Madang

Start here for my introductory blog about our experiences in PNG.

As mentioned in my previous blog a return visit, this time at leisure to Madang occurred in the school holidays. 

Islands from the plane on the way in.

Madang was my idea of a tropical paradise with lots of islands, a big harbour and plenty to see but on a small scale and not developed in 1974 as a tourist resort. Madang harbour is big enough to accomodate large ships as per the previous blog.

Small islet at Madang.

Madang market.

Gail, not in the photo here, still has the basket on the right which she bought at the market.

Dominating the seaside, not far from the harbour entrance is the Coast watchers memorial.

Coast watchers memorial.

From from what I had read before going to PNG and what I can remember at the time this memorial is to the 27, mainly Australian volunteers stayed behind when Japan invaded in WW2. 13 did not survive.

The original coast watchers were planters in the islands producing copra and other things. They provided advanced warning of ships and planes heading down The Slot towards Guadalcanal. They were supplied with radios, food and other equipment usually by American submarines. The battle for Guadalcanal in 1942 was bitter and costly but ultimately the Japanese retreated. The coast watchers saved the day.

We stayed at Madang Hotel which overlooked the harbour entrance.

The following two photos speak louder than words. Needless to say, what and idyllic site. 

Madang Hotel pool. The waiter delivered drinks to the pool edge.

The restaurant. We were warned not to sit under the palms
- falling coconuts can kill.

Cruising around the harbour was the best way to see Madang at its best.

A visit to Siar Island was a must to do. From memory it had been preserved as an attraction with plane wrecks from WW2 still amongst the trees and numerous rusting hulks of small barges which the Japanese used extensively in the islands.

Siar Island

Siar Island

WW2 war relics.

Madang Harbour village

Within walking distance of the hotel was this beach. A coral reef a few metres from the  shore was an added attraction. I did not get a photo of the warning sign at the beach saying crocodiles have been seen here occasionally. The lure of the clear warm waters and the snorkelling on the reef was too good to worry about puk puks (crocodiles).

Teachers Beach

Teachers Beach

After a restful holiday it was back to Mt Hagen to find that tribal fighting had broken out and that there were 6 riots squads of police camped on the school grounds. The Australian Airforce (RAAF) had flown in 100 brand new yellow Toyota Landcruisers which were neatly lined up when we arrived back home.

(The PNG Police Force had a number of riot squads - around 50 strong, around the country with one based in Mt Hagen. At least another 5 squads were flown in a short notice.)

This outbreak was to have big implications for the boys and one of the teachers at the school.

In another blog I will outline a pig compensation ceremony we went to which will help explain the culture behind this unrest.

My next blog is of a sing sing we went to in Tambul, WHD.

School trip to Madang

Start here for my introductory blog about our experiences in PNG.

Whilst at Mt Hagen High School, I was fortunate to be asked to go with a group of students from the Highlands as part of an exchange with students from Tusbab High School in Madang.

There being, in 1974, only one road down to the coast at Lae. Madang is further west  and not connected by road to Lae either. A DC 3 was chartered and a plane load of students used to the cooler climes of the Highlands headed to the hot and humid climate of Madang.

The students stayed in the hostel at Tusbab (spaces being made by Tusbab students going on the return DC 3 flight to Mt Hagen). One important check that was made was for signs of malaria each morning at the hostel. Mt Hagen is too "cold" for mosquitoes and malaria was almost unheard of there.

Mt Hagen students in Madang

The coastal road north from Madang

Several trips along the coast to visit several villages so that we could compare Coastal life to Highlands life were most memorable.

Coastal haus

Side view

Coastal village

Another coastal village

In the Highlands the main cash crops were tea and coffee as well as vegetables for the local market. Cocoa and coconut plantations provided a good comparison of what grows in a different climate. 

Cocoa pods

Local tea and coffee could be bought in Mt Hagen, but alas no local chocolate was available in Madang.

Developing coconuts

Swimming, north of Madang

A new experience  was to be able to swim in the warm seas west of Madang.

Karkar Island in the background

Karkar Island is an active volcano which erupted recently (around Dec 2017). It was steaming away gently when we went swimming here.

Yabob village haus.

The women in some villages along there coastal road from Madang made their own cooking pots such as the one in the photo here.

Cooking pots, Yabob village

Another visit was to take some Mt Hagen and Tusbab students to see a new industry to utilise the tropical forests. I was horrified to see the larger areas cleared of trees to be turned into wood chips and exported to Japan. It was not my idea of progress in 1974 and is even less so now.

Mt Hagen and Tusbab students at Gogol

Loading logs to be chipped

Wood chip ship in Madang harbour

I absolutely loved my trip down to Madang so much that when school holidays came along there was no second though as to where Gail and I would go.

More on Madang in the next blog.