Friday 16th November.

24 days to go.

In the Solomon Star today there was a full page advertisement by the Opposition group. This is a very good move by them. The PM placed his full page early in the week. There are no papers over the weekend, the Friday edition also has a “weekend magazine” insert. It is kept over the 3 days until the Monday paper comes out.

There are all sorts of reasons listed why the PM should either stand down or recall Parliament for a vote. Amongst them one is that he is now “mentally unstable”. We come to this decision because of his actions over the past week. It is riveting and entertaining reading.

There are claims and counter claims in every edition of the paper and on the television and radio news. “X has rejoined the Government” “No I haven’t says X in exclusive interview” It is unfolding like an episode of TV soapy.

We have a late meeting about one of the things I am helping with. After the meeting it is home and a quick shower and change. Tweety and I then go to a barbeque at the RAMSI headquarters. A nice meal, some drinks and a catch up with the other people who are working here with RAMSI.

More on the Solomons......

The seasons are typically tropical, dry and wet. Temperature does not vary much from 23 deg C minimum to 30 deg C maximum this is accompanied by humidity in the high 80% range.

The national sport of the Solomons is Football. A local team is in the Oceania Champions League and a Solomons teams were the Oceania representatives in the World Beach Football championships held in Brazil over the first 2 weeks of November 2007.

There are several categories of popular vehicles over here. Most people walk. I have only seen about 20 bicycles. Motorbikes are even rarer than bicycles. I think I have seen 4 motorbikes.
The car of choice is a Toyota Corolla station wagon, (estate to the English). If you have a car in the Solomons you have a taxi. There are not many privately owned vehicles here that are not used as a taxi. There are bus services. The vehicle of choice for a bus is a Toyota Hi Ace minibus/people mover. They are all diesel powered. They seat about 10, subtract a driver and conductor, so they seat 8 passengers. I cannot recall seeing one with less than 20 people in it. In the 4 wheel drive stakes the 2 most popular are the Toyota Hi Lux utility vehicle or the Toyota Landcruiser. There are an increasing number of smaller 4WD vehicles such as Toyota RAV 4s.

The speed limit through the town is 40kph, in the suburbs it is 50kph and everywhere else it is 60kph. The Solomon Islanders cannot drive very well. They have very little spatial awareness. They see a piece of open space so they pull into it. I think the belief is if they can fit in the space then everyone else must adjust. They weave all over the road and generally have trouble staying in lanes. You also have to be aware of a vehicle slowing down for no reason or a sudden change of direction. If you see a door open as the vehicle is travelling, do not be concerned, it is just someone spitting out a wad of bright red betel nut. This is the local drug of choice. Any vehicle with a tray, a Hi-Lux or small truck (lorry) is an invitation for as many people as possible to stand on the back. This is the preferred travelling location. It is far better to sit or stand on the back rather than be seated inside the vehicle.