highplanesdrifters

BIRDS We are fortunate to have the famous Peter Harrison of Apex on board. He is the preeminent sea bird expert. Any who have traveled with him are captivated by his stories and seduced by his enthusiasm and knowledge. It makes me want to be a birder. New Guinea is the birding hot spot these days. Some of the rarest birds can be spotted here. Some new to science, and some thought to be extinct. Becks petrel being one of them. Imagine after 70 years it just makes an appearance and stuns the birding world. @TLCOhio Photos of birds, again Terry, so sorry to disappoint. The birds are here but not in large numbers and often difficult to spot, at least for me. 😃 Many appear at a distance out at sea or a shadow at the top of the canopy. A cell phone camera and Go Pro are not enough to accomplish that mission. But I'll keep trying. Peter giving a lecture and telling the story about a Becks Petrel which was found under a life boat on one of his expeditions looking for Becks Petrel.

@TLCOhio So sorry Terry, no hot springs for us. What started out as a light drizzle as we boarded the zodiacs turned into steady rain by the time we reached shore. The entire zodiac in front of us went back to the ship. Faced with a 2 hour muddy slog to the hot springs we opted out. A quick lap around the village and back to dry clothes. I did a rain dance for this crowd which brought out roars of laughter. Hey, I'm easily amused. The village put some effort into a lovely welcome area.

For my peeps. You know who you are! Finally getting my sea drinking legs.

UP NEXT Dei Dei Hot Springs, Ferguson Island. Papua New Guinea Fergusson is one of the three biggest and mountainous islands in the Milne Bay Province and part of the D’Entrecasteaux Islands. On Fergusson’s south side are the famous Dei Dei geysers — natural hot springs that periodically erupt with vapour steam next to mud pools and a warm stream. The hot springs are still used by locals to cook food in palm frond and pandanus leaf baskets placed into the boiling hot water. Birds in the area include Eclectus Parrots Yellow-bellied Sunbirds and the endemic Curl-crested Manucode – a bird-of-paradise.

TUFI, PNG We skipped the welcome dances and had an indulgent lazy morning. Folks did say it was quite beautiful and dances were excellent. No regrets. With our newfound energy we went for the afternoon snorkel. The reef was quite bleached and overfished. Still a few interesting things to see. Some of the staghorn already coming back. Lots and lots of stars. Water is warm and we are happy. A tiny nemo. A giant powdered donut. These Giant Coral always remind me of a Star Trek set. Can't you see Spock shooting his phaser from behind one? A good beach for a laze about. The morning queue to sell produce. We are told that the ship isn't buying much now. Before we reach Australia most produce will be thrown overboard due to strict bio security laws.

AKA, let's see if we can pass this off on our unsuspecting chumps. Go get em Les!

Thanks for the great update on RCL. Having some problems on board with SS being cheap. Going to use this info! 😃

UP NEXT TUFI, PNG Tufi is located on the south-eastern peninsula of Cape Nelson in the Oro Province of Papua New Guinea. It is situated on a tropical fjord which is the work of ancient volcanic activities and was not shaped by ice as the descriptive name might lead you to believe. Surrounded by uncharted coral reefs the underwater world has attracted many divers wanting to see for themselves how the area earned the description of having more fish than water. Although Tufi has been the administrative centre of the region traditional ceremonies are still very important with natives wearing tapa cloth made from the bark of mulberry trees found in the local forest. Dance is predominant in the culture and performers sport fanciful headdresses decked with bird-of-paradise plumes and a rainbow of iridescent feathers. Tufi’s wide range of colourful birds and butterflies is well-known throughout Papua New Guinea boasting several ‘largest’ ‘biggest’ and ‘smallest’ records.

Jackpot! Chef Pia's German Lunch Food coma and a nap here I come.

Kuiawa, PNG We slipped off quickly for a free roam in the village and had it mostly to ourselves. Trinkets for sale, a friendly chat here and there, best part of the day. A man and his pigs. Charming fellow. Tough negotiator. The fisherman queue up every day hoping to catch Chef Pia's eye.

