Tyler and Emily in PNG

Last weekend, Emily and I along with two other colleagues made the trip to Ukarumpa in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. This is a place where the climate is much cooler and comfortable than the heat of Madang. It has rolling hills much like the Smoky Mtns in Tennessee.

It was different to feel cool at night and in the morning. Having a blanket or cover on the bed was odd but welcomed and the feel of socks on your feet was a new experience as well. I can probably count the number of times on one hand that I have worn shoes or socks since returning in January.

It was a pleasant and enjoyable weekend though not long enough as most vacations aren’t. We left Madang Thursday morning and returned Sunday afternoon. The 5.5 hr trip was uneventful despite the 45 km or 1 hr of pothole driving. I only hit one medium size pothole going 115 km, other than that no damage done.

We played games, laughed, and enjoyed great breakfast meals together. Emily bought loads of highland strawberries at the market on Friday morning and froze them to carry back to Madang. The girls enjoyed fruit smoothies during the weekend full of PNG fruit minus the pineapple found in the lowlands.

This picture is taken from Kassam Pass looking back to the Ramu Valley. Ramu Valley is home to sugar and palm oil as well as some cattle. The winding road through the Pass we found a pull out to snap a few pictures of beautiful PNG.