22 Oct 2017

Unique Experience to Local Village Seldom Visited

Day 2: San Jorge

A misty sea fog greeted us as we woke this morning, but that was soon burned off by the bright hot sun.  It was with much anticipation that we prepared for our first real zodiac excursion of the voyage.  Our birding group had left well before us, rewarded with sightings of north Melanesian cuckoo shrike, Solomon’s cuckoo shrike and Solomon’s cockatoo.

A smooth 2.4 nautical mile ride saw us land at Talise Village, a lovely small community in the heart of the province.
Some of us took a short walk to see the buildings and houses while others stayed behind and played with the local children, painting their fingernails, and another passengers entertaining them with his magic tricks.  Back to ship for a quick lunch before it was time to cool off with some snorkelling on a secluded beach at Utuha Island.

Later we were entertained by a group of women, men and children giving the most passionate and energetic performance.  Their voices raised the roof and we were privileged to be part of this special experience.  We were the first foreigners to visit the village in two years!

Back onboard, Courtney gave a presentation of the types of fish and sea creatures we are likely to see in this part of the world.  Before dinner Nathan and Suzanne gave us a recap of what we had seen today and what we can expect the following day.  During the recap, Suzanne explained how culturally different each of the islands are, so we are interested to see what tomorrow will bring!

Written by Kris Madden