Visitor FS0703 
| Visitor |
| Sex? |
female |
| Profession/occupation? |
Medical Student |
| Home country? |
Australia |
| What made you want to go to
Solomon Islands? |
Found the medical elective on a database |
| Did you go alone or in company? |
alone |
| Arriving in Solomon
Islands |
| When did you arrive in Solomon
Islands? |
August 2007 |
| Did you encounter any
bureaucratic difficulties? |
no |
| What was your first impression
after arrival? |
The friendly locals were fantastic & gave me a lift
into town after my transport didn't show up |
| Living in Solomon
Islands |
| What did positively surprise
you? |
The beauty of the outlying islands, the warmth
friendliness of the locals |
| What did negatively surprise
you? |
The relatively high cost of living, the high cost of
Internet and phone calls |
| What took longest to get used
to? |
The unreliability of the water, electricity and Internet
services |
| What did you miss most in
Solomon Islands? |
Good quality food, being able to speak to family
overseas |
| What should you have brought
along? |
More books, iPod Speakers, herbs/spices for cooking |
| What did you do to prevent
malaria? |
Doxycycline, Insect Repellant, Bed nets |
| Place and province where you
spent most of your time? |
Honiara, Honiara-City |
| Other places/provinces where
you stayed? |
Gizo and Munda in the Western Province |
| Where did you stay? |
Guesthouse |
| How long did you stay at each
location? |
6 weeks |
| How much did you pay for
each? |
AUD 20 - 30 |
| Where did you usually eat? |
Self-catered |
| What did you typically pay for
a normal meal? |
AUD 10 |
| What local food/beverage did
you like most? |
Good cheap food at the Yacht Club |
| What local food/beverage did
you like least? |
Non-imported meat - the mince was crunchy! |
| Mobile
phone services |
| If you brought along a mobile
phone, which services did you successfully use? |
- |
| Comments? |
Telstra SIM card didn't work, so purchased a local SIM -
able to make local/international calls but no SMS
available. |
| Money
matters |
Used Commonwealth Bank debit
card to get cash at ATMs
Used VISA credit card to get cash at ATMs |
| Comments? |
Exchange rate and commission cost quite a lot |
| Working in Solomon
Islands |
| How did you usually go to
work? |
walk, by bus |
| Where did you work? |
NRH, Emergency Department |
| What was your occupation? |
Medical Student |
| What were your working days and
hours? |
Flexible, but best to arrive for ward round at 8:30am.
Mostly stayed until 4 or 4:30pm with 1 hour lunch break |
| What was particularly difficult
in regard to your work? |
Making sure patients were not forgotten, locating
patients, fighting for beds so patients could be
admitted |
| Did you feel accepted by the
locals? |
yes |
| What did you usually do in your
spare time after work? |
Went to the Honiara Hotel pool to cool down, dinners out
with other students, excursions to nearby islands |
| Questions
for medical trainees of all levels (students to
registrars) |
| How was the supervision? |
adequate |
| Comments |
I found I was given more and more responsibility the
longer I stayed. Ask for help if you're not sure about
something. |
| How was the teaching? |
adequate |
| Comments |
The Wednesday morning lectures/meetings are well worth
attending |
| Leaving Solomon Islands and
looking back |
| When did you leave Solomon
Islands? |
September 2007 |
| How long was your stay? |
7 weeks |
| How do you judge the length of
your stay? |
too short |
| What did you learn from the
locals? |
"Solomon Time" a relaxed approach to life, an
appreciation of strong community ties |
| Your advice to prospective
visitors? |
This is not for the first-time traveller as the
unreliability of services can be frustrating and
isolating. |
| What did you miss most when
back at home again? |
The spirited, upbeat locals and the laid-back islander
way of life |
| What did you enjoy most when
back at home again? |
Hot showers, good food, airconditioning |
| Would you go back for another
stay? |
Anytime! |
| Estimated total cost of your
stay (including travel costs)? |
AUD 3,500 |
| Additional comments? |
Accommodation/Food/Scuba diving will cost you quite a
lot more than lonely planet suggests so consider
this when budgeting (about AUD$650 for a PADI open water
course), as will trips out of Honiara.
The ferry from Honiara to Gizo takes up to 12 hours and
can be rough, hot and very uncomfortable - if you can
afford it fly!
The Solomon Islands is such a beautiful place and
untouched by mass tourism. The islands outside of Honiara
are a must-see. At first glance Honiara seems dirty and
lacking in charm, however give it a chance as it definitely
grows on you.
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