Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

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Today for our last stop in PNG, we visited the capitol of Port Moresby. As expected it was a big city version of what we saw yesterday. Wider roads, sidewalks and street lights and importantly air conditioning and flush toilets. I think Port Moresby might be the world's roundabout capitol! Every available surface was covered with litter. People were even friendlier today than they were yesterday. It was almost freaky. People of all ages would smile, wave and shout greetings. I told Clay yesterday that I felt like I was riding a float in a parade. Even more so today as I was by a window. I noticed both days that people kept comparing PNG to West Africa. I haven't been to the parts I expect they were referencing but there are places in Africa that I have been that were brought to mind both days. I wonder if it is the people. They are distinctly African looking unlike other South Pacific islanders we've met.

We arrived here on time if not a bit early again at 10am and the ship was quickly clearer. The dock was lined with buses. Our tour of Port Moresby Highlights did not meet in Sirena Lounge until 12:20pm. Again today, buses traveled in a caravan together. This was another of our included complimentary tours but Oceania priced it at $129pp. It was a good tour with the exception of our guide. People thought she was shy. To be sure she was, but I also had the feeling she did not live in Port Moresby and hadn't been in the Parliament before for example. If she had just told us that she wasn't going to guide but only head count at each stop, then we could have joined other groups at each stop that had guides who were guiding. Anyway. She had to deal with an older couple who had lived here prior to 1971 and all they wanted was to see their old address. Turns out it was within about 8 blocks of the ship. They did get their drive by miraculously, But, I have a piece of general advice for all tourists. If there is something that you particularly want to see. It is important to you for whatever reason, then book a private tour. Even if it were on a tour description (and their old home place was definitely not) a tour may not take 20 people where it is important for you to go. Make sure you aren't disappointed and don't make yourself a nuisance and see what is important to you by either going yourself or hiring a private guide/driver. Today we saw a produce market, National Parliament, National Museum, Adventure Park and Koki Market. We saw the national bird which is depicted on the PNG flag with the Southern Cross constellation. Bird of paradise is an actual bird and not just a flower. It was stifling hot and humid again with rain predicted. It thunder stormed as soon as we finished the indoor visits. The good news is that it brought a cool wind and it felt better afterwards unlike yesterday's rain which just steamed things up.

We have plans to eat in the GDR this evening. Dinner is at 6:30pm. All aboard is 7:30pm and sailaway is 8pm. We departed a full hour early so I guess everyone was back aboard early and the longshoremen were available. We had a dockside view from our dinner table.

The next 2 days are sea days. All the conversation on the bus was about how would anyone get any laundry done since Reception doesn't have tokens! Evidently the 2 token limit is still in effect and now people say you are told to go stand by a machine available for use and use the wall phone to call Reception for someone to come up and sell you tokens. Clay asked me how I planned to do laundry again. I handwashed the outfit I had on today and it hung from the ceiling on hangers overnight last night to dry. I told him after the day I got 2 loads washed that it looked like I would have to just keep up with the laundry by hand washing daily. It still looks that way. The ship has had a few days of 20 pieces for $24.95 laundry. Since we don't have enough shipboard credit to even cover our tips I am not inclined to splurge on the laundry sale. Stay tuned on the sad laundry saga. So, Clay insisted on going to Reception to try to buy 2 laundry tokens to use tomorrow. There was a conversation going on with another passenger on the same subject as we arrived. Clay was told that when he was ready to start a load to go to the laundry room and call Reception that in 6 to 8 minutes he would arrive to start the washer for him and leave him with one token for the dryer. So that pretty much confirms what we had already heard. I will still be doing a lot of hand laundry rather than single loads. Does no one else color sort? I usually do at least 2 loads at once but I guess not for the duration of this trip!

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