Los Angeles, California

I used to frequent to California but it has been five years since. I was wondering how would the drive be in LA and if I could do it alone? but after 5 mins or so after I picked up the rental car, I was Driving "SOLO" and the radio was playing "On the road again..."

California: One of the most beautiful places for lovers ;)











And most memorable were when my lil sister made the "Dhupi peetha" for breakfast (like Mom used to in winter mornings) and my nephews face with his Batman sunglasses.






The lunch at the "Deshi Resutaurant" was awsome with the good ol threes stoogers. (from Arakansas days in the early eighties)







I always loved California and since George has left the office it was feeling awsome again to be back in the US and California again.

Brisbane, Australia

With last miniute changes to schedule, I was not sure if I could get on the connecting flight from Port Moseby in PNG to Brisbane, Australia. But I was on board. The travel agent did not get the Aussie visa but the lady and the man in the Counter was very helpful. Funny enough the Man started to speak to me in Bangla when he noticed my place of birth in my passport. He was posted in Dhaka in Australian highcomm for 3 years. Small world indeed.







Brisbane, Queensland was very relaxing. The train ride from the airport to Surfer's Paradise was long (1hr 40 min) but when I arrived at the Surfer's paradise station, I knew it was worth it ;) The view from the hotel room was gorgeous, the Pacific Ocean was right out the windows and for the next couple of days, I had an wonderful time that will be in my memory for a long time.







SO WHAT? If I missed "The Train of Life"///
If it is a dream, do not wake me up.






In the Burleigh head the walk and getting lost in the hills, the ocean view from the lookout, lunch at "Oskars" watching the surfers... riding the wave.... made me not to even think about lost luggage, stinky 2 days old clothings and my lost "Bat Sunglasses". And my friend was genourous with time and drove me around town to the Mall to get a haircut and to pick up some toiletries. I was told that I could get a haircut in Goroka but it may make me look like that of Tuna boat's sailor... so I was waiting for 60 some days for the haircut. ...No the haircut in Brisbane did not help much anyway... The princess never kissed me to get me out of my frog curse...LOL LOL LOL

Looting in Paradise

Greed, Envy and Organized religion/s are the roots of all evil.




From "The National"
Madang, EHP shops looted

*Police go on alert as anti-Asian uprising continues*

By PISAI GUMAR
THE anti-Chinese traders’ sentiment that started in Port Moresby and flared in Lae last week reared its ugly head in the Madang and Eastern Highlands pro-vinces at the weekend.
Elsewhere, police in Wewak, East Sepik province, and Mt Hagen in Western Highlands were patrolling the streets to prevent any rioting against Chinese traders.
In Port Moresby last Friday, acting Prime Minister Dr Puka Temu had instructed police to immediately investigate the incidents and deal with the ring leaders (see accompanying story).
He had also instructed the Department of Commerce and Industry to investigate claims that a number of the Chinese shops hit were operating illegally.
Four Chinese-owned shops in Goroka were emptied of goods and an undisclosed amount of cash in a nasty Sunday reveille when men, women and children ran riot at 6.30am.
At the gateway to the Eastern Highlands, Kainantu, the atmosphere was palpable but nothing happened as police kept a close tab.

Thank God it is Sunday in Goroka

Instead of at 7 a.m. everyday to work, I go to work at 9:00 a.m. on Sunday;but the neighbor's Rooster/s does not care that it is Sunday. So he started to crow again as usual at 3 a.m. Well I started to wonder how good it will be to BBQ him next Sunday.

And the smoke detector battery must have gone flat & it keeps on beeping every so many minutes..and the rooster crowing at 3 a.m. in the morning; And I keep on dreaming (or at least try dreaming) a green island in the middle of a blue ocean....

Power failure happened a few times for an hour or so each time last night.But since the weather here is perpetual spring and no mosquitos, so it did not bother much.

Candle light and no TV is good some time; after all how much BBC autralia one can watch? it seems to repeat every 30 minutes. (well out of five channels we get here, one is BBC Australia, 3 channels I do not know from where, but all they show is Rugby..and the last one is an Indonesian channel! that on Sunday shows Hindi movies in some foreign to me language)

This morning on the way to work I noticed hundreds of people by the airport terminal, which is almost next door to us. I heard in PNG, when tribal fight breaks off, if you pass by, they stop and let you pass by and then start to fight again. They are very civilized in that sense. And when they fight, if you hurt one of their tribe man, they will hurt only one of yours. Just like the good old days tooth for a tooth, eye for an eye, not like G.W Bush- take over the whole country and kill millions when he thinks (or his CIA thinks) the country "might" have the weapon of mass destruction.

