- Fremantle and Perth, Western Australia
- On the road to Margaret River, Western Australia
- Rottnest Island, Western Australia
- Back to Broome, Western Australia
- Lacepede Island, Western Australia
- Talbot Bay, Western Australia
- Montgomery Reef and Freshwater Cove, Western Australia
- Hunter River and Mitchell Falls, Western Australia
- Ashmore Reef, Australia
- Vansittart Bay, Western Australia
- King George River, Western Australia
- Darwin, Northern Territory
- Agats, West Papua, Indonesia
- Kokas, West Papua, Indonesia
- Misool, Yapap Lagoon, Indonesia
- Yenwaupnor, Gam Island, Indonesia
- Mansinam Island, West Papua, Indonesia
- Cenderawasih Bay, Indonesia
- Cenderwasih Bay, Indonesia Supplemental
- Vanimo, Papua New Guinea
- Garove Island, Papua New Guinea
- Duke of York Island and Rabaul, Papua New Guinea — and the trip takes a turn for the worse
- Ghizo Island, Solomon Islands and my health situation is still uncertain
- Honiara, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands; a 72-hour pause in our trip; and a triumphant return!
- Dravuni Island, Kadavu, Fiji
- Vulaga, Fiji
- Pangai and Nukupule Island, Ha’Apai Group, Tonga
- Vavau, Tonga
- Apia, Upolo, Samoa
- Aitutaki, Cook Islands
- Raiatea, Society Islands, French Polynesia
- Maroe Bay, Huahine Iti, French Polynesia
- Bora Bora, French Polynesia and end of trip
Today, it was time for a break. Rather than touring, snorkeling, or whatever, today we enjoyed a beach day at Mansinam Island, a large island off the coast of Monokwari, the capital of West Papua Province in Indonesia. Mansinam Island is located on Doreen Bay with a population of around 800 people, overlooking the capital city on the mainland. It is a beautiful island, lined with coconut palm trees along the beach. Today was “beach day,” where everyone could hang out at the beach, snorkel, visit the nearby village, or just lay about. But, as has been the case in each of the communities we have visited, pretty much all the locals, plus visitors from other islands all descended on Mansinam today to provide cultural entertainment for us and, as usual, it was given in friendship and joy. The locals set up a little market with a wide variety of food, crafts, etc. that we could wander through between the cultural acts being performed. For it’s part, the ship set up a pavilion where locals as well as guests could get some sustenance and hydration in the hot and humid climate. We met a lot of people and thoroughly enjoyed our interactions. We actually passed on the other thing we could have done, which was to visit the area where German missionaries first brought the Bible to Papua. Religion has become such a lightning rod lately that we decided we didn’t need to trace that history here on the island. Apparently, the monument with all it’s hammered copper panels is pretty extraordinary, but this was a day to relax; not contemplate. What was interesting was that in addition to the local population, the political big dogs of the area came out to make an appearance. It’s rare when these get these types of visits (only two visits by our cruise ship per year), so they pull out the stops. I understand that the village we are going to visit tomorrow has been preparing for a week! That leaves me with mixed feelings. On the one hand, they are demonstrating the pride that they have in their culture and homeland; on the other, they are doing this for people who are somewhat privileged and may never return her again. Having said that, it was almost like old home week where new friendships and a lot of smiles were the order of the day. Just the respite that we needed!
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
