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Going Tribal
Welcome to my "Going Tribal - 24 day South Pacific Cultural and Diving Adventure" Travel Blog. It's been 5 years now since I became scuba certified and blasted into new travel adventures around the world. Needless to say, I'm loving it ! Had to have pages added to my passport, which was quite a milestone considering this was my first passport of my life. The sights and sounds and smells, the historical places and structures, the beautiful and interesting people, and the religions and culture that I've learned about over these years have been phenomenal.
This type of travel blog has dual purpose for me. Rather than coming back from a 24 day journey with countless memories, pictures and stories to tell, and try to share them all with family and friends at once, it is more fun to share them along the journey.
Additionally, the blog helps to document and organize the details -- those interesting moments, or names and places that aren't always easy to recollect once at home. Why my memory sucks at times, I don't know ! But this keeps everything together, and many find it fun at the same time. So, my intent is to have postings every 2-3 days (depending on internet connections), along with pictures/video for you to follow along if you wish. If you're not interested, please feel welcome to "unsubscribe" and it will remove you from the list without even notifying me.
I'm venturing into new territories for me, the countries of The Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. It's perhaps my most adventurous journey to date, and without a doubt, the most challenging to organize and book. It has been over a year in the works, as parts of the trip have to be booked a great deal of time in advance. The time spent on this one has been tremendous, so I'm hoping and anticipating that it will be a rewarding adventure.
Flights
There are 14 flights involved in my itinerary, ranging from long-haul jumbo jets to prop plane inter-island flights. A total of 45 hours flying time in the air, traveling 20,336 miles. And after securing all of the flights to fit the itinerary, months later, Air Niugini decided to introduce a revised flight schedule that directly impacted a good part of my schedule. Back to the drawing board, reconstructing the itinerary and rebooking flights and dive resorts ! Many thanks to Kirsten and her staff at Amazing Adventures Travel for their hard work and scuba travel expertise -- they definitely know their stuff !
And it remains to be seen how it all pans out over there, as I've been warned that the airlines in Papua New Guinea are far from reliable and consistent, with frequent delays and cancellations. And given that they don't fly to each destination daily, that could throw a nice wrench into the picture. But, there's not any other way to get around this region, so we hope for the best. And in my revised itinerary, I have more padding between flights and virtually no multi-connections in any one day.
Uepi
My first destination is the tiny island called Uepi, located in the longest saltwater lagoon in the world: Marovo Lagoon. The island is just 1.5 miles long and 1,000 feet wide, and Uepi Resort is the only occupant of the island, with just 6 bungalows. Very isolated, very quiet, but some of the best scuba diving in the world. The resort is family owned and operated, and gets terrific reviews. I'm really looking forward to this ! In fact, I'll be able to talk with the owners more about the Marovo Medical Mission project, as Rosanna and I have potential interest in serving as volunteers in 2017 for this project. With the revised itinerary after restructuring the flights, I now get to stay in Uepi for 6 nights and 5 full days of scuba diving -- it's going to be awesome !
Goroka
The 2nd destination is going to be a wild one -- the Goroka "Sing Sing" Cultural Festival in Papua New Guinea. It is an annual festival, and this year will celebrate the 60th anniversary over Independence Day in PNG. More than 100 tribes participate in the event, performing extraordinary displays of "singsings" - traditional songs, dances and tribal rituals. Attendance is estimated at 140,000, coming from all over PNG, into a town of just 19,000 people and 3 motels in the entire town. One can see why bookings for this event need to be secured over a year in advance. Looks like something straight out of a National Geographic magazine, and I'm looking forward to "Going Tribal" !
Kimbe Bay
After Goroka, it's time to go diving again, in Kimbe Bay, New Britain Island, PNG -- at Walindi Plantation Resort. Another adventurous day of travel, with 2 flights and a van transport through the jungle and river crossing. Mountain ranges that top 14,000 feet divide the main island of New Britain. The region is occupied by people who have 800 different languages, and cultures that are just as diverse. Just 12 bungalows at this resort, so another small and intimate location. But once again, the appeal is the world-class diving.
Preparations & Safety
Time to get my Typhoid Fever vaccine renewed, and load up on Deet to ward off the hungry mosquitos. Zika virus is present there (as it is in many locations now), but I'm not planning to get pregnant so not too big of a worry :-) . Malaria is not a concern in most of the locations I am visiting, but is definitely present in Kimbe Bay. The article I read in my scuba diving magazine told the story of the reporter's wild adventure at the exact same resort in Kimbe, including his contracting of malaria. So, I'll be on anti-malarial pills for the duration of my trip as a precaution.
