Release Date 9/12/2009

Release Date 9/12/2009

I released this message in Kavieng Harbor while kayaking. Kate and I went for our maiden kayak voyage in PNG.

We paddled out into the harbor and met these kids who were paddling a large outrigger canoe. They were clowning around standing up and stuff, and I think making fun of us. I was going to race them, but they had too much of a headstart.

We went over to look at the house we wanted to rent on Nusa Island. It seems the owners daughter is in it now, so it doesn’t look like that will work out. The house looks ok, but it is in a great spot bordering the channel between the 2 islands. You can see the surf break and the open ocean from the shore where I would build our veranda, which would double as a cigar and beer dispensary. I think we are just torturing ourselves looking at it…

We then got caught in a tremendous rainstorm, it had been drizzling all afternoon, but it really came down. It was the first time I have been cold in this country. There was even a bit of lightening, so we hung-out on the shore waiting for it to stop, or at least slow down. In addition to no warm clothes we also didn’t have any lights. It was just like a trip on the Hudson, without the box wine.

On the way back in we saw a large turtle. This is only about 300 yards from where the guy was butchering and eating the turtle last week, so we encouraged the turtle to go somewhere else.

I went out again on 9/13/2009 and saw all kinds of fish, including I think small frigate tuna jumping near the shore, and yet another large turtle. At one point a big fish slammed into the back of the boat. I think he might have been stunned, since I saw him bobbing near the surface, but he swam away before I could repeat my hand grab move that won me fame and fortune on Japanese TV a few years ago.

It was fairly windy, as I went out past Nago island. This looks like another good place for fishing and diving. There seems to be a large reef that goes on for almost a mile in not too deep water.

We are getting ready to take a trip to Australia on the 17^th for 1 week. Last night I had a dream about eating a hamburger, and I don’t really even like hamburgers!!

It has been very busy because a lot of people from Kate’s organization up in the highlands have been in town for some terrestrial projects they are going to do on New Ireland, and the surrounding islands. The house across the street and our house were totally full of these visitors. We met a lot of nice people, but I’m looking forward to things quieting down.

We had a big BBQ the other night for them. They don’t use charcoal here, you just dig up the yard, and cook over wood. You don’t have to worry about messing up the grass because everything grows really really fast. It rains all the time, and the soil looks like potting soil.

We borrowed a “grill” from the neighbors. Instead of a grill they use a giant flat piece of metal on legs like a square frying pan. They then toss the food and oil onto it. You are supposed to wrap it in foil first, which nobody told me, so I spent an hour the next day trying to get the burned junk off of it. I included a picture. You can see one of the bomb casings in the background that I pressed into service as an alternate grill with a grate for some fish.

Somebody told Kate they sell firewood at the prison, so she went over there and got the prisoners to chop up a bunch of it. The prison seems to have pretty loose security. One day we saw a road crew cutting bush. Imagine 50 guys in their underwear with no shoes, each armed with a giant machete (they call them “bush knives” here). I think that’s why Kate wanted to go over there to buy the wood, and I have instituted a strict no more going to the prison rule.

I’m also including a picture of our adopted dog named Stinky. He is very friendly, but worthless as a watchdog, and yes he does stink.

Truth: There’s always something to do.