Munda is a picturesque town with a small water front market, and restaurant/bar and a number of Chinese shops selling the basics ie some diary, dry goods, and frozen meat. Noro is a bus ride away so it can be an alternative anchorage when clearing out or updating visas etc. As with all the major towns, we had good internet. In fact, we had internet reception through Digicel almost everywhere we visited in the Solomons.
A lazy afternoon
Munda is a well known dive site but we were planning on being in Vanuatu in late May and so only stayed a couple of days. On one of the days we were there RAMSI brought in a huge crocodile that had been shot just north of Munda. The ban on firearms since the armistice following the 2003 riots has led to an increase in the crocodile population and in the past year there have been several attacks and a couple of deaths. Dogs and pigs are the most common victims.
Just for info, RAMSI stands for Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (or Operation Helpem Fren). It was formed in response to the riots in 2003 and was a cooperative effort between government, the people, and 15 regional countries, with Australia leading the mission. It has been enormously successful in bringing stability back to the Solomons and without exception everyone we talked to held RAMSI in high regard. The mission was completed last month and policing handed over to the Solomon police force. There is some anxiety over whether the absence of RAMSI will see the recurrence of tensions.
Our only other activity besides birthdaying was to wander through the town. We watched some rugby and visited a backyard war relic museum. The owner is an avid fossicker and has an impressive knowledge of the battles and occupation during WWII.
The undergrowth is filled with war relics of very size and shape.