PNG

Our trip to PNG was amazing. I wasn't quite sure what we'd gotten ourselves into at first. The ride from the airport in Port Moresby to the pier where we got on a boat passed through the six mile settlements; a shanty town full of people who made their way down from the highland villages seeking a better life in the city, only to end up homeless and jobless without even enough money to turn around and head back home. I've never seen such poverty in person. Once we got to the island resort, the first thing they showed us was where the toilet was. During the 5 minute walk from the main buildings out to our room, I was dreading making the hike every time we wanted to shower or use the toilet. Nope, we had our own perfectly functioning modern bathroom.

Staying on Loloata was great. We got up and went out for two dives from about 8-12 every morning, then showered, got some lunch, and spent the afternoon relaxing until dinner. Lunch and dinner were buffet style, and the food was consistently good. We mostly took our meals with the other divers, and with trekers staying there before or after doing the Kokoda trail.

The dive master, Yoshi, talked us into doing our advanced certification since we were going to be doing 8 dives that week anyway. I'm really glad she did, but then Andrea and I are suckers for taking classes. The diving was great. Visibility wasn't quiet as good as Fiji, but all the "stuff" in the water is exactly why there is so much amazing sea life to see in Bootless Bay.

which was pretty On Thursday we had a driver from Loloata take us around Moresby a bit, trying to leave with a more positive view of the city. We had a lot of fun touring the botanical gardens, saw the house of Parliament which was quiet impressive, and then did some shopping for souvenirs.

Friday night we left the island and stayed at the Airways to have less problems making our early flight. It was one of the nicest hotels I've ever been in.