Liapari Island Solomon's

Hello All,
The last few days I have been preparing to take the boat to an Island 14 miles north west of here. I am told it's a very protected anchorage and is owned by a guy that is originally from New Zealand. I met him and his wife here at the yacht club last week and they are very nice people. She is from the Solomon's and he has been here for many years.

I met a cruising couple from Australia last week also and they have been so nice and they know the owner of the Island. Noel is his name and we plan to go over there together for Christmas, hopefully tomorrow weather permitting. There are a few other yachts over there anchored so I will have lots of company for Christmas. The owner, Noel, has a boat refitting facility there and the Island is suppose to be an amazing place. I am in good company here with the people I have met so I will have a good holiday. I do miss my family and I hope they all have a great holiday also.
This will mark the first time in my life that I have spent time away for the holidays, but as someone said there is always a first time for everything. I have been keeping in touch with my family and I hope they understand. I will be home to see everyone in 8 months so not to long to wait. When I get over to Liapari Island I will let you know what it's like.

Gizo has been a little weird for me, it is a town but it has no good drinking water. I have been catching mine in a tarp, with the rain, the Internet has been hit and miss and expensive, there is no grocery store, only these tiny Chinese shops that sell eggs and if your lucky bread. PT 109, where I am anchored and 2 other places have establishments where you can buy a meal to eat. It is definatly not a tourist destination. All of that being said they have the basics, milk, rice, pasta, meats and bettle nut. That is a nut that the Solomon's treat like chewing tobacco. It is grown locally but you chew the nut like we would candy. You spit and it looks like blood on the ground, red in color and almost everyone I have met here has red teeth. Its kind of gross, I don't know what it tastes like but they must like it.

If you sense a bit of home sickness and feeling a little out of place with no cold and no snow you are correct. They do have there Christmas music playing in the shops and the trees and the tinsel up but without snow it's just out of place for me. This will be a Christmas remembered for me and I am looking forward to hanging out with my new friends for the holidays on Liapari Island.

Also I have 2 crew members showing up the second week of January. One is from New Zealand to help me to Guam and the other is from Denmark to get me to Japan so I'm very happy about that and I have been corresponding with help from Japan to home but we will discuss that when it happens. I will let you know when I get to the other Island just to fill you in on what I have been up to.
Talk to you soon.

PEACE