Alarm set for 3:25, I woke up before it – good sleep, since a little after 8pm. We quickly cleaned up, dressed, did a last minute check, and went down to the lobby. Driver waiting, breakfast boxes ready, but we only took one – would be breakfast on the plane. Quick ride to the airport, checkin not open until later so we waited in a large International Departure Hall.
We happened to have business class for this flight, so we checked in at that counter. The agent wanted to see the receipt for the eticket and I managed to find it after some searching – part of my exhaustive trip prep to put it somewhere I’d be sure to find it, and couldn’t.
Unhurried security screening but I had forgotten to put the pockets stuff in my carryon and so it all went into the big tub in a heap and I was rushed putting things back in pockets so I mistakenly stuffed my reserve US dollars in my cell phone pocket. A little panic when I couldn’t locate it where it was supposed to be, but in a quieter moment I found it in the cell phone pocket. Gotta be sure to do that from now on.
We boarded and left on time. The Fokker we were riding in rose rapidly and we were soon getting to cruising altitude, with developing sky scenery.
Breakfast was served and was robust, with a selection of the standards and good juice.
We were soon landing in Port Moresby, immediately noticing the heat and humidity. Very few arrivers, so quick entry (careful document prep paid off) and we were met by our driver, Reuben, nice, middle-aged, exceptionally competent, clearly-well-educated guy.
Five minute ride to the Airways Hotel, billed as “PNG’s leading hotel and one of the most unique airport hotels in the world”. It lives up to the name. We had a room upgrade to a suite on the main floor near the front desk, ultra-convenient. No info on meeting others in our group however – a little concerning.
Dana immediately went off snooping and later texted me from the weight room and then the pool, on the seventh floor. I went up to connect with her and discovered what the “unique” was all about. The hotel is built into the side of a cliff, and the 7th (top) floor is actually on the top of the cliff, with the front entrance, checkin desk, and our room at the bottom of the cliff, and an elevator tower to get from the latter to the former.
The pool looked inviting, and the heat made it more-so.
We paddled around in the pool for awhile – more for the cooling effect than for exercise – and then I ordered and ate a BBG chicken sandwich under D’s disapproving sneer. There were a lot of people in the space, which combined what appeared to be a bar, a couple of restaurants, and viewing deck with the pool. It was just a really nice space.
All of the staff and most of the customers appeared to be Papua New Guineans, and almost all were folks of color. The staff and everyone we met had big smiles and greetings for us, with polite, slightly formal English. It had a really nice vibe, reminding me of the atmosphere of the nicer hotels and the government offices in Nigeria.
Dana got on a mission of finding the name of good friend Judi Barr’s dad on a WWII memorial here. He served in the Australian Air Force and was lost in combat. We hired a taxi to find the memorial.
En route we passed a lot of local folks going about their business, with countless vendors selling what they could along the streets and at the roundabouts. Our driver, Steven, confirmed my impression that there was widespread poverty, coupled with corruption in government – a tragic and common story.
The memorial site was impressive – exceptionally well-maintained.
The white crosses looked to be mostly for unknown soldiers.
There was an impressive memorial at the top of the hill: a double circular colonnade…
with names of fallen Australian and New Guinea officers engraved on the inside columns. We found Judi’s dad’s name there: R.J. Nancarrow.
Back at the hotel we showered and killed some time, and then went up to the 7th floor for an excellent buffet dinner.
We both were tired and Dana didn’t last too long after dinner. I pushed on to finish the previous day’s blog.
Dana and Roger Travels 
Beautiful memorial site. How wonderful for you to find your friend’s father’s name for her.
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