Port Moresby

Lori and I are both back in Paris now. Lori arrived on Tuesday and I got back yesterday. I was supposed to be here on Tuesday as well, but the fog in St. John's kept me grounded for a couple of days. I'm not complaining though because Lori's trip from Papua New Guinea was much, much longer than mine. She was there for 8 days and here are her initial thoughts. (Most of her pictures were taken very early in the morning because she had a hard time adjusting to the new time zone)

They call Papua New Guinea the Land of the Unexpected. Having just returned from my first visit, I am starting to understand just a little bit of what they mean. If you do a quick Google search, you'll find article after article talking about the extreme levels of violence and pointing out how low Port Moresby sits on the livability rankings. But in person, it feels very different. 

The Melanesian hospitality and welcome is felt everywhere. The climate is wonderful, even when the rains feel heavy enough to wash you away. It's warm year round.

Port Moresby, where we will live, is a port city in transition. There is obvious extreme poverty (which is difficult to see) side by side with fancy new apartments and condos with magnificent sea views. New concrete highways that look like they could be anywhere sit side by side with roads that are about as wide as a goat track. With almost everything imported, the prices are shockingly high in grocery stores but relatively cheap in restaurants.

The Internet is going to be our biggest challenge. It's terribly slow with a spotty connection and you pay on the basis of your data usage - goodbye FaceTime, Netflix and Slingbox! 

But even though there will be many challenges, we are excited to be going. We have a lovely apartment with a view over the marina and the yacht club. Life by necessity will be a simpler one there. There isn't much to  do outside of work so the simple pleasures of outdoor activities (on the water), reading books, listening to music, enjoying time with friends, BBQs on the deck, and swims in the pool, will become how we spend our time. 

Papua New Guinea will be an adventure and we plan to take full advantage of the opportunities to travel the region and the country. Dennis will keep you posted on our travels and how things go. Wish us luck! 

Hike

I'm still in Newfoundland and we finally had some decent weather. Unlike the rest of Canada, it has been cold and wet here until this week. I took advantage of the good weather to go for a hike. The ground is still quite wet so I decided to hike out at Cape Spear. It's always windy there and I figured that would be my best bet for a dry trail. Other than a few spots that dipped into the bog, the trail was great. Typical Newfoundland weather though, my hike started in sunshine and ended in fog.

I wasn't the only fool out yesterday.

Here's a dorky shot of me in my touque.

I'm not really up on my zoology so I don't know if this is the skull of a bird or a fish.

The fog rolled in about halfway through my hike.

Since all the colour was being washed out anyway, I decided to switch to black and white.

I have another two weeks before I head back to Paris. I hope to get out for another hike before then. Lori leaves for Papua New Guinea this weekend. She will be there for 8 days. It's her first time there and I'm excited to hear all about it. You can only learn so much by reading, you have to be there to truly understand it.

db