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E.T. No Phone Home

As most of you probably know I ended up going to Port Moresby, PNG for just over a week during Jan.

I was very nervous about going for many reasons but Dad lives there so I didn't think I'd get in to too much trouble while I was there. Also, Mum came along so things were going to be ok. I hoped.

Mum and I left the security of our own homes at 4am to head to the airport. We had a flight to Melb and then one to Bris (same plane but we had to get off) and then an
international flight on Qantas/Air Niugini codeshare to Port Moresby (PoM). Seeing as the international flight was codeshare we couldn't book our seats but we could book our bags all the way from Hobart to PoM.

So, when we finally arrived in PoM we had to wait in a queue for ages. The system requires that you eventually make it to the front of the queue (with all other people needing visas) and give over your passport. You then pass through immigration to get some money changed then you come back, pay for your visa, get your passport back, pick up your bags and go through customs. Well that's how it is supposed to work anyway.

The only hitch that we had was that our bags didn't arrive. We got told that one of them was in melb (where'd the other one go??) and that it would be in PoM "tomorrow" - please call us to check. Mum and I are were stuck in a foreign humid and very hot country with only the clothes we had on (which incl jeans...). Cripes.

The other thing we found out is that PNG doesn't have any ties with any Aus phone networks so our roaming does nothing! No phone... So, I asked if I could borrow Dad's phone to send the boy a text to say that we were alive... oh yea.. no international texting either... double cripes!!

Dad picked us up from the airport and we had a bit of a squiz around but he had a meeting so he dropped us off at home after lunch and went to work. Home was lovely. It was a bit dirty and there were a few bugs around but it was nice. There was a big backyard and 2 scruffy looking dogs but it was fine.
There was also a great view when you looked past the big fence around the property with barbed wire. Dad also had 2 security guards that looked after the house at night (they must be able to see through the backs of their eyelids tho...). When it came to bed time, we all wandered upstairs and Dad locked us in or locked others out to be more precise. Being used to the freedom that was quite weird.

The next day was spent in the house waiting for the afternoon so we could find out about our bags... great ... apparently they went to Hong Kong and we'd have to wait til fri (it was wed...). Brillo! After a little argument with the man who blamed it entirely on Qantas (which to be fair it was their fault as the bags went from Melb to H.K.... random) we managed to get them to get our bags to PoM by thurs.

The bags arrived and mum and I went straight to the club to go for a swim. Lush!!

Seeing as Dad had to work all the time the week was spent in the house or at a restaurant eating. It just wasn't very safe to go wondering around and dad lived half way up a very steep hill so we couldn't really walk to or from home. Mind you, apparently you shouldn't even stop on the road up to Dad's cos you might get held up for your car and possessions. eep. We did however jam pack our weekend.

Randomly driving along the road one day I saw this sign. -> I just thought that was the most peculiar thing ever. Coffins...on sale??!! What the?? Where's Rove when you need him?? As you can see there was also a lot of graffiti. Just about every solid surface was tagged.

On sat we headed for Sogeri and the beginning of the Kokoda trail.

That was quite fascinating although the roads on the way left a lot to be desired. They were narrow and very pot-holey.





We stopped along the way to have a look at a lovely waterfall and then on the way back to check out the National War Memorial.
















There was a rotunda at the top of the hill that had the names of all the people from the Allied forces that died in PNG. That was very moving. So many names, so many white headstones....

Sunday we headed for Hood Point, a little village about 1.5 hours along the coast from PoM. There is a beach there and we went for a swim and had a picnic. The water was so warm. It was actually colder out of the water than in. It was also really shallow. I went out pretty far and it was still not even up to my waist!! There were a bunch of kids from the village there and one little guy was quite fascinated with my camera. He was very cute. He'd run off and pose for me and then come back to check out the photo and then run off to pose again... and again... and again...

Wed saw us leaving PoM on a Fokker 100... (not quite the plane I imagined to do international travel in but it got us there) and arriving in the very civilised Bris. Phew!!!

Ugh... back to work already??!!

How can one week fly by so quickly? I feel like i have never left work and that that thing called xmas is just a distant memory. Having said that I did have a great break filled with ... well not much really and that was the plan.

My dad took my grandmother on a whirl wind trip of Asia which meant that neither of them were around. My aunt came down from the Gold Coast for a while which was fun and stressful. The boy went up north to his folks which was unfortunate but understandable (he even checked with me that that was ok... aww how sweet). So it wound up being mum, my aunt and I for xmas.

My breaking piece of news is that I have finally quit the bottle-shop. For the first time in 5 years I didn't have to work on xmas day! I am a little sad but the crew is just not the same any more.

So... back to xmas day. We had our traditional champagne breakfast at mum's (woot!). We had quite a crowd this year. Even some visitors from the UK.

There was so much food: of course bacon, eggs, sausages, hash browns, mushrooms done to perfection on the barbie (thanks to our neighbour for his most excellent chefery...), smoked salmon, cream cheese and capers on bread (in true aussie style), fruit platters, and so much more.

Due to being a bit excited that I didn't have to work and thus could really drink as much as I wanted, the afternoon was filled with nap time and then a quick visit around the rellies.

Xmas night saw us stuffing our faces even more but this time with crayfish...YUM!! To cap it off we watched a cute xmas film on the tele.

The rest of the week was spent trying to eat the leftover food in mum's fridge as well as consuming more food and wine at the Taste of Tasmania. The taste is great... well it used to be. Essentially, for those of you unfamiliar, it used to be a whole bunch of tastes of what Tasmania has to offer. The food, the wine, the beer, the performers... a little bit of everything. I think it has gotten a little big for its boots and each stall is trying to give you the biggest meal possible and it means that you just can't physically "taste" everything cos you get full after one plate. I mean it is still good food and GREAT wine but I think they could decrease the sizes of their taster plates. The performers, however, are still fantastic! From buskers to bands, from swing dancers to breakdancers... a showcase of all that Tassie has to offer all in the one venue over a whole week.

That brings me to New Years Eve. Now NYE is notoriously over organised and under enjoyed for me and this year(or last year) I decided that I really couldn't be bothered doing anything. The boy agreed. 2 friends of mine also agreed. So, the four of us sat in my lounge room playing Yahtzee (I scored 365 in one game and whooped them .... we're not talking about the other games...) and watched the tele. At 12 we headed outside to see if we could see the fireworks. Unfortunately there was too much cloud cover but we discovered that some renegade party at the end of our street was holding their own display. So, we stood in the middle of our street and watched our neighbours light some crackers. It was kinda neat.

That leaves mon... the first of the first oh-seven. I spent the whole day in my pj's on the couch with The boy watching Alias. I think we managed about 6 episodes! I love that he digs this show. I recently bought the box set so I could watch all the episodes and catch up before we get the next series on tele. The boy made the mistake of telling me he's never seen it before. Now, I was a bit sceptical... if he'd hated it (more likely scenario) then I would have had to watch 4 seasons by myself with him bagging me out about it. However, he loves it (less likely scenario)...can't get enough of it. Clever television he called it! That means a lot. YAY!!

So, here I am back at work. Although, I only have one week til I head to PNG... can I cope... I must! Soldier on!!

If you've got this far... Merry Xmas and Happy New Year! MWAH!!!