Port Moresby Conference

For the last few days I have been in the capital attending an HIV/AIDS conference for VSO. Very interesting and informative. Met some great people as well.

The accommodation was self catering and I shared with two National ladies. Accommodation was spacious and very modern but it would have been nice to have been told it was self catering beforehand especially as there was no supermarket nearby! POM [Port Moresby] is renowned for it's rascals [to us thieves!] and so no-one walks anywhere which I found frustrating. Thankfully when I arrived and caught the hotel courtesy bus I met two ladies from Lae and one had been brought up in POM and so they took me under their wing!

We had arrived early the day before the conference [get an early flight as you can well be bumped off] and so they took me into the centre, not nice compared to here, but first they wanted to visit a big second hand shop!! They bought three skirts each so I felt I'd better look as if I needed one as well. Mind you I can see that this skirt will be well used to be honest!! And Amanda it's beige!!!!!! So then to lunch. They chose a fast food place a bit like a McDonalds which thankfully haven't arrived in PNG!!! After lunch we went the supermarket, prices very high and they chose for our "tea" bread, milk, and I insisted on butter [!] so we could make toast. The fruit was extremely expensive so as a matter of principal I wouldn't buy!!! I do wish I had later though!

The food at the conference was good and plentiful [now don't I sound like a typical delegate -food OK delegates are happy! We started at 8am, and at 10 had a ham sandwich and a small chicken thigh with tea, coffee, soft drinks and bottled water. Lunch was chop, chicken, fish, veg, salad and local potato and plantain [they call green banana].

In the evening I went across the road, about a quarter of a mile and no it had to be in a taxi, with Gerard our new Programme Manager. Good dinner.

Unfortunately my flight wasn't until 3:30pm so Saturday was very much a hanging around day but at least ours was the only flight that wasn't cancelled!

And whilst we waited for our meal here in the restaurant, we saw loads of Dolphins right by the shore! AND a huge fish, and I mean huge, was delivered to the kitchen in a wheelbarrow. And guess what, no camera with me! Photos of the conference were awful so only one to see which has the back of my good friend in!!!