You'll remember that I have been talking about a trip I won to the Solomon Islands. Well, I've been there, done that and loved it!
Excerpts from my travel diary:
"Delayed in Brisbane by a faulty toilet, missing my connection to Seghe (and so the boat to Uepi Island) and now in Honiara which is not the most ideal of starts to what should be a dream holiday. I had hoped to be enjoying a beer by the beach instead of watching rain falling from the gutters with more water pressure than the hotel's showers...
...After last night's uneventfulness, watching "Ever After" in my hotel room, the markets in Honiara this morning were a welcome break. And catching the local bus was quite the adventure. Not sure that this is recommended but hey, ignorance is bliss!
Even the long delay (again) at the airport was preferable to the monotony of the hotel. At least there is a feeling of progress and anticipation at the airport. The flight across to Seghe has been definitely worth the wait. Mostly clear skies with the few clouds about casting shadows on the cerulean waters below. A flight like this in yesterday's rain would have been terrifying, with little visibility and only the clouds for company. There is an upside to everything! 
...OMFG. What a dive! Tropical temperatures, beautiful blue sea with visibility for 30m or more. Dili, my dive master was very good with me, holding my hand pretty much the whole time which was comforting when there were sharks nearby but it also kept me at the right depth because I didn't have enough weight! ...The dive today at Landoro Garden was aptly named as it is a veritable garden: coral, sponges and other 'plants' being tended to by little angel and butterflyfish, that buzzed around like bees while the parrotfish paraded and other fish grazed. The bombies have life everywhere and the fan coral shaded its inhabitants like ferns. The first rule of scuba diving is always breathe! Hard to do when what you are seeing is absolutely breath-taking. It's like being in your own documentary - the movement, the colours, the sights...
... Bliss is napping in the hammock on the deck of my guesthouse, looking out through palm trees to crystal clear water, enjoying a good book and being happily interupted by the neighbours wandering past...
...I think I have found my happy place. In fact, I know I have. Travelling solo in the Solomons has been the highlight of my travels to date. Everyday has brought a new experience, a new sensory sensation and visual delight. It's absolutely magic.
*The best things in life are free but there really is no such thing as a free lunch!
The holiday I won wasn't totally cost-free and I ended up spending a bit more than originally anticipated in preparation for the trip away. But certainly not as much as if I had had to pay for my own flights, food and accommodation (which were the free bits.... )
The BUYS and the WHYS:
During Holiday:
$10.40 – train ticket to airport
$114.09 – exchanging SBD$600 which included $10 commission and a shit rate – I could have got better at the hotel in Honiara.
- now I spent this on food at the airport on the way, some grog at the hotel in Honiara (cos the airline was only paying for soft drink), donating to the Uepi Island staff X-mas party (in lieu of tips) and still managed to come home with about SBD$110!
SBD$1523 – A visit to the local village where a lot of the staff come from, my bar tab and 4 dives – bargain at around AUD$215!!
$47.19 – bottle of Glen Fiddich for my dive instructor!
$6.35 - Hungary Jacks at the airport. I switched onto an earlier flight and there was a warning on the screen and also on my boarding pass saying refreshments weren’t guaranteed. So i ate. In the end there was food but opted for a liquid refreshment and some biscuits and cheese.
Subtotal = $393.03 (within my original budget and estimated expenses!)
Before holiday:
During Holiday:
$10.40 – train ticket to airport
$114.09 – exchanging SBD$600 which included $10 commission and a shit rate – I could have got better at the hotel in Honiara.
- now I spent this on food at the airport on the way, some grog at the hotel in Honiara (cos the airline was only paying for soft drink), donating to the Uepi Island staff X-mas party (in lieu of tips) and still managed to come home with about SBD$110!
SBD$1523 – A visit to the local village where a lot of the staff come from, my bar tab and 4 dives – bargain at around AUD$215!!
$47.19 – bottle of Glen Fiddich for my dive instructor!
$6.35 - Hungary Jacks at the airport. I switched onto an earlier flight and there was a warning on the screen and also on my boarding pass saying refreshments weren’t guaranteed. So i ate. In the end there was food but opted for a liquid refreshment and some biscuits and cheese.
Subtotal = $393.03 (within my original budget and estimated expenses!)
Before holiday:
$314 - flight taxes (paid back in July)
$150 - dive medical, to ensure I pose no greater risk than average underwater! (paid in July)
$150 - for access to PADI coursework online
$200 - for practical side to my PADI diving course: one night in a heated pool and then two mornings of diving in 17.5 degree water!!$135 - snorkel and mask, cos it's always better to have your own so you're comfortable and they fit well.
$25 - My PADI dive card, which is usually free but I decided to contribute to Project Aware to help protect our amazing underwater world by ordering one with a turtle on it!
$59.99 - Long-sleeved rash vest for diving
$59.95 - my black dress which was a winner because I wore it pretty much every day. It was sooo comfortable (paid in early Sept)$39.95 - my foldable hat (paid in early Sept)
$5.99 - Saline nasal spray, cos flying dries me out!$29 - MicroSD 2GB memory card, so I could take the underwater photos above with the camera my drive instructor gave me!
$148.66 – for bug spray that attracted the mosquitos, a dead arm thanks to me tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough shot, malaria tabs and a doctor consult
$31.46– 100mL plastic bottles, toothbrush cover and SPF 15+ moisturising cream and other toiletries
$148.66 – for bug spray that attracted the mosquitos, a dead arm thanks to me tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough shot, malaria tabs and a doctor consult
$31.46– 100mL plastic bottles, toothbrush cover and SPF 15+ moisturising cream and other toiletries
$12.99 - for Travacalm tablets
$35.18 - new bras
$82.50 - 4 months worth of the Pill (otherwise I would have run out before I went away!)
Subtotal = $1479.67 (hadn't really factored these expenses except the airline taxes into the budget at all...)
Grand Total: $1872.70
Steff's Action Plan:
4. Spend 5 nights in the Solomon Islands putting my new diving skills to the test between 24 - 29 September. DONE!
A MASSIVE THANK YOU
to
for providing such an amazing prize and organising such a magical holiday.
I will never forget it.
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