The small dive destinations have terrific reviews and will be a treat for sure. Unfortunately, I have no choice but to travel through the larger towns of Honiara and Port Moresby and stay overnight a few times -- that's where I'll need to be a bit more on-guard as these are not safe areas. Honiara is labeled the crime capital of The Solomon Islands. Port Moresby, with its "Raskols" gangs, has the problems of car-jackings, robberies, and stoning of vehicles, and is considered among the highest crime rates in the world by OSAC. For corruption, this country wins awards for 150th out of 176 countries for highest corruption index, and 137th out of 140 for livability index.
Hey, that's great !!! Why again am I going here, you may ask ? ? ? It's all part of the adventure, and you just can't get to these incredible dive destinations and this cultural experience of a lifetime, without going through these rough spots. So, I'll take my precautions and be on alert, and I'm confident it will be alright.
I'm traveling light, and will resist the temptation to over-pack as I always do. Going a little more minimalist this time, to make it easier to get around so much. The local domestic flights all have limits of 35 lbs of luggage -- well, the suitcase empty already weighs 10 lbs, and then with my scuba gear and photography equipment, I'm up to 40 lbs. Still no clothing or toiletries packed yet, for a 24 day trip. They make it challenging. So I'm going with minimal amount of clothing. I figure, I don't really need much, as it's going to be rustic everywhere, and I can buy local clothing along the way -- which is fun for me anyways ! And as they say, turn the underwear inside out and you've got double the use, right ?? ! ! Going Tribal, remember . . .
It was quite a week of nonstop action for me, as I was in an 8 day woodworking class to build these elaborate workbenches. Sunday to Sunday, 8 days straight and 8-10 hours a day, right up to the tonight's departure. A bit exhausting but I learned a lot and came away with a great addition to my new hobby. I am indeed very fortunate to be in the position to pursue my personal interests, hobbies and travels.
I'm really looking forward to the cultural adventures during this journey, meeting other visitors from all over the globe, and meeting local people and learning about their customs. I anticipate that I'll experience some of the best scuba diving in the world. And I anticipate having memories for a lifetime.
So, away I go -- I'm "Going Tribal" I'm at LAX now, awaiting my Fiji Airways flight to Nadi, Fiji and then on to Honiara (Solomon Islands). I hope you enjoy the blog site and the stories, and feel welcome to post comments as you wish -- certainly makes it fun for everyone. I'll see you back here on September 28th.
This type of travel blog has dual purpose for me. Rather than coming back from a 24 day journey with countless memories, pictures and stories to tell, and try to share them all with family and friends at once, it is more fun to share them along the journey.
Additionally, the blog helps to document and organize the details -- those interesting moments, or names and places that aren't always easy to recollect once at home. Why my memory sucks at times, I don't know ! But this keeps everything together, and many find it fun at the same time. So, my intent is to have postings every 2-3 days (depending on internet connections), along with pictures/video for you to follow along if you wish. If you're not interested, please feel welcome to "unsubscribe" and it will remove you from the list without even notifying me.
I'm venturing into new territories for me, the countries of The Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. It's perhaps my most adventurous journey to date, and without a doubt, the most challenging to organize and book. It has been over a year in the works, as parts of the trip have to be booked a great deal of time in advance. The time spent on this one has been tremendous, so I'm hoping and anticipating that it will be a rewarding adventure.
Flights
There are 14 flights involved in my itinerary, ranging from long-haul jumbo jets to prop plane inter-island flights. A total of 45 hours flying time in the air, traveling 20,336 miles. And after securing all of the flights to fit the itinerary, months later, Air Niugini decided to introduce a revised flight schedule that directly impacted a good part of my schedule. Back to the drawing board, reconstructing the itinerary and rebooking flights and dive resorts ! Many thanks to Kirsten and her staff at Amazing Adventures Travel for their hard work and scuba travel expertise -- they definitely know their stuff !
And it remains to be seen how it all pans out over there, as I've been warned that the airlines in Papua New Guinea are far from reliable and consistent, with frequent delays and cancellations. And given that they don't fly to each destination daily, that could throw a nice wrench into the picture. But, there's not any other way to get around this region, so we hope for the best. And in my revised itinerary, I have more padding between flights and virtually no multi-connections in any one day.
Uepi
My first destination is the tiny island called Uepi, located in the longest saltwater lagoon in the world: Marovo Lagoon. The island is just 1.5 miles long and 1,000 feet wide, and Uepi Resort is the only occupant of the island, with just 6 bungalows. Very isolated, very quiet, but some of the best scuba diving in the world. The resort is family owned and operated, and gets terrific reviews. I'm really looking forward to this ! In fact, I'll be able to talk with the owners more about the Marovo Medical Mission project, as Rosanna and I have potential interest in serving as volunteers in 2017 for this project. With the revised itinerary after restructuring the flights, I now get to stay in Uepi for 6 nights and 5 full days of scuba diving -- it's going to be awesome !
