It is Sunday, September 18th, at the conclusion of the Goroka "Sing Sing" Show in Goroka, Papua New Guinea. I'm sitting at the dinner table with my friend, Ed, and literally my mind is a spinning whirlwind with everything that has happened yesterday & today. Today was one of the best and most memorable days of my life -- absolutely tremendous. I don't know where to start, and have sketched out notes of the many different topics to cover, in order to possibly give you a glimpse of what I experienced here in Goroka. To articulate the whole experience of the last 2 days seems impossible, but I'll do my best !


Photo Album: So many photos to choose from, and thus, the photo album below is larger than normal. Just click on any photo and you can scroll through the entire album for this blog entry. While I'm at Kimbe Bay (scuba diving), I'll work on a video production of my time in Goroka -- you'll see, there's video footage that you won't want to miss ! Trust me !Stay tuned for the next video. . .

Goroka "Sing Sing" Show The annual Goroka Show in Goroka, Papua New Guinea is one of the largest tribal gatherings in the world -- and this year marks the 60th anniversary of the show, as well as the 41st Independence Day. So, lots of excitement, and close to 100,000 people here for this weekend. 100+ Tribes from all over the country travel with their village to perform their "sing-sing" or cultural songs, dances, and traditional dress. Bird feathers, clay painting, beads, shells, you name it -- all extremely ornate and countless amazing sights. One by one, the tribes enter the showgrounds, for the few hundred foreigners and tens of thousands of locals to observe. The first 2 hours was exclusive to the VIP passes, which meant we had our own show for just a couple hundred people and all of these amazing performances to see. Then, the regular tickets are allowed in, and the population increased 10 fold. Then, a couple hours later, the gates are opened up completely, for free admission to the entire city -- and the mass of people rush in, and now there are crowds of people surrounding each and every tribe's performances. A little crazy, but it's still fun, even with the mass of people.

The men, women, and children tribal performers are quite pleased to share their customs and tribal attire, and to exhibit their song and dance for everyone to see. Photos and video are welcome, and they love taking pictures with the patrons. Many smiling faces everywhere. The weather we had went from rain all day on Friday, to a beautiful day of sunshine for our Goroka Show -- still tons of super thick mud all around, but at least the rain didn't spoil the cultural event. I met 2 new friends that morning: Ed, from St. Louis MO, and Juan from Spain. We got along very well, and enjoyed our time at the Goroka Show together, along with our guide Pondo. Ed is also a miles/points enthusiast like me, so we had some stories and travel experiences to share with each other.

With constant stimulation, loud drums pounding, tribal singing from tens of tribes around you in surround sound, and the sights of amazing dress & shows to absorb, it becomes a bit overwhelming and exhausting. They also have 2 telephone poles with prizes attached to the tops of the poles, and the poles are greased all the way up -- first to climb all the way up gets the prizes. And in previous years, they've also had a "catch the pig" contest, by smothering the pig with oil and grease, and letting him run free into the crowds to see who can catch him and hold onto him ! PETA probably doesn't approve, but I can imagine this would be a sight to see ! To polish off the first day of Goroka Show, we visited a village outside of town, and received a tour and simulation/show from the chief and his family. It was a simulated scene of the daily interaction between him, his 3 wives, the 4 children, and the pig. (polygamy is common in some of the tribes). What was funny was that it was essentially a simulated dispute between the 1st wife and the chief, because of the attention he is giving to the 3rd and younger wife -- arguments ensued, but they found a way to make peace and bring the 3 wives back together in harmony. Happy wives, happy life for the chief !! Then, on the 2nd day of the event, the judging takes place and the tribes are awarded 1st-4th place prizes. And this takes me to the 2nd day of the Goroka Show, an absolutely incredible day.

So much to say about day 2, that I'll make this another blog entry, coming shortly. One of those things looking back at the pictures and memories, to realize all this took place in one day. Having an awesome time here in Goroka. Next story, coming shortly . . . get ready to be shocked a bit !