At work since the generator does not turn on automatic any more (after all, it is 20 some years old) the whole computer system was messed up last night due to long power falilures and surges. Email is down, inventory system is down, our engineers could not locate new parts needed for two helicopters that needs to be out tomorrow. The water pump was stolen last week (third time this year) under the nose of five guards so no water either. But thank GOD interent works !!!

Well well well. then the power goes off again this morning and we manually get the generator back on. A friend (expat Bangladeshi) whom I have recently met and he works here for Save the Children, called to say be careful as a riot has just broken off in town this morning and the mob are looting Indonesian, Malaysian, Chinese owned shops a spill over from what happened in LAE last week. I read in "The National" on Friday that mob attacked those stores beacuse Chinese are selling Cheap stuff. Well may be Macys and Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth avenue should move to PNG; but they buy cheap chinese stuff too.. Humn !!May be the Germans could move in to PNG and sell mercedes/ bmw quality consumeables...

May be Americans should follow the PNG.. and all economic crisis in America will be over. But then what is going to happen to Wal-Mart? Well it is Sunday and who cares, I have enough problem on my plate then worry about the Global issues. I do not want to become another Sunday Globalista like the old days.. Sunday Communista.

The Governor calls to say a riot broke off in town, so to be careful not to be out of compound for next couple of hours at least, and use the back road. The police is not in his control as it is managed by the Federal Government (Humn interesting!!)

Dave Chin shows up with his family as he was flying out to POM and his family could not get back home from the airport as both front and back road is blocked. Our new engineer Keith from Australia asks if we should go to store and buy some Machete, but Glenn our Canadian Engineer says, well they are looting the store you may not find any left on the shelves. Does Germans make Machete? If buying cheap chinese stuff is NOT ok.. Looting may be?.....

This morning we have 3 crew members going back on holidays (as known here the 28 day off schedule, and when here for work for 28 days, it is known as on tour) via POM (the capital) and we are only connected via Air with POM. And One new crew member is coming in from POM. So we decide to get on the runway & to drive them down to the plane and drop off and pick up, after all we are sitting next to the runway ;)
Well when & if the plane arrives !!!

Air Nuguinea may not come at all today. No not because of the riot. They only come when or if they want to come…. LOL LOL LOL

Well all this has happened by 10 a.m. But WE STILL HAVE REST OF THE SUNDAY....

Oh! I am heading back North to Canada next Sunday & will stop at Gold Coast Australia and California on the way to Toronto to see my boys and Dad and Sis.

Here are few pictures from the past Sundays:




VIPs in Goroka






In the Hanger with Hon. Govorner Mal Smith Kella, who has been a helicopter pilot for
most his life and he still flys.




Barry Ball our Engineer has been fixing helicopters for the past 30 years in PNG is fixing his gear for the Sunday evening fight ;)





There is little BOY within every grown MAN.










Work never stops at Pacific helicopters, 365 days a year even on a SUNDAY







Fresh Rojoni Gondha from Lilly





The awasome grilled Tuna burger, fresh from Madang, PNG at the Pacific Lodge





I would never think I will meet a Bangladeshi here in Goroka, and Shutki, Macch, Daal, and Bhat...in Goroka !!







The Pacfic Crew Sunday BBQ party:










SE ASIA ExPat Community Mother's day celebration. People from Myanmar, Malaysia, India, Srilanka working in Univ, Govt. NGO and Gold diggers ;)

On the way to a GOLD mine in Gussap

If you take all the GOLD that ever existed in this world, and melt them a large block/s can you imagine how big that will be (how many sears towers? or empire state buildings)See below for the answer:


To Gussap:



Beautiful PNG




Active Gold Mine:






If you took all the Gold in this world ever existed and melted them, they will only fill two Olympic size swimming pool. To extract an ounce of GOLD in PNG its costs the mining company around USD 450, So now you know why Gold is so precious !!

sing sing Morning & the Pakhi-wala

It was very gracious of Mal and Nicole to let me know in the morning that a
"sing sing" is taking place near the airport to welcome some special guests. And I had an awsome experience...


THE SING SING ..



THE FACE



THE DANCE TROOP



THE ASERO MUD MAN (EHP)



THE BIRD MAN (O!Pakhi-wala.a.a.a. have you seen Achin-Pakhi?)



THE CHIMBU MAN



AND MORE SING SING



AND MORE DANCING



AND THE TROOP



AND THE CHIMBU MAN



CHIMBU MAN & the CHIMBU WOMAN.

.. Chimbo maannn... chimbo maannn...
O ! Chumbu mannnn...Chmbu mannn O ! Chumbu maannn
......

The weekend open market - Goroka

I was thinking about going to the open market today (Saturday) and then it just happen that Nicole and Lawrence who has been living here for a few years called to say they are going to the open market and if I want to come.. Ofcourse I said and thank you...