International Womens Day

Today is International Women's Day.  My Facebook 'memories' has been showing events I have organised or attended over the years.  Always lots of purple!

On Friday we had an event at NARI.  In the usual way of events here it was lots of fun but, to my very organised way of doing things, so shambolic!  I was there early to help set up, blowing up purple and white balloons, for an expected start time of 2 pm.  It finally got under way about 3 pm!  I was talking about GEDSI (Gender Equity, Disability and Social Inclusion) policies early in the program and I shortened my talk by about half, conscious of time overruns.  The next speaker used half an hour of her 15 minutes, and the next 45 of her 15!  I had to leave at the scheduled finish time of 4:30 but I reckon there would still have been at least another hour to go.  The talks I did hear were very interesting - gender based violence, malaria and HIV awareness - and the speakers were very good.  It was mostly in Tok Pisin but I can usually follow it.  The pictures here are from the NARI Facebook page.  I didn't get any though I would have loved to have one of me with my colleagues all in our various purple dresses.

That's my grey hair centre front row

So many purple meriblauses

Work continues on.  We did a trial run of my Soft Skills training and are looking at modifications.  I have learned how to make ePubs from the documents I have revised, ready for them to go up on the extension materials website that is also progressing sloooowly!

Last Sunday we had another trip to the forest on the other side of the Markham river.  It's an interesting trip to get there.  The bridge over the Markham is about 100m long but only single lane so you can have a long wait to cross while a stream of cars comes the other way.  There is no traffic light or other system regulating the flow.  You look to see if there is already a vehicle on the bridge and if there is you wait.  It's a system that can lead to dispute as there is no way of passing and if two vehicles end up on the bridge going in opposite directions one has to reverse!

Like on our previous trip we drove as far as we could and then walked.  The road to Salamaua has never been finished but this time we were stopped by an impromptu saw milling operation.  Fence posts were being sawn from a felled tree in the middle of the road, which admittedly was probably impassable anyway.  Unmade roads just wash away during the wet season and land slips close them as well.

Steve enjoyed the birds and insects - see his blog for pictures - and I enjoyed the walk!  The flora and fungi were interesting too.

A bracket fungus

New leaves on a sweetpotato vine

Life on this side of the river is still very traditional.  Houses are simple and made from local materials, canoes are carved from tree trunks and the water comes straight from mountain streams.

I'm sure we'll return again to this place.  Steve's bird list was satisfactory but there are many more birds to see.  We just need to get there earlier - for sun up would be best - or go later in the evening though getting home then can be problematic.

At Lae Main Market yesterday there were some fruits I hadn't seen before.  Tamarillos I know well - my Nanna's sister grew up them in Highett (a suburb of Melbourne) back in the 1960s - and I expected them to be delicious.  Rambutans we'd seen growing on out walk up the hill behind us a few weeks ago.  They're like lychees and very easy to eat.  And very cheap - a pile of 6 for 1 Kina (35c).  The mangosteen was totally new - I had to ask the seller what it was.  I know more about it now - you only eat the white part!   So I had a very different fruit platter with lunch today - a change from mango (now out of season) and pineapple.