The lovely Pauline, Bagaman Well, where to start? We are back in Australia and already those azure PNG days are fading as the tasks of being back near home loom large. They are by no means gone, though. Papua New Guinea was the jewel in our 17 month voyage. It allowed us the privilege of entering the real lives of island people, without any of the trappings of tourism. There have been no shops, no restaurants, only the fair exchange of items through trading and the chance to make connections. Beautiful billums for sale at the market in Kokopo From Kokopo and Rabaul we headed South to Budibudi (known on the chart as the Lachlan Islands) where the trading began in earnest. Our three boats were surrounded by canoes from dawn til dusk, plying a few vegetables, coconuts, fresh crayfish, some carvings or the famous bagie (more of them in a minute). In exchange, we gave rice, sugar, noodles, clothing, fish line and hooks. The fresh produce was not plentiful, as these islands are mai
lol welcome home!
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