Exploring on the Explorer. Lautoka, Fiji to Broome, Australia

[highplanesdrifters]

Santa Ana, Solomon Islands

 

There are numerous explanations about who's who in this dance.  We're hoping to learn more from our local Solomon guide.  For now we are going with the explanation below.😃

 

The mud men are supposed to be Polynesians who come to the island take the local women, but are driven away by the Melanesians. There is a definite pecking order among the Pacific peoples, and the Polynesians see themselves as being the top rank. The Melanesians see things differently. 

 

The female part is usually played by younger hip thrusting seductive ladies.  We tourists are not allowed to see that.  Instead we get the grannies. You can hear the local laughter in the background as they see family members in a different light. Quite an interesting dance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Port Power]

Your videos have been so interesting.  They work on my iPad.  I am keen to take some of the Coral Expeditions’ expedition cruises, but Fiji and Solomon Islands aren’t on itineraries so far.  Silversea has done you proud. What wonderful experiences you are having.

[5waldos]

Question about the dancers- are they painted? Hard to believe that there are two sets of colors that different. And the dark colors and light colors are all but identical within the group. 

 

Thanks for posting these- they are great. As far as the snorkeling- is it possibly spawning season? The water seems like the vaguely murky water I remember from when the coral was spawning. Answered my own question- unless climate change has really messed up the annual cycle, spawning is usually in November. 

 

Interesting about the old ladies in the dancing. In some of the islands it is common for older men and women to still be quite seductive. In Palau, the parades often feature two trucks- the older men in one, and the ladies in the other. And they can bump and grind with the best of them! All to very raucous laughter and jeering. A great time is always had by all. 

Edited May 2, 2023 by 5waldos

[highplanesdrifters]

6 hours ago, 5waldos said:

Question about the dancers- are they painted? Hard to believe that there are two sets of colors that different. And the dark colors and light colors are all but identical within the group. 

 

Thanks for posting these- they are great. As far as the snorkeling- is it possibly spawning season? The water seems like the vaguely murky water I remember from when the coral was spawning. Answered my own question- unless climate change has really messed up the annual cycle, spawning is usually in November. 

 

Interesting about the old ladies in the dancing. In some of the islands it is common for older men and women to still be quite seductive. In Palau, the parades often feature two trucks- the older men in one, and the ladies in the other. And they can bump and grind with the best of them! All to very raucous laughter and jeering. A great time is always had by all. 

The less than ideal snorkeling is a combo of: not the most interesting Reef, a bit of garbage, not a lot of fish, and some damage.

 

The dancers are painted.

 The orange/red with mud and the dark with charcoal. Still trying to find out what the pointy white hats are all about. 

 

Nice to hear the dances are universally entertaining.  One always worries about a canned tourist preformance.  Amazing how we slip in so easily and become part of the tribe. Their daily lives are interrupted by a little merry making and trade. We are much richer for it. 

[highplanesdrifters]

NEXT UP

 

Mibli Island, Soloman Islands

 

A very remote island not often visited. We have high hopes for the snorkeling in Marovo Lagoon. It is the largest saltwater Lagoon in the world, surrounded by extinct volcanic islands.  It is noted for its high bio diversity. We are said to be getting a welcome reception and then off to a snorkeling platform. 

 

The ship will be positioned where the cloud is in the center.  I think the island was made by aliens.

 

 

Love me some maps. Sorry about the creases. Mbili is located near #30.

 

We forget about the vast distances between islands.

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

6 hours ago, Port Power said:

Your videos have been so interesting.  They work on my iPad.  I am keen to take some of the Coral Expeditions’ expedition cruises, but Fiji and Solomon Islands aren’t on itineraries so far.  Silversea has done you proud. What wonderful experiences you are having.

Thanks @Port Power just getting her warmed up for you! Sea day tomorrow.  Will write more about the fantastic job Silversea are doing.

[drron29]

The dancers are genuine. In late 1969 I took a trip to PNG and the Solomon Islands after finishing my final medical exams. I got a trip on the medical boat around many of the Islands. At most I was the first "tourist" for the year. Auki was then the second largest European settlement in the Solomons and I spent Christmas there as the third tourist of the year. At many of the settlements as a guest dances etc were put on. Going back in the 80s and on the Explorer about 6 years ago the dances were the same as I saw in 1969.

One explanation I had was the pointed "hats"were part of the ceremonial masks made by men to encourage the spirits of the recently deceased to leave the village with the masks pointing the way.

[highplanesdrifters]

1 hour ago, drron29 said:

The dancers are genuine. In late 1969 I took a trip to PNG and the Solomon Islands after finishing my final medical exams. I got a trip on the medical boat around many of the Islands. At most I was the first "tourist" for the year. Auki was then the second largest European settlement in the Solomons and I spent Christmas there as the third tourist of the year. At many of the settlements as a guest dances etc were put on. Going back in the 80s and on the Explorer about 6 years ago the dances were the same as I saw in 1969.

One explanation I had was the pointed "hats"were part of the ceremonial masks made by men to encourage the spirits of the recently deceased to leave the village with the masks pointing the way.

Must have been an amazing experience.  Thanks for sharing.  Maybe I need a pointy hat.😃

[kej1]

Thank you for your posts!  We are doing a Seabourn trip on one of their new expedition ships from Papeete  to Guam for 30 days.  Visiting some of the places you are going!  It’s a year away but getting excited and love reading about your travels! 

[highplanesdrifters]

13 hours ago, kej1 said:

Thank you for your posts!  We are doing a Seabourn trip on one of their new expedition ships from Papeete  to Guam for 30 days.  Visiting some of the places you are going!  It’s a year away but getting excited and love reading about your travels! 

