Thursday, January 31, 2008

Submerged Tanks

These submerged World War II tanks on The Duke of York Islands, make a great spot for snorkeling.


I’m in Australia at the moment so He Who Doesn’t Blog and Benson are batching and posting for me while I am away. I bet they’re watching TV and drinking bia with their feet on the coffee table.


They will be able to post each day as I won’t be doing any visiting. Thanks for dropping in to say hi while I’m away. I will try and pop in and leave a comment.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

New Haus Lotu


This is the new Catholic Church that is being built at Vunapope. It is being built in the shape of a shell - can you see it??

I’m in Australia at the moment so He Who Doesn’t Blog and Benson are batching and posting for me while I am away. I bet they’re watching TV and drinking bia with their feet on the coffee table.

They will be able to post each day as I won’t be doing any visiting. Thanks for dropping in to say hi while I’m away. I will try and pop in and leave a comment.

Monday, January 28, 2008

Climbing Tree


This diwai (tree) is crying out for someone to climb along it and jump into the water.

I’m in Australia at the moment so He Who Doesn’t Blog and Benson are batching and posting for me while I am away. I bet they’re watching TV and drinking bia with their feet on the coffee table.

They will be able to post each day as I won’t be doing any visiting. Thanks for dropping in to say hi while I’m away. I will try and pop in and leave a comment.

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Fishing at sunset.


This guy was fishing from his outrigger at sunset.

Is it better than queuing in the supermarket?

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I’m in Australia at the moment so He Who Doesn’t Blog and Benson are batching and posting for me while I am away. I bet they’re watching TV and drinking bia with their feet on the coffee table.

They will be able to post each day as I won’t be doing any visiting. Thanks for dropping in to say hi while I’m away. I will try and pop in and leave a comment.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Coastal Showers




On a trip to the Talili Islands the clouds hung low on the coastal mountains.

You can sail for hours without seeing a village or another boat.

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I’m in Australia at the moment so He Who Doesn’t Blog and Benson are batching and posting for me while I am away. I bet they’re watching TV and drinking bia with their feet on the coffee table.

They will be able to post each day as I won’t be doing any visiting. Thanks for dropping in to say hi while I’m away. I will try and pop in and leave a comment.

Friday, January 25, 2008

Opim Doa


When you need to opim doa (open a gate), there are always plenty of willing and friendly volunteers.

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I’m in Australia at the moment so He Who Doesn’t Blog and Benson are batching and posting for me while I am away. I bet they’re watching TV and drinking bia with their feet on the coffee table.

They will be able to post each day as I won’t be doing any visiting. Thanks for dropping in to say hi while I’m away. I will try and pop in and leave a comment.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Nogut hos

Susie sent me this photo of a horse trying to check into the Rabaul Hotel. If you look carefully at the reflection you can see he has brought some friends with him!!

It’s a disaster waiting to happen I reckon.

I advised her to say “Nay!!!”


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I flew out to Australia this morning. While I’m away He-Who-Doesn’t-Blog and Benson are batching and posting for me. I bet they’ll watching TV and drinking bia with their feet on the coffee table. My Vietnam Blog will be on holidays until February 7.


They will post each day as I won’t be able to do any visiting, but thanks for dropping in to say hi while I’m away. I will try and pop in and leave a comment.

Lukim Yu !!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Aerial Views


Tony, my pilot friend, took these photos of our part of the world from his Dash 8 yesterday. The little island in the bottom picture is Snake Island on my Ship-wrecked post last week!!

Tomorrow I will see the same sight as I fly out to Brisbane with the girls. They are going back to school so we are all a little sad today. My eldest daughter turns 16 on Friday so I am also feeling old.

He-Who-Doesn’t-Blog and Benson will be batching while I am away. They have offered to post as Benson wants to catch up with his friend M. Benaut!!! They will be able to post everyday as I won’t be doing any visiting. Hope you can pop in and say hi!!

My Vietnam Blog will be on holidays as it is too difficult to organize drafts for it.

Thanks to Slim and Clueless for sending me the You Make My Day Award. I now have about seven so have decided I can’t send 70 so I am giving it to you all. You all Make My Day and if it wasn’t for all your encouragement I would have thrown this all in the beautiful blue sea.

Lukim yu!!

Monday, January 21, 2008

I stap we?


When asking directions in rural areas it is often advisable to obtain a third opinion.

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Lines are back but not great, so I only posted a quick one so I can catch up on my visiting.

