After lunch we went to a Cultural Village for an afternoon of enlightening about New Guinea Culture. Onto mini-busses for a bumpy ride to a village, [a real village] about five miles as the crow flys from the ship. But we are not crows. The roads are atrocious, however the drivers are used to it so it is just very uncomfortable. Then you may have miles of wonderful roads.
As we were entering the village I knew we had been there before, some 10 years ago, with Jim and Gail. It was great though. Things have changed a bit, not so much as Madang itself. It is the same old town with the pretence of modern facilities like electronic stores, ambulance facilities, government services etc., but in reality it is still in the dark ages compared to the rest of the world. The people however appear to be happy although the majority are poor.
We arrived back to the ship around 4:30, somewhat tired from a great day in Madang, got cleaned up and went back into our fantasy world aboard the ship.
Now that is a tree. It is by the Lighthouse by the Coast Watchers Memorial, in commeration and memory of those who lost their lives during the Japanese occupation in 1942.
A plaque at the memorial.
The actual lighthouse.
Our English Table Mates on another bus, same tour.
Jim and Fellette, chilling out on the bus.
Making Kava, an intoxicating drink made from pounding the roots of the Kava plant.
The 'Village Bell'. It appears to be from a dud bomb. The gonger is an old camshaft, visible at the bottom left. WW II remnant I figure.
Proud Mama and future problem son.
Our guide says this man is 65. Am I old enough to be his father?
Life expectancy in PNG is low, but do people age that fast here?
The Village benefits immensely from tours of their surroundings and they put on a bit of a show and allow us to take photos. It is sad, but it helps the whole village financially.
Typical homes.
Again.
And again.
It has value, of some sort but how to dispose of it up here?
They do their laundry the old fashioned way. Whatever that is here.
Very old carved statues. At one time, New Guinea was the land of cannibals and head-hunters. I has advanced but remnants of their old lifestyle still lingers.
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