Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Help- Looking for 6 months isolation Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
rooster121 22:39 UTC 07 Sep 2007 | Hi, I am looking for some isolation in beach huts or anything cheapish really, mainly its got to be somewhere with no mobile phones, generated electricity that sort of thing just shut out from the outside world so I can get over recent my ilnesses. Any info would really help me out and improve my life so your help is much appreciated. |
islandboi321 01:36 UTC 08 Sep 2007 | You mean you want to live in TOTAL isolation? Away from ALL other people? A Tom Hanks "Castaway" experience? | 1
papamike 03:50 UTC 08 Sep 2007 | Check your private messages. | 2
raro 05:17 UTC 08 Sep 2007 | There are a few uninhabited islands in the Cooks, but you need special permission to go to them. Virtually every Pacific island with a village will have a generator for power. Sounds like you might want an upriver Dayak village in Borneo. | 3
nukuhiva2 21:29 UTC 08 Sep 2007 | How about a motu the Tuamotus in French Polynesia? A motu is a very small island located on the coral reef of an atoll. Most are uninhabited. I don't know how you would survive without fresh water and food unless you bring everything and live relatively close to the inhabited parts of the atoll to bring in fresh supplies. Read Thor Heyerdahl's 'Fatu Hiva' and you may realize that your dream is possible, but not healthy. By the way, Marquesan islands all have uninhabited valleys and some valleys have just a few people. | 4
ozziegiraffe 18:24 UTC 09 Sep 2007 | Raro, I don't think you have spent much time in Solomon Islands villages, or probably the more remote parts of Vanuatu. Very few of the Solomon villages I have visited over the last 17 years have generators, or even solar power. Occasionally, someone will bring a generator and a television and video for a film show, but most villagers couldn't afford the fuel to run these regularly. They basically are struggling to afford kerosene for lamps. There are moves to provide solar lighting in some areas, to reduce the need for kerosene, but this is very new. | 5
raro 03:38 UTC 10 Sep 2007 | Thanks for that Helen, very interesting. I guess I was thinking more of Polynesia, even on remote islands like Pukapuka there are generators in each village. There actually used to be solar panels and batteries on Pukapuka, but after the first few months no one chipped in any more into the "replacement battery fund", (only NZ$5/month/household) so when the gel cells died out four or five years later, they couldn't afford to buy new ones. So...o....o....o they brought in a diesel generator!!! Talk about eco-unfriendly. | 6
api 13:06 UTC 11 Sep 2007 | Raro, you would be suprised at Dayak villages in Borneo. I spent 14 months there 10 years ago - in virtually the dead centre of Borneo - and many villages had 1 satellite dish and 1 TV... they were run off generator though!!! Haven't been to the Solomons but I would have thought Vanuatu is a good bet for isolation. I spent a few days on Gaua island and loved it - one place to stay, no proper roads (1 truck on the island), no communication and no electricity. Rooster - you also posted on SE Asia branch? I think you will actually find more remoteness in the Pacific, but to get this you may not get the "beach hut" experience. | 7
raro 15:21 UTC 11 Sep 2007 | Api--I had read of the Dayak villages many times, living on stilts at the edge of the river. Thought I might visit some day. I guess if I go I should bring some DVD's, or at least a copy of TV Guide!! | 8
watsoff 00:02 UTC 12 Sep 2007 | Solomons is possibly the best bet for isolation, although Vanuatu is a good choice as well. But - if you're recovering from an illness (not serious, I hope) I wouldn't really recommend either. Medical services, although available, are not particularly good, and malaria is a big problem, especially in Solomons. | 9
api 16:40 UTC 12 Sep 2007 | Raro - smaller family groups still lived basic lives and maybe off the main rivers its difficult to get fuel for those generators.... Mind you I was in the headwaters (having to travel through rapids) of one of Borneo's big rivers and it was amazing to see just how many people lived there. No roads, no phone, no electricity, no proper sanitation, but someone still owned a TV in one of these villages. | 10
ozziegiraffe 19:00 UTC 12 Sep 2007 | One possibility in Solomon Islands is the Reef Islands, where there aren't any mosquitoes, but they are pretty hard to get to. My friend, who was born in the Reefs, still tells how we had to throw our entire supply of Nambo (dried breadfruit) overboard to lighten the boat on our way back to Lata. Then we had a one week wait for a plane, as the scheduled plane had left 6 hours early. If you had months, though..... You could wait for calm sea, or a ferry (they arrive every few months). There is an island there called Pigeon, which is owned by Europeans who grew up in the Solomons, and it has a guest house. Rooster, if this one interests you, send me a PM and I will send the contact details. | 11
cardamom 22:14 UTC 12 Sep 2007 | You're recently been ill and want to go to a remote tropical destination to heal? Poor idea-living in the tropics isn't all that healthy without access to clean water, plentiful varied food and decent medical care. The book as mentioned in a good reference-Poly/Mela/Micro nesia ain't no paradise. | 12