14.02.2023 - Alotau (Papua New Guinea)

In the morning, we saw land on the left and right as we entered Milne Bay. And then we saw Alotau. Anyone expecting a port city would have been disappointed - it is a village of 10,000 souls located below the rainforest-covered mountains.

At the pier, we were greeted by a lively dance group.

At the pier, the 'buses' for our excursion were already waiting - 14-seater Toyota vans without air conditioning, with worn-out seats and a barely functioning door.

The drive took us through bumpy roads in the town. There were masses of people everywhere, or rather, masses of people standing and sitting around. Most of them were children, with an average age of 17 years old.

The first stop was at a viewpoint above the town.

After that, we went to the local market, where mainly food items are sold. Women and children sit in long rows on the ground in the sweltering heat, all trying to sell the same things. It is unimaginable in terms of hygiene and food safety according to our standards. In addition to fish and chicken meat wrapped in foil, counted peanuts, or cherry tomatoes, there is mainly fruit and vegetables. The women are constantly waving branches to keep the flies away. But there are also numerous stalls selling handicrafts, some more artistically made than others.

A nearby monument commemorates the battles of World War II that raged in the bay of Alotau.

After this 'city tour', we drove for about an hour through the countryside to a village where the residents depicted rural life several years ago.

Yes, it is a show for tourists when they dance around in their former war paint and then put on T-shirt and shorts again after the performance. But in essence, not much has changed in their lives. They still live outside of the city without running water, sewage, or electricity, and they sustain themselves with what the jungle and the sea provide.
On the drive, we experienced the proverbial friendliness. Pedestrians are walking along the roads everywhere, and every time we passed by, they greeted us with cheers.

We arrived back at the port completely soaked in sweat and were glad to get back inside our cold ship.




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Weather: about 35 degrees Celsius, feels even hotter, humid, no rain. Very calm sea.