Last Day in Madang

Friday, August 17, 2012
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Today we went on a harbor cruise from the Madang Resort Hotel. We passed the house I lived in as a kid on the harbor from the other side and we went past the docks and better suburbs and then we cruised to the Islands.

It is interesting that the people have built drop toilets off their yards into the harbor to use as toilets . The kids are then swimming around the drop toilets. 

The islands are very pretty with white coral beaches and coconut palms. We walked on Sear Island and looked at the Japanese tunnel. Papa the elder there told us he was born in 1941 and the Japanese came on to the island and took everything, all their food, and wrecked the gardens. His father took him away from the island. He said there were 600 Japanese on the island with anti aircraft guns and the Australians and Americans finally got rid of the Japanese.

We went to another island to go snorkeling. They told me that the day before two divers were taken to hospital with bad stings so I decided not to go in. Two American scientist girls who were on a days holiday after being in the bush for three months went in as did Rob and the driver and they had no problem. We were a long way from hospital and if it was like the police station no way would I want to get treated there for sea wasp, box jellyfish or Irukandji . One of the girls said she was still traumatized by having to be peed on when she was a kid when was stung on the beach so that was not an overly exciting concept. The girls were studying birds in the highlands in remote areas and comparing their movement patterns to records from 40 and 50 years ago. They aid there was movement up to higher ground and that they were relating that to global warming.

Georg organized for New Guinea Kai that night at the restaurant which was good. We had yams, sweet potatoes, chicken etc all cooked in coconut milk.

I really enjoyed swimming at the Madang resort pool. It was a daily experience, very salty and overlooking the harbour and islands.

It was sad to have to pack up and the next morning I got up to catch at 4.30 to get the bus to the airport and get the 7am to Port Moresby. At 6am a large tropical thunderstorm had to arrive just as I was about to leave, the first real rain of the trip. 

The Madang airport is really just a big room with some wooden pews and a Hamilton island style check in desk. There is no real baggage check. A couple local girls rifle through your bag as you enter the door. The carpark is locked off by cones and a couple security guards so you have to walk in. The flight schedule is a whiteboard with 5 flights for the day. There is a kiosk in a little side room.

It was pretty peaceful with the ceiling fans, the sound of rain on tin roof and except for the occasional thunder clap, it was a real stay in bed morning.  The F100 finally arrived just as the storm was passing and the pilot got out with an umbrella and did his checks and we boarded into an almost clear sky. I remembered.....

When Georg and Mum did the trip from Brisbane to PNG as kids they took the midnight flying boat from Redcliffe to Rockhampton. They then took another flight to Port Moresby which took 8 hours then they took a 2 hour flight to Lae and then they had to drive for a couple hours and then walk home. Georg said once the flight was late and he walked home through the night.Mum tells the story of them as kids smuggling Georg's favourite hunting rifle to Australia on to the plane in a couple bags and bringing it down to Brisbane.....

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