Kuiawa, PNG Off we go to their cricket field for the obligatory speeches. This included fifteen minutes of donation requests. There was a large basket brought out. Silversea staff were not happy. On to the hip-thrusting. Locals out in full force laughing up a storm That Whistle! 20230508_093253.mp4

Kuiawa, PNG The day started off with an entertaining, albeit very slow canoe race. A dance in the water by the little ones and their whistle happy leader. He's clearly seen The Music Man too many times. Good fun. 20230508_090144.mp4 20230508_090551.mp4

On the surface you are seeing a pattern of welcome dances, walks in the jungle and a swim or snorkel. As we peel back the onion layers we find striking anthropological differences. The Baining tribe discourage their children from playing and are encouraged to adopt each others children. Each tribe has their own level of sorcery or black magic. In general across this region we are asked to cover our shoulders, knees, and not to wear bikinis. The missionaries did their job. Tribes walk in two worlds. Today we sail in to Kuiawa Island, part of the Trobriand Island group. It is quite a different story. Did the missionaries skip this area or just fail? Sex is big, really big, and lots of it. Promiscuity is encouraged at a young age and will be reflected in their dances. Sadly their customs have hastened the spread of AIDS/HIV. There are now government programs to educate and distribute condoms. BTW, it is taboo to eat in front of each other. It's worth a further dive into this fascinating culture. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trobriand_people

It's not a very high bar. 😉

UP NEXT Kiawah, PNG Kuiawa (Kuyau) is one of the Trobriand Islands, the northernmost islands in the Milne Bay Province. Kuiawa is found some 200 kilometers from the province’s capital and to the southwest of Kiriwina, the largest and best known of the islands. The Trobriand Islands are of uplifted limestone and gardening is not that easy –but Trobriand Islanders are known for their magic to improve the growth of yam, a highly desired plant for ceremonial reasons and as food. Certain islands and villages have yam houses where the larger yams are stored and displayed. Houses are strung along the main road through the village and beach almond, casuarina and frangipani trees give shade. Trobriand Islanders are famous carvers and dancers and local groups and school classes love to compete dancing or playing their version of cricket, especially during harvest time.

20230507_084612.mp4 20230507_084612.mp4 Jacquinot Bay, PNG One more because the internet is working and they are just so darn adorable.

Jacquinot Bay, PNG 20230507_083225.mp4

Jacquinot Bay, PNG Dudes with the balloons are crushing it. Love watching the excited kids. As the whirling grass hut people lost their tops there was a mad rush from the kids to retrieve them. Who's having more fun? 20230507_082858.mp4

Jacquinot Bay, PNG Welcome Dance 20230507_081330.mp4

Jacquinot Bay, PNG Should we have a lie in, or go out in the rain to see the welcome dance and waterfall? We choose wisely. Best welcome dances so far! Choice of long or short hike. Followed by a refreshing roll in the surf or waterfall. Perfect day! Love the balloons. Short hike to the Village. I aborted quickly as it was akin to a traffic jam of humans. Rolling in the surf much better.

UP NEXT Jacquinot Bay, Papua New Guinea Jacquinot Bay is a large open bay on the eastern coast of the island of New Britain. It is a tranquil place with white sandy beaches and tropical palm trees all around. There is also a well-known beautiful waterfall that flows out of the mountainside with freezing cold water right onto the beach. But during WWII, however, it was not a quiet place. It was, in fact, an important base for the Australian Army who liberated it in November 1944. This base was used to support Australian operations near Rabaul which were conducted in early 1945 in conjunction with advances on the northern side of New Britain.

@drron29Thanks again for chiming in with your depth of knowledge. We were told that there is almost no effort to increase tourism due to the volcanos which are still considered active. After all, they have devastated the city twice in the last 30 yeara. FWIW, the city for the most part is run by the Chinese. Except for one or two outliers, all shops and businesses are owned by Chinese. The fishing fleet in the Harbour, Chinese. The NON air-conditioned vans - Chinese. Our driver complained that they were too cheap to pay for it. It was interesting to see vestiges of German infrastructure 100 years later.

Exactly same menu on the Explorer. Very enjoyable to watch this historic moment. What an amazing.production. But thought the the Windsor Whites looked a little smurfy with their blue decorations. Maybe the royal blue dye lot was off. And I'm pretty sure I need a Supertunica for the next formal night. 😃

Rabul So that concludes the whirlwind step into civilisation. Our last city until we reach Cairns in a weeks time. Back to island hopping and lazing about the surf. Yes the heat was brutal. But let's face it, we knew what the temperatures would be on this trip. No one did a thermal bait and switch. All in all quite happy we did the tour. A lot to process. I'm sure we'll think about it for days to come. Now, let me tell you about that cold shower. 😉 Ugh, we've just been informed of a 3.5 hour departure delay. They are waiting for crew to aarrive. Earlier flight canceled. Gee don't they know about getting in the day before? Disappointing as this cuts into our daylight sailout. Lots of birds, flying fish, Dolphins and possibly whales. Smoke is moving in and we are once again in the ashtray.

Rabaul Tour Stop 5 was the overlook posted earlier Stop 6 Local Market Often my favorite part of a trip. How do people live and eat? The Beetle nut stalls were something. They took up half the market. Who knew it was such a diverse product. Lots of yams. Lots and lots of yams. Peanuts, huh? Nope, not touching whatever this is. About $1.50