Pacific Casino Hotel Honiara

... your suturing skills.") zunaehen!
Am Mittag erfuhr ich dann, dass wir noch ein "knee wash-wash" (Spuelung des Kniegelenks) durchzufuehren haetten. Alex eroeffnete die Gelenkskapsel in Lokalanaesthesie und ohne Mundschutz und versuchte, den ueberraschenderweise nicht vorhandenen Erguss auszupressen. Leicht enttaeuscht ueber seine "Fehldiagnose" stand er auf und sagte beim Verlassen des "Minor OR": "Ok, close the capsule with two stitches and then ...

Heute war ein guter Tag. Ein guter, langer orthopädischer Operationstag. Jedoch gilt meistens die Faustregel: Je besser der Tag für die Medizinstudenten, desto schlechter für den Patienten.

So glich der Operationssaal heute zeitweise mehr einem Schlachthaus oder einer Werkstatt als dem Arbeitsplatz eines Chirurgen. Einem Patienten konnte die Osteosyntheseplatte nicht entfernt werden, da sie zu lange im Koerper belassen wurde. Um die Knochenmasse, die ...

Seit zwei Wochen schon bin ich nun in Honiara. Es wird wohl langsam Zeit, dass ich ueber den Spitalalltag berichte.

Das National Referral Hospital in Honiara ist, wie der Name schon vermuten laesst, das Zentrumsspital der Salomonen Inseln. Die Patienten kommen entweder direkt aus Honiara oder - haeufiger - werden von Kliniken in den verschiedenen Provinzen zugewiesen, wenn diese nicht ueber geeignete Mittel zur Versorgung der jeweiligen Leiden verfuegen ...

Als uns letzte Woche kurz nach unserer Ankunft in Honiara eine Tsunamiwarnung erreichte, suchten wir mit einer Mischung aus einerseits mulmigem Gefuehl und andernseits der den Nichtozeananrainern wohl eigene Gewissheit, dass sowieso nichts passieren werde, "high grounds" auf, wie uns dies von der warnenden British High Comission (BHC) telefonisch empfohlen wurde: Voll bepackt mit fast dem gesamten Gepaeck hasteten wir ins Taxi, welches uns in das auf einem kleinen Huegel ...

... of hours before Eddie said that we must go to bed - fair enough - he had to go to Uni and study for a test and Tukai had to work. I also had to be ready by 8:00am to meet the Personal Secretary to the Minister of Education. I couldn't believe that I still could hear the rooster crow from down the other end of the Fishing Village at 5:30am in the morning.

... a local Chinese haunt, and was quite disappointed - Frangipani Ice proved to be a nice surprise, Huge Icecreams (No Ice Sherree) for less than $1.00. Unfortunate that the 20 or so flavours on offer had diminished to 5. I went for Lime and was pleasantly surprised. Went down to the wharf and had a look at the boats. Not as much beetle nut around this time - and heaps cleaner. Talked all night - for something different and went to bed....that rooster!

Thursday and Friday... Lots more driving around meeting people who weren't available, shopping, eating and swimming at Mamara. Visited some Oil Palm plantations - apparently this is the new money making scheme for the future... not my cup of tea - hopefully the landowners will see the light! Relatives coming out of my ears! Enjoyed spending time in the Fishing Village.

The day began at 5:30am with the rooster crowing. 5:30am Honiara time is really 4:30am Sydney time. The rooster proceeded to crow for a good hour and a half. I was tired already and the day hadn't even begun!

Breakfast reunited us with our cousin Janey and she very kindly offered the assistance of her husband Bentley to be our driver for the week. A great name for a driver! Our first stop - Parliament house. May as well start at ...

Left Mackay Domestic and Brisbane International with the usual family members to see us off. My cousins knew the pilot flying us into Honiara, which of course was totally random and we arrived to the heat of the Solomons.

I was so excited to be back. ALL my wantoks (family) seemed as if they were at the airport to greet us, however, once we got back to the village, I suddenly remembered that there were a lot more! Hung out at the village for a while and then went to the ...

Its a part of the voyage that took me to Australia, PNG and beyond to the Solomon Islands... ...It was voyage to Honiara...and Noro port...I was a trainee then...so as part of the training I steered the vessel into the Noro port...wow that was huge power of 8200hP in my hands...