We both awoke at our usual time, feeling quite normal, despite the bizarre last 16 hours or so, thanks to loperamide, generic Aleve, a lot of water and deep, long sleep.
We both trudged up the steps to the lodge restaurant for breakfast, and ate normally. Re the “trudge”: one of the cottage inconveniences is that they are about 300 feet in elevation below the lodge and restaurant, so that a stairmaster session is required for all meals.
While I’m at it, in addition to the 300 feet and the wrong floor bathrooms: 1. The bedrooms are on the upper level so that they get the best view through their huge windows during the day when they’re not in use, and absorb huge amounts of solar energy that they hold well into the night, making them uncomfortable for sleeping, 2. The sitting room is on the lower level, like a half -basement, making it dark, dank and depressing, with very little sun, and almost no view, 3. The cottages have no climate control, so that on cloudy, wet days they are too cold and on sunny days too hot.
All seven of us and the cook were shuttled to the airport. We were let off first at the terminal and the others went to the far end of the field to wait for Sam to fly them to Karawari. We got through checkin and security and made our way to our gate, but then actually got to spend a few minutes in the exec lounge after D discovered its existence.
Uneventful bus class flight to Port Moresby…
where we were met by Reuben – nice to see a familiar, friendly face – and driven to the Airways Hotel. Easy checkin for a room on a higher floor with a better view.
Around 1:30 we were driven by Reuben’s substitute, Mike, to the Port Moresby Nature Park, which turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. It was a well-maintained botanical garden…
with large grassy areas where countless families were spending their Saturday afternoons together, several celebrating something, maybe birthdays.
Plus it had elevated walkways…
that not only gave better plant and bird viewing, but also led through aviaries and vivariums (just learned that word – think aviary for non-bird animals).
And where better for those than PNG?
Plus 4 Birds of Paradise.
Back to Airways for the buffet dinner and catch-up evening.
Dana and Roger Travels 