| Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 | ![]() |
Help- Looking for 6 months isolationCountry forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea | ||
Hi, | ||
You mean you want to live in TOTAL isolation? Away from ALL other people? A Tom Hanks "Castaway" experience? | 1 | |
Check your private messages. | 2 | |
There are a few uninhabited islands in the Cooks, but you need special permission to go to them. | 3 | |
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. | 4 | |
Raro, | 5 | |
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 | |
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!!! | 7 | |
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 | |
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 | |
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 | |
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. | 11 | |
You're recently been ill and want to go to a remote tropical destination to heal? | 12 | |