We were staying on the Trobriand islands; port of call today Kaileuna Island – and more specifically the village of Tawema at the Northern side of the island.

The stop at Tawema was certainly one of the more memorable ones of the whole trip – and certainly the best of the village visits so far. The villagers had put in a big effort, to make their village look beautiful and shine – as we learned, they had spent the previous two weeks, preparing for our visit and decorating the village – and one could certainly tell.

Also the cultural performances were beyond what we had seen so far – with ten groups performing from across the island – showing their dancing and singing – almost as if they were in a competition against each other (well – and they may well have been).

After the performances there was time, to further explore the village, check out the church and the skull cave at the beach.

Back at the ship a big BBQ lunch right on the pool deck was waiting for us – followed by a free afternoon (or in other words – an afternoon at sea), a good opportunity to unwind, relax and process (and that is both the morning experience, as well as the bbq lunch).