Week 4 - Week 6: Somewhere in the South Pacific.

It seemed like a good idea at the time. This has become something of a motto to our section. This sentiment has lead us to some difficult situations (nearly got charged for operational security breach, which it so was not, also the reason this journal was only released on return to NZ), some situations that shall not be spoken of here (but it looked awesome, Quiet Tommo, Stephen J and Pete!), and some great situations (showing the local kids a movie, being so on the ball that people actually get pissed off at how good we are). But as always I am getting ahead of myself. Where did I leave off last time? Oh right, patrolling from Rove prison.

We got out to a place called Bonegi beach where there is a sunken Japanese wreck which we got to swim around, it would have been better with a calm ocean and scuba gear but I still managed to get some good photos. After this we went to another beach called pebble beach that had some wicked-cool rope swings. It was good to get away from it all for a few hours, even though we got screwed on time due to incompetent people. They finally realised it doesn’t take a whole platoon to watch a prison so now two sections are at the main camp at Guadalcanal Beach Resort (in air-conditioned comfort!) and one remains to watch the prison from the OP.

We went on our first 3 day patrol the other day, the first for the platoon. It was a great experience, getting away from everyone, meeting the locals and seeing the conditions they live in. The people here and particularly in the outlying villages are just so friendly and welcoming, offering us food and places to stay. I actually felt bad that all we had to offer were clean water and empty water bottles. We gathered some intel, took lots of photos, got in a few swims and some fishing, and overall had a great time. Although I have to laugh about the time a bunch of locals were sitting on the beach, not daring to go into the water and laughing as three white boys splashed about, at sunset, in a bay known to have a bigfulla crocodile. Can’t wait for the next patrol. Now we are just sting in GBR, pretty much on our own, with a great mess (3 types of melon! 3!), 24hr gym access (although we have a curfew at 2200) and as mentioned air-conditioned rooms. Soon we are off to the more primitive camp at Mbalisuna with no internet or any mod-cons. still, it’s a new place and new patrols so I am looking forward to it.