Visitor FS0401 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
female |
| Profession/occupation? |
medical student |
| Home country? |
Switzerland |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
talking to a previous visitor |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
May 2004 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
no, even though my return flight was scheduled beyond the
standard 3-month visa limit |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
we got a very warm welcome from Evon fom the hospital at
the airport |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
everybody was very helpful and it seemed organized |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
Honiara was very dirty |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
the betel nut juice spitting people |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
good food, family and friends |
| What should you have brought
along? |
I had about everything I needed |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
took Lariam once a week, repellent and mosquito net |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Other places/provinces where
you stayed? |
spent seven weeks in Gizo (Western Province) doing the
divemaster course |
| Where did you stay? |
Kiwi-House and Phoebe's resthouse |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
8 weeks in Honiara, 7 weeks in Gizo |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
SBD 55 / night at Phoebe's |
| Where did you usually eat? |
home, eating out on some evenings |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
SBD 30 / day |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
coconut, bush lime, lobster, mudcrab, pineapples |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
all the funny looking vegetables which you cannot
possibly eat |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
walk |
| Where did you work? |
NRH, Gynecology and Obstetrics |
| What was your occupation? |
medical student |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
8am - approx. 3pm, Monday - Friday |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
short consultations with patients (You have cancer, go
home and die.) |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
reading, having fun in the Kiwi-House, sightseeing and
diving on weekends |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
September 2004 |
| How long was your stay? |
17 weeks |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
just about right |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
no worries |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
go diving in Tulaghi and the Western Province |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
the ocean |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
the food! |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
yes |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
CHF 7,000 (diving and visiting Uepi Island wasn't
cheap) |
| Additional comments? |
Go and visit other places outside Honiara, although it is
not always easy. Go diving, Solomon Islands belong to the
worlds best diving places, spend the money, it is absolutely
worth it. If you have the chance, go to Uepi Island and
Tulaghi (cheaper), both are awesome. |
