Our first dive trip is a live-a-board boat in Solomon Islands, but first we had 2 uneventful days in Nadi, Fiji and 2 days in Honiara, Solomons to ensure we didn't miss the boat. Airline scheduling here is tricky- flights only happen certain days of the week and the carriers like Fiji Airways or Air Niugini have small fleets so delays in one route can easily ripple out to others.

Solomon Islands is a nation comprising most of the Solomon Islands Archipelago (the rest is part of Papua New Guinea, including the Autonomous Region of Bougainville), plus the Santa Cruz islands close to Vanuatu. Colonized by the British in the late 1800s, they gained independence in 1978.

Americans are most familiar with the area by the island name Guadalcanal where in 1942-43 the Allies won their first major land offensive against Japan. This was a bloody turning point in the war, costing >25,000 lives (mostly Japanese). Guadalcanal is the largest island in the present day Solomon Islands and saw the most fighting, but the conflict was intense on and around other islands as well - including Kolombangara where JFK became a war hero. 

The Solomons are diverse - 900 islands speaking 70+ languages. Local identity often overrides national identity, one contributor to "The Tensions" of the late 90s and early 2000s.  We can't pretend we understand the complex social and political realities here, but some aspects of history are immediately visible to a newcomer.

Japanese Kawaguchi Brigade Memorial in central Honiara

Signs of "The Tensions" and other violence are less visible to the untrained eye of an outsider.

First Impressions - Solomon Islands