Alotau, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea - Friday, February 14th

Today was a very emotionally charged day for me.  Throughout life my dad told (and retold and retold) my siblings and I stories about Papua New Guinea (PNG) and World War II.  He spent his years in the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers in the South Pacific where we have been traveling for the last few days.  He was part of a team that built airstrips in PNG.  We sailed into Milne Bay early this morning about 6:30 a.m. while the ship's consultant provided narrative about the battles in this area.  We got up early and staggered to the top deck to take in the full view and soak in the history of this area.  I thought about my dad, who I lost nearly three years ago.  It's odd but I felt really close to dad all day.  I said an extra prayer for him before we stepped on land and shed a tear or two along the way.  Not quite sure why my emotions were so strong today but I sure missed him.  I knew he would be thrilled that we were visiting a place which played a significant role in his life.

Yesterday our ship's destination consultant gave a talk about our arrival and activities on PNG.  He told us to keep our expectations of comfort very modest.  Usually our buses are air conditioned include lovely rest stops along the route if the trip is longer than an hour and the seats on our buses are quite clean and comfortable.  He cautioned us about walking alone in this country, since it may not be safe for us.  Evidently, rape is a major problem here.  Many girls are pulled into the bushes on the way home from school and sexually assaulted.  We had signed up for a tour previously so we were going with a group of fellow passengers plus a representative from the ship so we felt very safe.

Not sure what I was expecting but what we discovered conjured up a range of emotions.  Our "bus" was a very basic van which squeezed 22 of us inside.  In the U.S. it would accommodate about 14 passengers.  Needless to say it was quite cozy, particularly since we were all hot a sweaty, and my seat had a raised panel in front of it so my legs didn't have a lot of places to go.  We heard that the temperature was about 90 degrees when we left on our tour this morning with about 90% humidity so we were quite toasty in the van.  The air conditioning was open windows.  Somehow it all worked and it was all good.  We were off to see the sights of this beautiful Island.

Our first stop was high on a hill that served as a great overlook for beautiful Milne Bay and our ship below.  A man came out of the structure where he was living and told Bob that this bluff is where lots of the locals come to do their drugs.  Not sure why he decided to share that particular piece of information but guess it was on his mind at the time.

We made a few photo stops to see where the Japanese invaded and where the Australians and others, including Americans, defended the land. During WWII there were three airstrips built here.  Undoubtedly my dad was involved in building some or all of them.  One is still being used as an airstrip and the other two have been allowed to return to their natural state.  I can't begin to explain how surreal it felt to be in this place.  Think I will need a few days to consider and absorb what I've seen and experienced.

We made a stop at the local farmer's market.  It was quite a happening place.  Green beans and betel nuts seemed to be the popular items.  It was interesting to note that all of the produce was sold in extremely small quantities.  For example, 3-4 green beans was one batch.  We would probably consider their meals quite meager.  Betel nuts is chewed as a mild stimulant which evidently has a slightly warming effect on the body and is similar to drinking one cup of coffee.  However, I just read that research has shown it to be carcinogenic in humans.  Guess I won't be partaking of betel juice!! We passed the section of the market which included fresh and cooked food, including fish and meat.  The high temperature this afternoon was 99 degrees and yet none of the food was packed in ice.  It set out all day in the heat.  There were flies and mosquitos everywhere, landing all over the food.  It was not a very appetizing sight.

I noticed that there were LOTS of men, young and old,  just standing around the parking lot on what would be a normal work day.  I'm not sure that many of the men are employed.  I am guessing the unemployment rate is very high.  I did learn that there is only one manufacturing plant on the island.  All along the roads we saw men standing in groups or just sitting along the sides of the roads, waving to us as we passed them.  We didn't see many women standing along the roadsides so they must have been at home doing "women's work".  When I have an opportunity, I will ask our destination expert about employment on PNG.  I would like to know how people support themselves or if there is government assistance.

Our next stop was a local craft market.  About a dozen large blankets were spread on the group.  One man was sitting at the back of each blanket and many other men were standing behind each one of them.  On each of the blankets were wood carved items such as bowls, serving platters, animals, etc.  There was also some jewelry. Bob asked our guide why all the men were standing behind each of the seated men.  She told him that each man had a single item on the blanket for purchase and everyone was hoping that a tourist would purchase their item.  Just amazing.

Finally, we stopped at a house where we watched as villager's were dressed in their finest traditional garments and danced for us.  It was actually a little frightening when we first arrived.  There was a group of about 10 men dressed as warriors, complete with face paint, spears in hands, yelling at us and waving their spears before we got out of the van.  They looked quite angry, and after the stories we have heard about not walking around alone here I must say it was a little unnerving. After surrounding the exit of our van for a couple of minutes they began to back off a bit and our tour guide began to coax us out of the van. She assured us that everything was okay!  The warriors began to form two lines at the entrance of the property and our guide encouraged us until we felt brave enough to walk through the middle of the lines.  It was quite intimidating!!! After exploring the property and gardens a bit the villagers began to dance.  No musical instruments - just women chanting rhythmically as the men danced.  It was actually very beautiful and I felt that I was witnessing dances that had been done for generations on this island. They were quite gracious hosts and offered us fruit and drink but we had been told on the ship not to eat or drink anything while we were here.

I'm really struggling with this post on how to describe my experiences here.  I want to make sure that I give proper respect to the people who live here.  The villagers were very friendly and seemed genuinely happy to have visitors.  However, I am deeply affected by the living conditions and health of the villagers we encountered.  Malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhea, and HIV/AIDS are significant problems.  Access to clean drinking water is a major issue.  People get sick regularly from tainted food and drink.  Most villagers have very few teeth.  The teeth they do have a very dark with decay.  The hospital was a series of Quonset huts with open windows.  Probably not very sanitary conditions.  Yet, that's all that is available for these Islanders.  Although tuition to schools is free, there are charges for supplies, books and many other items.  Consequently, only children of families who can afford to send them to school receive an education.  The other children assist their families with chores at home.

Yet, with all of these hardships of living, people seemed at peace with their lives.  There was a joy that emanated from them.  One of the ladies on our ship talked about the lives of the villagers being pitiful, while other passengers talked about them being heartbreaking.  Somehow, that's not the message I took away from this experience.  These villagers do not have televisions.  The teenagers do not walk around with their thumbs constantly tapping on phones chatting with their friends.  The women are not consumed with their body's physical appearance or designer labels.  Although there are struggles, there is a beautiful simplicity to their lives. They appreciate what they do have and celebrate their time together. It makes me wonder that if our planet continues to exist for a few more generations, how people in the future will judge us.  Will they laugh at our antiquated ways of communicating, our squabbles over our governments, and our attitudes toward people who look or behave differently than we do.

What I did learn today was how fortunate we are to have access to clean, safe drinking water and food, hospitals with sanitary conditions and skilled practitioners to care for our needs.  I also learned that we can find joy and peace in spite of what most of us would view as extremely challenging situations.  I have seen the importance of sharing our personal resources, whenever, possible, with people who do not have any resources.  I am thankful that God has blessed me in so many ways and has allowed me an opportunity to travel around this incredibly beautiful world and learn about cultures that are so foreign to me.  Today gave me an opportunity to understand a little more about my dad and the stories he told about his experiences in the war.  It helped me to feel close to him once again and to appreciate the hardships that he, and thousands of other troops, endured during a very difficult time.  I hope that I walked away from today a little bit more compassionate, insightful, patient, and grateful for all of the blessings with which God has blessed me.  After another day at sea we are back in PNG for one last day.