Thanks to Steve at New Orlean and Kim at Celina for more
You Make My Day Awards - most chuffed!!!

They certainly came at the right time with my frustration levels quite high this weekend.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Holiday Fun


The local children go back to school on Monday.


So they are making the most of the last few days of their holidays.

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It has taken all day to get this post up but I have finally made it.

Downloading your comments' pages and then trying to upload my comments is impossible so I won’t visit today but will try again tomorrow!!! It is all VERY trying believe me!!!

My Vietnam Blog is on hold until the phone lines are better.

Thursday, January 17, 2008

Ship-wrecked

Deserted islands abound here.

Snake Island

Pigeon Island

Our kids call this Pirate Ship Island

and our favouite …

Swallow’s Island

What, and who would you take with you if you were ship wrecked on Swallow's for a couple of weeks??


Award – Marie sent me this You Make My Day Award and I am very touched. Apparently the rules say I have to send it to 10 blogs that make my day. God – how can I choose? I hate doing this but it has been made easier by the fact that some of the blogs that I can’t do without each day, have already got this award – Dive, M Benaut, Tom, Barb, Marie, Jilly, Imac, Neva, Abraham, or Quinto so it is probably silly to give them another. I think Abraham has 5 already.

I cannot connect to my usual server today so have decided it is all too hard so hopefully tomorrow I can let those recipients know.

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

From Coconut to Cosmetics


Copra is the local south pacific name for dried sections of the meaty inner lining of the coconut palm (Cocos nucifera). It is the principal commercial product derived from the coconut palm, and is used primarily as a source of coconut oil.

Coconut oil was introduced as a source of edible fat in northern Europe in the 1860’s because of a shortage of dairy fats. Early in the 20th century it became known in the United States. Western Europe now imports about half a million tons annually, principally from the Philippines, but it is also an important export in Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Mozambique, Malaysia, and the Pacific Islands. The economy of many small islands is heavily dependent on the production of copra.

Harvesting copra is a tedious, beak-breaking business. The ripe coconuts are split with a machete and laid out to dry in the sun. The meat is then scraped out and dried, packed into burlap bags,
taken to the mill or to local copra buyers where payment is made - thus the term “cash crop”

To remove the oil, copra is pulverized, steamed, and pressed. The remaining residue is often utilized to feed livestock. The raw coconut oil is subsequently refined.

Coconut oil makes up about 20 percent of all vegetable oils used in the world. It is a common ingredient in margarines, vegetable shortenings, salad oils, and confections. Coconut oil is also used in the manufacture of soaps, detergents, and shampoos because it has high levels of lauric acid, an ingredient that gives soap a quick-lathering property. Another big market for coconut oil is in the production of cosmetics. It can also be added to glues, epoxies and lacquers to provide flexibility

Info from internet site “The Tree of Life – Coconuts & Copra”

Postscript - Ash has eased, flights are back on and we are all happy (for the time being)....oh and my feet are clean (for the time being)!!!!

Sunday, January 13, 2008

Closed Airport and Dirty Feet

Well the airport is still closed. As you can imagine it is causing huge problems including no mail, airfreight, or newspapers and the number of stranded passengers is growing by the day!!!! We have friends stuck in Australia who can't get back and friends stuck here who can't go anywhere.
As I type this I can hear a plane - hmmmm most interesting - not sure if it will land but obviously someone is trying.....will let you know????

Marie asked me yesterday whether we get ash at our place and yes Marie we do. Every year at this time the wind blows from the north-west which is what direction the volcano is from here!!

If the volcano is quiet then there is no problem but ... if the volcano is active we do get ash. Usually the rain clears it away and the airport is only closed for a couple of days at the most - I can't remember the airport being closed for this long before. Hopefully that plane has landed and taken some of the stranded tourists, business people and students out of here.

Last night we had a dinner party and as we always eat outside we had to sweep and dust the ash off everything before everyone came.

Yuk what dirty feet I had!! Every night in the shower I have to use a scrubbing brush!!!

Friday, January 11, 2008

Mambu Haus Win

In this climate, outdoor living is very popular, and a haus win makes a great entertaining area.

These have been thatched using mambu (bamboo) leaves over a wooden framework. It is most attractive but you don’t want an open fire too near.
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This week flights have been canceled because ash has blown over the airport. Ash and turbo-jets just don't mix so there are a few worried people (waiting to go out on leave) watching the skies. I'm one of them - I fly out at the end of the month!!!
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Yesterday I asked if you could guess what PMV stood for. The funny thing is I asked people here the same question and got two different answers. So after some investigating my sources tell me - Public Motor Vehicle is the official term but on the streets many people will say People Moving Vehicle.

