My guide was 20 minutes late in picking me up, so instead of 4:45am I got on the road at 5:05. We left so early to beat the heat given this mornings activity.
Bumpy road. Every car we pass on local roads the goddess stop to say a quick hello
I was eaded to rabual, to hike mount
Tavurvur – the volcano
Hiked volcano
Tavurvur volcano was interesting. We passed by a tribe makamito or something. The hike was hard because rocks kept on moving under my feet so I took it slow. The larger rocks nearby were very sharp in places and I knew that an injury would ruin the rest of my trip. When I got to the top it was very cool. I looked into the volcano and saw sulfer in yellow and white with steam rising all over. We hold down into the volcano a bit!
We also passed a large lake which is so very hot, nobody can go into it unless they wanted to be burned. The volcanic rocks were everywhere along with interesting little caves. My guide hiked it with flip flops!
On our way out
I ate an egg heated in the sulfer From the tribe It was from a Tongan megapode egg which is about 2-3 times bigger than our chicken eggs. It tasted very egg like just bigger.
Volcano observatory was next. It was a nice view from the top of the hill where I could see the whole rabaul town and the other two active volcanoes. We went inside and it was literally nothing I needed to see. Not exciting or anything.
Historical society was next. Inside that had a bunch of art scattered around which was cool, but very very small place. Plus I was the only one there. My guide got the key from the prior person who was leading a small tour as we arrived. I touched this cool art head then I was told it was a real head.
Yamamoto bunker – this ugly looking bunker is theorized to be where he hid after planning the Hawaii attack for ww2. Inside there was actually a number of dark rooms. We used our cell phone flashlights to find our way around. It was hot and humid in there.
Just before the final room there was this really big toad which scared my guide. It was on the stairs so I told him to get a stick. He couldn\’t scare it away and I scared it up the steps. Then I just snuck past him. The final room was another nothing thing. There was like some scribble on the walls and ceiling, whatever. It was way humid and hot and a cockroach came out to say hi. So I said goodbye and left
Rabaul hotel for lunch because hotels are the only restaurants in town – it\’s so odd. Lunch at about 10:30am because I keep leaving at 5am in the morning. The food is not png food its a huge mix of other cultural food. I had lemon chicken and fries. It was ok. On my way out I bumped into someone that was on my delayed plane and stayed in my hotel so we haven\’t spoken but we are familiar. She passed me as I exited and said hello.
Next up barge tunnels. They\’re was finally some people selling something laid out on the grass in front of the entrance. I bought shell money for 20 kina which is like $6. Shell money is not what I imagined it to be it\’s like a big circular thing made of shells.
The tunnels are very deep but we could only walk enough to see three ships. It was ok. Again I was the only person there
Then I went back to the hotel. On the way back I was charging my phone in the car but, I discovered that my phone would no longer charge in the room. I was pissed. This is the only way for me to reach out to my wife and father and I am trying to use my phone as my primary cameras. There\’s a lot of days left on the trip and my dad is nervous for me. I need my phone to work.
I tried to nap but was too worried. I was picked up from my hotel at 3:15 with the intention of going to the mask festival. That obviously changed.
We went to 5 different places to try to get help for my phone. I thought it might be a lost cause in png based on the feedback from people. But they were very helpful and even opened unopened products for us to try. We figured out that we needed a single wire that serves only one device and it had to support the pixel plug. We found it! But had to return to the previous stores to get it. Albert and Benson were essential to getting this done.
So now my phone charges!
We headed to the mask festival which looked like it had been over for quite a while despite it being only 4:30pm, so I probably didn\’t miss much.
So Albert has been talking about getting some trip over drinks. Naturally as a independent traveler I agreed. He asked how I wanted to drink them and I said in the way that you would drink them with friends. Which meant that I purchased a 6 pack that the three of us shared on the side of the road. We were right by the jungle where there was plastic trash, which was discussed. Plenty of people drive by and stopped to say hi. I joined in too. Albert still calls me his brother which is a nicety. We had a good time and all used the nature plastic area as our de facto loo. Then we went to a higher profile place, it seemed like a png golf club. And it was! There were 9 holes that started when some woman that people called queen settled in png and became quite rich. Anyhoo, we had a third drink and then I was driven back to my hotel. Where I can confirm that my phone charging problem is solved.
I sat down for dinner and asked if Bridgette was working, Bridgette being Bensons new wife. The woman said that she was working and she would being her over. I couldn\’t stop her so Bridgette came over to say hi. She was nice! But I told her it wasn\’t my intention to take her away from work. We chatted a bit, she confirmed she was recently married to Benson. Benson is 29.
Ordered dinner! Chicken sesame honey. It\’s more Chinese fusion to make tourists happy. But the food is fine. And I got a bottle of \”expert beer\” which is pretty good, adding to my 3 bottle of SP beer, which I like! SP is a lager bottled in png
For dinner I am sitting near the edge of the dining area near one of the openings, the opening are merely an open area dining experience where I am close to the outside instead of the inside. And it\’s pouring rain now! I don\’t see it but I hear it. It\’s kind of nice to drown out the other guests and the music
Davanna – means let\’s go!