Exciting!  You will love the Venture or Pursuit.  We have booked the 40 day Guam to Valparaiso for September 2024.  After the first week on this itinerary I'm still excited to do more on this trip and next year.

[highplanesdrifters]

Mbili Island, Soloman Islands 

 

A few pics from our snorkel.  A very long shelf with a dramatic wall.

 

 

 

 

 

Can never get enough of the blue stars.

[highplanesdrifters]

MBILI ISLAND 

[TLCOhio]

43 minutes ago, highplanesdrifters said:

 

 

Love the underwater, coral reef, etc., pictures and video.  Keep it coming!!  Which waterproof camera are you using?  Like it?  Work well?

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

[kej1]

Love those photos!  Looks like terrific snorkling there!

[highplanesdrifters]

4 hours ago, TLCOhio said:

 

Love the underwater, coral reef, etc., pictures and video.  Keep it coming!!  Which waterproof camera are you using?  Like it?  Work well?

 

THANKS!  Enjoy!  Terry in Ohio

Thanks much Terry. Just upgraded to a Go Pro 9 black, and really like it.  I had been using a GP 7 which I found at the bottom of the ocean in Turks.😃  This one is so much better. Larger screen so I can actually see what mode I'm in. Longer battery life, big plus. Didn't feel like I needed the higher models as my career as a millennial streaming influencer never really took off. 🤣

 

Edited May 4, 2023 by highplanesdrifters

[highplanesdrifters]

Mbili, Solomon Islands

 

A very warm and heart felt welcome from the beautiful tribe. The schoolchildren greeted us with leis and the carvers were out in full force.  My oh my these are next level carvers. The area was lined with at least 30 carvers showing their goods. We strolled around before the dances. Now that we've broken the purchase seal it's all in. Oh lordy, what are we thinking, we never buy stuff like this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Demonstration

 

 

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

Mbili Island

A good bit of fun.

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

Mbili Island

Sound on so you can hear the chorus of laughter from the schoolchildren next to us.  Silversea donated kayaks to the school to aide the children in their fish counts. I also saw a dozen 50# bags of rice being unloaded. The ship Nurse was doing wellness checks.  So much goes on behind the scenes.

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

UP  NEXT

Njari, Solomon Islands

 

Njari is a small island almost entirely covered in trees with just a small sand spit at its eastern end. A labyrinth of reefs and coral heads make an approach quite difficult. Recently a small wooden jetty has been built on the southern side. The small beaches invite one to relax but swimming from the beach is almost impossible as the corals are too close. To enjoy the underwater world one has to enter the water from Zodiac snorkel platforms a short distance from the shore where an amazing array of fish and coral will be visible. Two hundred and seventy nine different fish species have been seen during a single dive the fourth-highest fish count ever recorded. An indication of why this island is considered a top spot for snorkeling in the Solomon Islands.

[highplanesdrifters]

Njari, Solomon Islands

 

Another nice snorkel. Top spot? Hmmmm. Nonetheless, very pleasant.  The Coral surrounds the island and we were given plenty of room to stretch out. Easy to avoid the noodle brigade which seems to snorkel in a pack as if the noodles are linked with invisible noodles.  Many folks walked around the island on a nature walk. I understand they heard a parrot. Some people even saw it. Lovie was almost trampled in a rush to photograph it.  After our snorkel we walked around the island.  We were alone most of the time.  Another perfect day on a perfect little island.

 

 

 

The welcome committee.  He did not dance or sing. Nor did he carve anything.

 

 

 

 

Cheese Ball Coral - you can tell I missed breakfast.

 

 

Let me know when you tire of the blue stars.

 

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

Njari, Solomon Islands

A little shaky, sorry. 

 

[drron29]

What we did on our Explorer cruise through the islands was buy a carving and give it to a crew member. Usually it was well received.

 I know from my previous experiences especially in the Solomons that the money made from the carvings made a big difference to the villagers.

[highplanesdrifters]

33 minutes ago, drron29 said:

What we did on our Explorer cruise through the islands was buy a carving and give it to a crew member. Usually it was well received.

 I know from my previous experiences especially in the Solomons that the money made from the carvings made a big difference to the villagers.

Thanks. It eases the retail therapy guilt.😃  At the recap we were asked who bought carvings.  Almost every hand went up.   Many of the better pieces went for $100 plus. Big cash infusion. Certainly carvings would have another zero back in the states.   Spreading the love.

[WesW]

highplanesdrifter; you're so right the Silversea Expedition ships give back to the local islanders in many ports they visit. Last month on the Silver Cloud off Assumption island (Seychelles) caught these two photos of our AB's (Able Seamen--who do heroic work in rough sea conditions, getting all guests in/out of the Zodiacs pre and post wet landings) trading with the local islanders in their canoes.  I observed the AB's trading shoes from Silversea crewmembers, for a wooden sailing replica of the Silver Cloud (first snap).  Second snap is a picture of Bernand the Silver Cloud's Joiner holding his new prize the carved Silver Cloud

[highplanesdrifters]

7 hours ago, WesW said:

highplanesdrifter; you're so right the Silversea Expedition ships give back to the local islanders in many ports they visit. Last month on the Silver Cloud off Assumption island (Seychelles) caught these two photos of our AB's (Able Seamen--who do heroic work in rough sea conditions, getting all guests in/out of the Zodiacs pre and post wet landings) trading with the local islanders in their canoes.  I observed the AB's trading shoes from Silversea crewmembers, for a wooden sailing replica of the Silver Cloud (first snap).  Second snap is a picture of Bernand the Silver Cloud's Joiner holding his new prize the carved Silver Cloud

Wow Wes, what a cool story. And what a keepsake that carved boat would be.  I'm sorry to see Explorer go. The ship has a very low key, less corporate vibe.