So congratulations Tom & Squirrel you have won the prize - which is a 24 hour open-ticket to ride on a PMV!!!

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Getting around

The percentage of privately owned cars in PNG is low compared to western countries so finding transport is a constant challenge for many people.

PMVs stop regularly at stops -
Can you guess what PMV stands for?,

.......but on busy days there can be long waits and people can be seen scrambling in the doors, and at times the windows, to secure a berth.

….other people rely on friends and their village vehicles to get around.

It is illegal in PNG to ride in the front of a vehicle without your seat belt on. In the back you just have to hang on I guess. There have been some shocking accidents as you can imagine, as the chances of surviving a collision if you were riding in the back are quite slim.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Five Japanese Barges

On 10 October 2007, I posted a photo of one of the many Japanese barge tunnels found around here.

From my previous post – “In 1942, Rabaul, newly restored after the devastating 1937 volcanic eruption, was invaded by Japanese forces. The Japanese turned Rabaul into their main army and naval base for the planned invasion into the Pacific and eventually down into Australia. The heavy aerial bombardment of Rabaul by Allied Forces, forced the Japanese to dig in – literally!! Hundreds of prisoners of war, including a division of Indian troops from the Singapore campaign, were used to dig 400 kilometres of tunnels in the hills surrounding the town. These tunnels contained barracks and hospitals, storage for weapons and munitions and even barges, tanks and aircraft. The barges were pulled to and from the beach on tracks by prisoners.”

This narrow tunnel at Karavia village on the Rabaul/Kokopo Road still contains the rusting bodies of five Japanese barges.

This is barge one and two, from the viewing platform, looking out to the tunnel entrance.

Views of the other barges from the viewing platform

"Viewing" of the barges up the back is only possible if you take a torch.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Deckhand Framed


Phone lines are still bad - dropping out and freezing.

As well as this, the computer needs hospital treatment. He-Who-Doesn't-Blog will operate and I will assist. I hope there is no blood - I will faint if there is!!! If you hear any screams you will know it is me - or the computer. If we all come through unscathed I will visit you tomorrow.

I am leaving you with this photo I took on the dive boat when we dived at Pigeon a couple of weeks ago. I thought it was a dud until I looked at it on the screen and had second thoughts.

Hope you like it.

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Day to be in Bed

It started raining here on New Year's Eve and it has been raining on and off ever since.

Everything is grey and damp and cool. A good day to be in bed.


Phone lines were terrible yesterday and today, so forgive me if I haven't done a lot of visiting.

On Vietnam - same, same but different, there are also wet photos - of a typhoon crossing the coast of Vietnam at Lang Co!!

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

January Theme - Best Photo of the Year

This monthly theme post was upon me before I really had time to think about what entails “The Best Photo of the Year". I certainly couldn’t pick one from all the fabulous blogs from around the Daily Photo Family, so instead I have taken the chicken’s way out and posted one of mine.

There were a lot I really liked – sunrise from my verandah, moonlight over the ocean, the Blue Theme post, and probably my favourite the dolphins. The one I chose certainly isn’t the best, but it was the most memorable, the most fun, took the longest to set up and is a metaphor for the difficulties I have posting and visiting each day!! It is also to thank He-Who-Doesn’t-Blog for all his technical assistance and support.

So here it is - my 2007 September Theme Post for Street Lights / Street Signs.

Well it is obvious who didn’t vote for this month’s theme!!! MOI. What the hell am I supposed to post, I mumble! Some of us live on tropical islands where most streets have no signs, and are only lit by moonlight.

So as you can see, I found A Rare Street Sign and He-Who-Doesn’t-Blog was roped into being The Street Light. Luckily there wasn’t much traffic around and his skinned shin, from falling down the embankment in the dark, should heal soon.

This is the only street sign within cooee of my place. It is hand-painted on a piece timber but it does carry an interesting name. Peter ToRot was a lay catechist in the village of Rakunai near Rabaul. When the Japanese invaded he was told to stop his pastoral work but he refused. He was called before the Japanese commander again, but he still refused, so he was arrested and thrown into jail. Three months later in July 1945 he was killed by lethal injection.

In 1995 in Port Moresby, ToRot was beatified, the first step towards being declared a saint, by the visiting Pope Paul II. His remains and a memorial church are situated on the Burma Road.

BTW - My Vietnam Blog has lots of CUTE dogs on it today!!