All In a Holiday

It was good to finally get a full 8 weeks spell back to my island home of Samarai after having been in and out usually 2 weeks at most the past two years.

The island had been experiencing heavy down pours for more than usual months that everyone on the island including the surounding islands were very frustrated.

I suppose the more frustrated ones were the mothers as most of their washing took longer to dry out and even if it did it had that wet feeling with it.......others couldn't bring in the garden kaikai to the market and fishermen were unable to get out to sea as much as they would have wanted to.

For the island itself - it was really and truly soaking wet; as wet as I had never seeing it before - so much water everywhere it flooded places that never experienced flooding.

Couple pics here to show the flooding:

The Catholic Catechist house - Paul Titus

The Arada's Family block

Samarai Oval Looking towards old Kinanale Guest House - (Dart Street)

Samarai Oval looking towards Area Manager's house

Grade 3 & 4 Classrooms flooded (School BOM Chairman Tom Togisi. on the left and Cyprian Kaisa, School PNC Chairman on the right)

Inside of Grade 4 classroom flooded

My first 4 weeks was in the rain as well and yes I was just getting to that point when sun started poking its face out and shined on the island so the next 4 weeks was good for me, plenty of sunshine, plenty of beaches, plenty of blue sea.

And I could go cruising on my prized racer bike.

On a positive note there have been some developments on the island - the government wharf with its surrounding sea walls has undergone major repairs and it is good see some improvements to the public amenities. Some pics here of the wharf:

We now have Digicel network on the island too, with the Digicel tower been erected on the mountain slope at Sariba just above Dagadaga and Sidudu Community School. So if you are out fishing, on Doini Island (I dont know if Ware Island can get the signal), Dekadeka, Gonubalala or anywhere on Samarai Island you can talk to the world. Only if the contractor that is supposed to refuel the gennies that powers the transmitter forgets to refuel or is late then the network blacks-out - which is becoming the usual already.

So I can do phone interviews whilst having a picnic:

I had a grand 4 remaining weeks on the island mostly just laying back and taking it slow before having come back to work.

Will be posting my adventerous long walk crossing the Gulf Province into the Western Province next including photos.