the church in Fuabu, about 35 members and 50-60 people attend the meetings.  They meet in a bush chapel, which is very near the clinic.  Some time ago someone burned it down, but the missionaries were able to build it back in 3 days.

This is where the full-time missionaries live.  Today they transferred both of the missionaries to Papua New Guinnea and they left on the same boat we came over on.  We don't know when they will get new ones.

We were glad to have a nice air-conditioned hotel to stay in back in Auki.  Ahhhhh.

The next day we returned to Honiara.