May 2008

I am back at the Royal Papua Yacht Club. I was here a few months ago butfeel like I never left. I found a piece of my blog I wrote during my firstvisit, would you like to read it?

October 2007 Port Morseby, Papua New Guinea

It's good I entered the harbor yesterday because today the wind is toostrong. Yesterday was perfect, sunny, a bit of wind, and even the enginewas working for a while. The entrance to the harbor leads through a hugecoral reef. I strongly advise not getting there at night as the lightsdon't always work and the only thing that helps you navigate through thereef are 2 sticks that reach out of the water, that are hardly noticeableeven by daylight. It's even harder to connect with the harbor officialsvia radio. So I eneded up sailing between reefs, trying to call out tosomeone. While waiting for assistance i was wondering, what is it that wePoles know about Papua and its citizens? Monika Branicka certainly knows a lot because soon she will come here, following Bronislaw Malinowski's pathand bringing engraved stone to Trobriand Islands. Monicka, I send youbest regards and have my fingers crossed! So what more do we know? We haveheard about cannibalism, and that it existed here not to long ago. Interesting don't you think? Almost as interesting I soon found out that every singleperson I met had red teeth and a red mouth. First I thought these peopleneed a dentist big time, second I thought I need to run away immediately! Ok, so this was what I wrote to you last October.

Today Spring has movedto the northern hemisphere. But coming back to the subject of anintriguing land and its people…I was overwhelmed by the Royal Papua Yacht Club’s hospitality and its kindmanager, Brant St. Hill. He sent a motor boat to escort me into the marinaand organized for me all the custom procedures. And listen to this, beforeI had a chance to give away the spring a local TV channel was therewaiting for me. So much for looking beautiful in the media, after 14 dayson blue water J!  And, this was the moment I saw a living sea horse forthe very first time in my life.  It was a welcoming gift for me.  I washonored to put the creature back into water safe and sound.My first guest on board in Papua was Brian Hull, a yacht club delegate whowas living on his yacht “Duck Soup” who brought me to the biggest yachtclub I have ever been – two bars, gym, play ground, big restaurant, etc.My first hot shower and fresh meal. Wonderful.Another nice fellow, Brian Boom, invited me to take part in their localregatta the very next day. So surprisingly fast I was back on the wateragain!

This was how I met Andy Rose, the owner of the yacht I wascompeting on that day. He not only kindly showed me around but also lentme his mobile phone. A telephone in Port Moresby is a very important thingfor security reasons. It’s also indispensible to organize one’stransportation with help of friends with cars, because public transport isnot safe at all. It’s just an example of the many things I had to learnquickly to survive in Papua. I’ve travelled to many countries but I havenever been to such a peculliarland; island of challenges I may say.

It wasn’t long before FatherZenon and Missionary Wojtek learnt about myvisit on Papua from the local news paper. You probably wouldn’t believe meif I said there is about 200 Polish missionaries on Papua. Together wecelebrated the 25th anniversary of Zenon’s mission at Papua New Guinea. Iasked them how  they could tell that they wanted to be missionaries and todo what they do? They replied: how could you know that you want to sailaround the world? I never asked again.I learned alot about Papua, and I want to know more every day. Did youknow that there are about 800 different tribes  and that they speakdifferent languages because each one of them has its own culture? Ifind that very interesting. So they tell me about some missionary stationsin the mountains, in villages where you cannot get into during the rainingseason, places with no electricity what so ever. In such isolatedplacesyou can live through the hell of tribal conflicts. Deadly spidersand snakes, crocodiles and malaria make their lives even more complicated.You may assume there are medications for malaria but in Papua they dealwith medical shortages on a daily basis. Some people never go to the city,they live exactly the same way their ancestors lived centuries ago.

Here to have a few pigs means to be wealthy. I saw a woman feeding her babywith her breast and feeding a small pig with the other hand at the sametime. It’s a symbol of material status. With a pig you can pacify your neighbor, pay for your wife, askgood spirits for better health… Numerous churches, built close to poorlocal people’s houses do not change local peoples beliefs and rites. Somehow I think it’s their way to survive. I overheard a story about howlocals dealt with a patient with gall-bladder problem – they hold himover a shaman’s head moving him vigorously for a while.It happened that I needed a doctor for blood check.  I experienced almostall malaria symptoms: shivers, high fever, bone and mussles excruciatingpain…  I heard I don’t have it… It was so intense I was like knocked outfor two weeks but… I was glad it did not happen to me on blue water – Icould of got infected with malaria in Vanuatu! Do you know how todistinguish a malaria mosquito from the non-malaria one? They say it’sdarker in colour, doesn’t make any sound and when it bites it lifts itsabdomen up. Nice of the mosquito, don’t you think?