2. Melanesia
Day 1,000: Wewak To The Future
27.09.11: It’s Day M. As I stand outside Wewak aerodrome on the northern fringe of Papua New Guinea, I dip
Day 1,001: Hey White Man!
28.09.11: When I say the Papua New Guineans are the friendliest bunch of people you’ll ever come across, I hope
Day 1,002: Fire and Brimstone
29.09.11: Righty-ho Graham you great big travelling monkey, it’s time to hit the road. Tony called me out of bed
Days 1,003-1,005: A Weekend In Madang
30.09.11-02.10.11: The Lutheran Shipping ferry slid into Madang port bang on 7am, which was the exact time the captain told
Day 1,006: As I Went Down In The River To Lae
03.10.11: In the morning Mums Singin was good enough to pick me up from Katherine’s flat for a quick tour
Days 1,007-1,013: The Lae Delay
04.10.11-10.10.11: Well I haven’t gone anywhere but by jingo it’s been a fun week here in sunny old Lae. Ah,
Day 1,014: The Village
11.10.11: As I won’t be leaving Lae until next weekend, Alex offered to take me over to Salamaua, the old
Day 1,015: A Day Off School
12.10.11: Jimmy met me in the morning to take me across the bay to the local school. We knew it
Day 1,016: The Land That Time Forgot
13.10.11: Stan usually works out of his office in Lae, but today he needed to go up to his family’s
Day 1,017: The Earth Moved
14.10.11: Friday passed slowly but comfortably, given the odd earthquake. Stan had left in the morning to go to an
Day 1,018: The Morobe Show
15.10.11: This weekend is the Morobe Show, an annual event (now in its 50th year) which started as an agricultural
Day 1,019: Exodus
16.10.11: Alex had told me to keep an eye on my phone for the message to head to the port.
Days 1,020-1,024: The Papuan Chief
17.10.11-21.10.11: Monday was spent at sea familiarising myself with the ship. Swire take their safety seriously: I’m not allowed out
Day 1,025: The Solomon Islands
22.10.11: The Papuan Chief ploughed a course through Iron Bottom Sound: the watery graveyard of hundreds – if not thousands
Day 1,026: The Wake-Up Call
23.10.11: Thomas woke me up some time after ten to tell me that he was going out with Patti for
Days 1,027-1,032: Beyond The Coral Sea
24.10.11-29.10.11: And so I found myself becoming something of a fixture on board the good ship Papuan Chief. Breakfast (which
Day 1,033: The Melbourne Identity
30.10.11: The Papuan Chief pulled into foggy Melbourne town in the wee small hours of Sunday morning. Port Philip Bay,
Day 1,034: The Night He Came Back
31.10.11: Why don’t Aussies go tropo insane for Halloween? I’ve seen more life in a terminal ward. I’m sure there
Day 1,035: A Day At The Races
01.11.11: The Melbourne Cup advertises itself as The Race That Stops A Nation and for once the bods in advertising
Day 1,036: Quiz Night
02.11.11: The hangover wasn’t quite as epic as I was expecting as I rolled off Adam and Simon’s couch for
Day 1,037: A Shot In The Dark
03.11.11: There are certain housekeeping matters that an extreme backpacker like myself must attend to when the opportunity presents: teeth,
Days 1,038-1,040: The Macedonian Wedding
04.11.11-06.11.11: Mand’s mates Damien and Allison were getting married. Allison is a Yank, but Damien’s family hailed from the most
Days 1,041-1,045: All I’m Asking…
07.11.11-11.11.11: This week was mostly taken up with editing old travel videos and putting them online in a kind of
Day 1,046: A Night At The Opera
12.11.11: Did I mention Mandy and I had a music festival to go to? Perhaps I should have, cos we
Day 1,047: Hello Sydney!
13.11.11: Sydney, the capital-in-all-but-name of Australia is a marvellous little sprawl that sits to the north of Botany Bay. It
Days 1,048-1,049: Orientation
14.11.11-15.11.11 The first two days on board the Pacific Pearl we were at sea so I spent them milling about,
Day 1,050: The Isle of Pines
16.11.11: Our first stop was in the French territory of New Caledonia. After getting my fingers burnt with South Sudan
Day 1,051: Mystery Island
17.11.11: How could one not love a place called Mystery Island? An uninhabited island located in the very south of
Day 1,052: Port Vila
18.11.11: As you all know (since you’re reading this and are therefore as intelligent as you are good looking) Port
Day 1,053: This Is The Odyssey
19.11.11: I rose belated and bedraggled from my cabin at some godly hour and headed upstairs to grab some breakiefast.