Goroka
The 2nd destination is going to be a wild one -- the Goroka "Sing Sing" Cultural Festival in Papua New Guinea. It is an annual festival, and this year will celebrate the 60th anniversary over Independence Day in PNG. More than 100 tribes participate in the event, performing extraordinary displays of "singsings" - traditional songs, dances and tribal rituals. Attendance is estimated at 140,000, coming from all over PNG, into a town of just 19,000 people and 3 motels in the entire town. One can see why bookings for this event need to be secured over a year in advance. Looks like something straight out of a National Geographic magazine, and I'm looking forward to "Going Tribal" !
Kimbe Bay
After Goroka, it's time to go diving again, in Kimbe Bay, New Britain Island, PNG -- at Walindi Plantation Resort. Another adventurous day of travel, with 2 flights and a van transport through the jungle and river crossing. Mountain ranges that top 14,000 feet divide the main island of New Britain. The region is occupied by people who have 800 different languages, and cultures that are just as diverse. Just 12 bungalows at this resort, so another small and intimate location. But once again, the appeal is the world-class diving.
Preparations & Safety
Time to get my Typhoid Fever vaccine renewed, and load up on Deet to ward off the hungry mosquitos. Zika virus is present there (as it is in many locations now), but I'm not planning to get pregnant so not too big of a worry :-) . Malaria is not a concern in most of the locations I am visiting, but is definitely present in Kimbe Bay. The article I read in my scuba diving magazine told the story of the reporter's wild adventure at the exact same resort in Kimbe, including his contracting of malaria. So, I'll be on anti-malarial pills for the duration of my trip as a precaution.
The small dive destinations have terrific reviews and will be a treat for sure. Unfortunately, I have no choice but to travel through the larger towns of Honiara and Port Moresby and stay overnight a few times -- that's where I'll need to be a bit more on-guard as these are not safe areas. Honiara is labeled the crime capital of The Solomon Islands. Port Moresby, with its "Raskols" gangs, has the problems of car-jackings, robberies, and stoning of vehicles, and is considered among the highest crime rates in the world by OSAC. For corruption, this country wins awards for 150th out of 176 countries for highest corruption index, and 137th out of 140 for livability index.
Hey, that's great !!! Why again am I going here, you may ask ? ? ? It's all part of the adventure, and you just can't get to these incredible dive destinations and this cultural experience of a lifetime, without going through these rough spots. So, I'll take my precautions and be on alert, and I'm confident it will be alright.
I'm traveling light, and will resist the temptation to over-pack as I always do. Going a little more minimalist this time, to make it easier to get around so much. The local domestic flights all have limits of 35 lbs of luggage -- well, the suitcase empty already weighs 10 lbs, and then with my scuba gear and photography equipment, I'm up to 40 lbs. Still no clothing or toiletries packed yet, for a 24 day trip. They make it challenging. So I'm going with minimal amount of clothing. I figure, I don't really need much, as it's going to be rustic everywhere, and I can buy local clothing along the way -- which is fun for me anyways ! And as they say, turn the underwear inside out and you've got double the use, right ?? ! ! Going Tribal, remember . . .
It was quite a week of nonstop action for me, as I was in an 8 day woodworking class to build these elaborate workbenches. Sunday to Sunday, 8 days straight and 8-10 hours a day, right up to the tonight's departure. A bit exhausting but I learned a lot and came away with a great addition to my new hobby. I am indeed very fortunate to be in the position to pursue my personal interests, hobbies and travels.
I'm really looking forward to the cultural adventures during this journey, meeting other visitors from all over the globe, and meeting local people and learning about their customs. I anticipate that I'll experience some of the best scuba diving in the world. And I anticipate having memories for a lifetime.
So, away I go -- I'm "Going Tribal" I'm at LAX now, awaiting my Fiji Airways flight to Nadi, Fiji and then on to Honiara (Solomon Islands). I hope you enjoy the blog site and the stories, and feel welcome to post comments as you wish -- certainly makes it fun for everyone. I'll see you back here on September 28th.
- comments
Michels, Steve Safe travels Robert and Rosanna. I hope your trip is all you're hoping for and look forward to reading about it along the way.
rosannah201 Enjoy and stay safe, xoxo!
McNamara, Brian Have a safe trip don't forget to add Dave Lawhorn
Irby, Heidi Be super safe and enjoy!!! Once again looking forward to your blogs. It is always so much fun to share these adventures of a lifetime. dont come home with a bone through your nose or any other stuff that us mainlanders will laugh at.
Gore, Carla Looking forward to seeing the beautiful pictures. Be safe!
Kevin & Marisa How exciting to live your adventure vicariously through you! Have a fun and safe trip!