Madang
We cruise into very protected and picturesque Madang harbor at sunrise. There are a number of houses right on the raised shore reminding me very much of the Florida Keys, and indeed, Madang is a resort town.
After breakfast we take the Xplorer in for a dry landing at the Madang Resort Hotel. Most of us opt for a bit of a jungle walk before making a village visit. We ride a couple of comfortable couches high into the surrounding hills. The houses have changed, they are on stilts and have verandas for good views and nice breezes, they also claim it is an excellent way to avoid snakes… of which nobody ever sees.
The jungle walk was a bit of up and down, but there were plenty of local folks to help us along, although it is a bit disquieting to be helped along by a woman holding a baby or by an eight year old, but they do live here and walk this type of trail every day. In anticipation of our arrival they had cut steps into the steeper parts of the trail, put in hand rails, and even made a small earthen dam on a stream… actually I think some of the kids made the dam once they got bored with trail making. It was an interesting walk with buttressed trees, woody lianas, a few colorful beetles, and delightful people.
After the walk we headed for the shade, the breeze, and our fill of water. Then it is off to Kaipsul Village for a sing-sing. The villagers are very orange. They have rubbed themselves with the fruit of the lipstick plant, Bixa that you might know as annatto. The dancers here are dressed differently than any others we have so far seen… they are wearing tapa cloth. After the sing-sing it is back to the ship, through town, past the fruit bats in their thousands roosting in trees, with a brief stop at a memorial for the WWII Coast Watchers.
After lunch, some of us went to town to look around and most likely shop a bit, while the rest of us went off to nearby Pig Island for water sports. The diving is very pretty with lots of fish and nice colors.
