Work has been really busy the past couple of weeks, we are going through our budgets for 2012, and having only been with the company 3 months, I have spent a lot of time trying to understand what has been put against my budget over the past year. needless to say, I have foregone blogging to numbers – sigh.

One of the highlights of the last two weeks was our trip into the real PNG, eg: out of Port Moresby. We travelled with two other families (3 vehicles) to a little picnic spot just beyond Sogeri called Crystal Rapids. It was an AMAZiNG!! Journey, which took a little under an hour and elevated us up into the mountains behind Port Moresby, and into lush green countryside. The road was tight and had it’s share of potholes, and we had a map – written on the back of a small strip of paper, that only showed the Crystal Rapids turnoff – not how to get to the turnoff.. :).

We finally get there, and figured out why you can’t go up there in the wet season, it is a clay rutted road – and in the wet would rival some 4×4 courses I’ve seen… But the picnic area is awesome – we arrived very early and paid the K20 per car for entrance and took a dip in the river, had a picnic lunch and marveled at the rugby skills of the local kids, as well as the diving skills of kids diving in the rapids… Awesome!

Crystal rapids, turned out to not be “crystal” but it was a welcome relief from the oppressive nature of Port Moresby. If you go, takes lots of kina – the fruit (pineapple) was the best we have ever tasted.

I have also spent the last 4 weeks trying to get tickets back into NZ at Christmas – our 1st quote was 15,000 kina, and then I stepped in – found the cheap fares and sent them through to the agent. At 9,000 kina – I had done well… Except… They didn’t book them! Then jacked us around, until finally we got our tickets booked but at a cost of 11,500 kina.. Grrrrr – talk about how to frustrate someone! So we are all flying out on the 22nd Dec, arriving in NZ just after midnight on the 23rd, then I fly back on the 2nd Jan with JB and the kids back on the 19th. Really cool, JBs sister has caught the same flights so that will be really good.

We will be glad to be out of here for a while, temperatures today were at 35 celsius, so we are always hot and the kids are always grumpy. X3 doesn’t wear a lot of clothes, and no one wears PJ’s anymore! X2 sleeps in the buff, it’ll be interesting if he does this back in NZ!

Lastly, today is General Election time in NZ. I tried to vote today at the High Commission, but they were closed. I emailed them 3/4 days ago asking when I could vote but got absolutely no response. Thankfully, I had gotten all my info sorted so was able to vote via fax, but JB wasn’t able to. She may have thrown her vote away anyway, as none of the parties appeal to her. But it just goes to show, we are all guilty of being crap communicators!

My tok pisin is getting better, I can now understand a lot of conversations – as long as they don’t talk too fast!

tasol