Sunset Cocktail at the Beach

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I originally had booked a flight around the rock islands; that trip however got cancelled due to an issue with the plane equipment – as such I now had free afternoon, which I used for a bit more relaxation and time in the spa.

In the late afternoon I used the tender shuttle between the ship and the nearby beach resort, to get ashore. Here I made the short walk up to a view point – followed by a beach cocktail (rum punch right out of a coconut) just before sunset time – accompanied by the final cultural performance of the trip – this time showing off Palau’s cultural heritage.

After the performance it was back to the ship – for dinner, last drinks and packing.

Relaxation at Sea

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We had left Papua New-Guinea and were now on track for Palau, covering a distance of 775 nautical miles. This translated to two days at sea – great for relaxation and processing of all the experiences and adventures of the previous days in PNG.

In the morning of the 21st we crossed the equator; this included the traditional visit of Neptun and a celebration (complete with a bite of fish, champagne and a Linie).

Later in the morning I had the opportunity, to get to see the technical internals of the ship during a chief-engineer-led guided tour. The tour covered the engines, the desalination plant, sewage facilities, garbage management and the laundry. It took us more than 2.5 hours and was getting us well below the waterline (and into areas, that other cruise companies won’t show).

Partial Eclipse

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After lunch I made it back ashore. Here I had a long walk along the beach – with a constant eye on the sun – as a partial solar eclipse was about to happen this afternoon. It surely got darker and twilighty (if that word exists). With clouds coming in, there was no way, to catch the eclipse on a photo – however watching it actually worked well – with polarized sun glasses and using the clouds as added cover.

Coming back from the beach, I had another look at town, before heading back to the zodiac landing spot for a final step on Papua New-Guinean soil. Good-bye PNG, I have enjoyed the days spent here.

Madang Sunset

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We made it back to Madang and the ship just before sunset. Below my final impressions of town (of which I had not really seen anything – except for the airport) and the sunset over the bay.

Goroka Impressions

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After our near-retreat at the mudmen, we made it back to Goroka town for a late lunch at the Bird of Paradise hotel (including the option, to try SP Lager).

After lunch it was on to the local market and the JK Macarthy Museum. The latter featuring (next to other exhibits) plenty of historic photos from the region and a mournig necklace made from a human hand (no kidding). From the museum it was on to the modern airport (now with proper security – though I still wonder, how the souvenir arrows and the hammer made it through) for the half-hour-flight back to sea level.