GEMBOGL - FRESH STRAWBERRIES

September 21st 2008

It's pronounced Gembock and they grow strawberries there throughout the year, the most delectable strawberries we have ever tasted!

We were to be picked up from Kundiawa supposedly on Thursday at 12 noon, but had a call to say that the timings had changed now to 3 or 4pm.Then we had a call about 4pm to say the truck was baggerup and the weather had made the road impassable, so they would pick us up on Friday morning instead.It's surprising how calm and resigned one can become when the need arises!! This they did and we had a 3 hour trip on horrendous roads (read tracks) around and up the mountains in a pick-up truck containing several 'boys' whose job it was to act as the four wheel drive should the truck get stuck!John rode in the back (luckily it didn't rain) and I was Lady Muck in the cab (I did offer, but John was playing the 'bigpela man' and wouldn't let me.)

Once we were picked up on Friday it was not a case of off we go, oh no, 'go raun cam back' and then 'go raun cam back' again. This was caused by us calling at all the various stores and the petrol station to pick up people and supplies. As well as eight adults and two children in the back of the pick-up there were 8x24 cartons of beer, 3x25kilo sacks of flour ( for which I was eternally grateful as I was able to sit on them and not take up the usual perch on the edge of the pick-up - does not bear thinking how bruised my rear would have been otherwise).2x25Kilos of rice various bags and boxes of noodles, vegetable oil and 2x25 gallon drums of fuel with tops that did not fit, and a couple of plastic bottles of kerosene. These were not a problem, I sat on some and the children slept on others, it only seemed a hazard when people started to smoke and the cans leaked all over one of the smokers and the kerosene leaked on the rice. But the eventfulness did not end there, the road is in no way a road, it consists of stretches of mud and water sometimes axle deep, rocks and boulders forming the rest and huge rocks littering the edges, which was often a sheer drop of several hundred metres. But further excitement when we had to slow down because of rocks strategically placed or young men standing in the road, this happened three or four times as we passed and the reason was a toll, the guys kept the road OK or that was their story and so they expected some money. The drivers said they wanted 4kina and he always gave them 5 to make sure he was looked after and there was never any ill feeling, so it works.

We arrived at the lodge, which is near Mount Willhelm (4509m).It hasn't been completed yet and we were their only guests.It's work in progress by local lads, in an attempt to keep them from drinking steam and smoking marijuana.It was very basic, though we were overjoyed to find there was a shower which actually spewed out hot water.Luckily, we both had a shower on the Saturday night, as there was no cold water to be had on Sunday morning, which was likely to have resulted in us scalding ourselves, had we tried to shower again! - C'est La Vie!The bed was hardly one up from sleeping on the floor, the bedding didn't fit and it was freezing cold!

On Saturday morning we were offered a guide to take us up to some lakes which are located at the foot of Mt Wilhelm, at about 3500m.It was a terrific climb, but we made it there and back in 7 hours!I struggled going up, at one point I thought my lungs would burst and my legs seize completely, and John struggled coming down with his sore knees, but between us we made it and were very proud of ourselves.The lake was beautiful, as was the waterfall, so it was well worth the effort.

You would think we would know better than to tackle a 'walk' taking 3 hours going from 2,749metres up around 3500m and down again every step was either up or down great for dodgy knees and lungs, but hey ho we did it and enjoyed it although I suffered afterwards with sore knees.

We returned on Sunday morning on roads, which were even worse that Friday, as there had been heavy rain overnight.At one point we were sliding down the road, broadside foremost, but the driver managed to get the vehicle pointing the right way in no time, though I must admit to feeling just a teeny bit anxious when I noticed John's white knuckles gripping onto the side of the truck for dear life!But all was well and we got back in one piece.We stopped at a house on the way, where the boys picked a huge bag of strawberries for us which, as I speak, are now on the stove being made into strawberry jam, minus the ones we've guzzled!

We've almost got some comfortable chairs now!!The base of one chair plus one two- seater has been made for us at the Technical College and collected.However, they let us down with making the cushions, so we've only got the bases at the moment.We bought two mattresses and have cut them up into cushions and we are going to bribe the Home Economics teacher with strawberry jam, if she will make covers for us.The material covering the mattress is pretty horrendous, but by now we really don't care and are reluctant to spend money buying material which is more pleasing on the eye, anyway, I've looked for some and it doesn't exist in Kundiawa, it's all disgusting.Would you sit on huge bright orange flowers on a green background or puce pink on light blue?It would give you a headache!!

The grass around our abode is growing long again and I think we are becoming the neighbourhood disgrace.We contemplated getting a bush knife (machete) and having a go ourselves, though I had visions of John dismembering himself whilst wielding the thing.However, I asked one of the teachers if we could borrow his and he said no (I suspect he had the same fears as me!) but his children would come over and do it for us.We woke up the next morning at 6am to this rhythmic sound outside.When we looked out, there were two young girls swinging bush knives and making short work of our grass!!It was cuppas and biscuits all round!

The school has been on holiday this week, so it's back to work tomorrow with a vengeance.The head is going to Australia for a couple of weeks for a conference and the school is being left in the hands of Mr Notaclue.I fear shambles could ensue!We were due to fly to Karamui on Tuesday, in the knowledge that they have no water there at the moment, as it is the dry season.We would have to have taken our own water to drink and to wash would have been a kilometre trek to a stream. As luck would have it, there are no planes flying into Karamui next week, so we breathed a sigh of relief.However, not to be defeated, Maarten (project manager) enquired about alternative transport and discovered that the seventh Day Adventists had a plane going in next week and whilst they could fly us there, there was no guarantee that they could get us out.So, at the thought of being stuck there for any length of time with no water was a step too far, so we told Maarten we weren't prepared to go and thankfully he agreed. He and his wife finish in October and return to Holland and we are supposed to get someone else in his place.We shall miss him because, although he's a slave driver, he's very energetic, enthusiastic and great to work with.The locals love him too - he's a real 'people person' and very good at his job.

The children say you are enjoying a late summer, long may it continue. Enjoy it while you can. I'm off to bottle my jam.

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