Monijin, yu stap gut? (Good morning, how are you?)
Trip Start
Jan 10, 2008
1
15
38
Trip End
Apr 22, 2008
Rabaul,
Papua New Guinea
Thursday, February 21, 2008
As we approached the harbor, a flooded caldera of a large volcano, we could see a volcano (1 of 5) belching large amounts of sulphur. Boulders were flying high in the air, an ominous rumbling filled our ears & the air smelled of sulphur. How exciting! We were glued to the rails watching this activity & I got some magnificent photos.
In addition to being famous for the "rim of fire", this harbor & island played an important part in WW1 & WW11. We tried to imagine 100 Japanese battleships & destroyers anchored here & the swarms of Allied aircraft attacking the ships while trying to avoid bombs & torpedos.
To escape the savage air assault from Americans & Australians, the Japanese moved underground to tunnels honeycombed throughout the hills. These tunnels held hospitals, repair facilities & barracks.
Allied forces finally occupied the area in 1914 but it was later overwhelmed by the Japanese in Jan. 1942. The Japanese established Rabaul as their most powerful base in the southwest Pacific. At its peak, there were 5 airfields, a seaplane & submarine base & 200,000 Japanese.
Mother Nature also played a part in Rabaul's violent history. In 1994, a volcanic eruption buried the entire town of Rabaul under 6 ft. of ash. 50,000 people lost their homes & Rabaul was once again all but destroyed.
Princess offered an $89. pp tour of the city but five of us took a mini van for $6. each. (What an experience!) We drove to the base of the impressive smoking volcano, then to see remains of downed Japanese fighter planes & then walked through one of the underground tunnels.
The Melanesian people are dark skinned with fuzzy hair & are very, very friendly. All chew Betel ("beetle") nut which stains their lips, gums & teeth bright orange. The nut also causes cancer. When I took a photo, I gave the local native a pen & pencil & some candy (their teeth are already rotten). This usually included the same treats for the nearby folks, most of whom were family. I gave away so many pens & pencils & candy, I had to return to the ship to restock my supply.
We walked to a local outdoor market, not set up for tourists. In addition to stalks of bananas, unusual vegetables & Betel Nuts, there was tobacco for sale. Fish were wrapped in plastic. The women were making & selling jewelry made of lovely shells & beads. I asked one woman how much for one necklace. $2.00. I bought all she had.
I was on the look out for tribal masks & shields, maybe even a shrunken head. The men wear a "gourd" made of woven grass, their only item of clothing. The size of the gourd depicts the status of the men in the tribe. Unfortunately, I was told these items could only be obtained in the forest villages so, perhaps next time.
Having gone from the Coral Sea to the Solomon Sea, we are now cruising through the Bismarch Sea. We will cross the Equator once again tonight into the Northern Hemisphere (the Captain says we're going "uphill", which is encouraging). We are enroute to Micronesia, Chuuk ("Chuke") & will arrive Feb. 23rd.
Love to all, Linda
