The Native Iowan

I have not “lived’ in the Solomon Islands for 15 years. Since 2019 I have only returned, now, twice. This is my first intentional “business trip” in way, way too long. The business I founded in 1987 is still strong.

The Solomons in general is “very run down”.

Main thing here in the Solos is the fact that “maintenance” is a new thing, a new concept, a new and slightly foreign idea. Ive always stated that the main past times here in these Hapi Isles (besides making gorgeous babies)is fighting over land and rebuilding/ repairing leaf roofs.

Traditionally houses were 100% “bush materials”. I have built a few very nice, very well built leaf houses. I intentionally built one without any nails or metal fasteners. I had my father in-law teach me the ol-skool methods and materials. I did put a wood plank floor in that house but the walls, roof, structure were 100% ol-skool. That house lasted about 10 years.

The bush material houses are cool in that they simply return to nature. As the leaf rots, as the structure degrades and the bush-rope fastenings fail, it becomes a pile of compost.

Very cool in my mind.

Not the same with modern, western building methods. Most of Honiara looks like it needs a coat of paint.

Honiara is a dust bowl. Roads suck. Traffic sucks. An old line… in the Solos you won’t find a wrecking yard. Nope, no field of tired old vehicles being cannibalised. Instead of a wrecking yard, here was have a taxi fleet.

Most (not all) taxis are are on their last legs. Most (not all) taxis have been on their last legs for a long time. Their suspension is dead. They run metal on metal, every bump, pot hole, depression and crater (there are many) sends a pailful shudder thought the entire frame. Thus the taxis move down the road at a crawl. Holes and craters are approached tentatively, gently, very slowly.

Traffic in general moves at a snail’s pace.

Much, much has changed in my absence. The big, big change here has been the advent of CCPP hegemony. I have written about this. Watched it over the past many years.

2025 v9. Losing the Pacific Diplomacy Race

Was just talking about this yesterday with my son… He was recounting a story of a friend of his, a peer that is now a Minister of The Crown. Like my son, he and his peers are now becoming leaders. Leaders of industry, leaders of society. As my generation starts to limp, enjoys early bed times and ceases all meaningful carousing, the next generation steps up and steps in.

The Minister was talking to a visiting group of Australian big wigs… The Aussie PM, Albo, Ms Wong and.a few came over a few months ago, cheque books ready… The young Minister spoke to them saying… “When I visit China I am treated with respect. I am treated as a dignitary. Like you Australians, when you arrived in Honiara… You were met and greeted formally. Escorted off your plane, seamlessly welcomed into the country.” The Minister continues… “When I enter Australia, I stand in line with everyone else. I am not made to feel important. I am not made to feel welcomed… Whom do you think I prefer to do business with?”

Speaking to my son… The Chinese are colonisers, emigrants, investors. The Chinese are buying up big. They move their families here. They send their kids to local schools, become (more or less) a part of the society.

Australia has (as I have written) lost the diplomatic war over Pacific influence.

It has been a long time since folks like myself decided to emigrate to the Solomons. To make the conscious decision to make the Solomons their home.

For over 40 years Ive been discussing the difference between the Eastern vision of growth and development, versus the Western vision of growth and development.

The West requires straight, grid-like roads. Preferably running east/ west, north/ south. the West requires building codes and regulations. Planned sewer systems, garbage collection, dog catchers, and general compliance to standards of living.

The East requires little that is straight, grid-like or uniform. Circuitous roads, built as per need, as per available income, as per the weather of the day… Little or no building codes and regulations. And if there are reeks and regs, bribes are paid, codes forgotten.

Planned sewer systems, garbage collection, dog catchers, and general compliance to standards of living is unheard of.

I grew up in a smallish MidWest river-town. Streets were numbered. Ran N/S/E/W. Lawns were expansive and well maintained. If you failed to mow your lawn the “City” would come talk to you.

I am familiar with the western mindset of what society is. It’s what I know. It makes me feel comfortable.

And… from my many trips into the “Orient” I have learned to appreciate the eastern mindset.

I think of one trip to Taipei…

I was in Taiwan doing high level business. I am meeting with government officials, dealing with a State owned company. I am staying at a 5star hotel in the city CBD.

I like to walk city streets. Get a feel for where I am. Go out and find/ feel my way around. Talk to folks. Use my very limited mandarin, maybe visit a local pub. Make a spectacle of myself. Entertain the locals a bit…

I walk out of my fancy hotel in downtown Taipei… take a right and start a journey around the block… I walk a bit, take the first left I come to, down a smaller, more colourful street/ alleyway…

I stop in front of a “garage”… Big rolling garage style door… A space maybe 15ft/ 4mt wide x 30ft/ 10mtr long… The front 10ft/ 3mtrs is a work shop. A high rack of steel pipes and channels (all 20ft/ 6mtrs long) is impressive. A skinny guy, with a skinnier off-sider squatting on the ground holding his work with feet, placing a weld. Behind the rack of steel is the family. They are making tea on a small gas-top. Mama, grandmama, a couple kids… I must have been gawking… They smile at me. Words are spoke, the welder looks up, smiles, comes and says g’day.

My handful of mandarin words are exhausted quickly. But… But… Taiwanese folks speak baseball…My visit had coincided with a World Series… We communicated sufficiently to have a fun chat about the ongoing games. All the kids came out and touched me. The women sat back and smiled. I’m kinda certain that it was rare for a “gweilo” dude to stop for a chat

So there I was, not half a mile/ 500 meters from the entrance to my fancy, high class, expensive hotel standing with a business owner, living with his family in a small workshop, making their way through life with smiles and joy.

Of course, The Western view of things would never allow such. Kids in a work shop, welding without proper safety measure, open fires in the back, on and on…

Honiara has most definitely gone the route of the Eastern Development mindset.

Many conundrums exist in these happy Isles.

It is still good, beautiful confusing place.

More to come…