We were up early Friday morning, June 20, so we could get to Brian Bell’s, a general store with a restaurant inside, for breakfast and some purchases before we headed out. We arrive before 8:30, when the restaurant opened, but they went ahead and took our orders for preparation while we shopped. Cindy and I gave Chase PGK10 (10 Kina, approximately $4) as an early birthday present. He purchased something for himself, but also something to share with each of his siblings. We also purchased a pair of fins for me and a mask for Cindy for snorkeling at Lae, since we didn’t bring ours from the States due to weight constraints. (more…)
Archive for June, 2008
Lae to Madang
Sunday, June 29th, 2008Port Moresby to Lae
Saturday, June 28th, 2008
At Mapang Missionary House in Port Moresby, there was a lady and her son from Ukarumpa who were headed back to Holland, but they didn’t have visas. This seems a little odd, but you can’t leave PNG (maybe this is normal everywhere) without a current PNG visa, and PNG is notoriously slow about handling the visa paperwork, especially work visas as required by missionaries. Her flight was leaving at 3:30, she was supposed to check in at 1:30, and here it was 2:15 and no visa yet. Luke, the gentleman who picked us up at the airport, along with someone else, was at Immigration downtown trying to get the visas signed, and we had just received a call at Mapang that Luke was on his way over to pick Cindy and me up so we would get to the airport on time, but they didn’t know if he had the missing visas. They were going out to the airport with us anyway, to be there when the visas were signed. I’m sure many, including me, were in prayer for those visas, and God provided, as when Luke pulled up he said they had her signed visas down at the airport. (more…)
Cairns to Port Moresby
Saturday, June 28th, 2008
On Thursday, June 19, we had an early flight out of Cairns for Port Moresby – leaving at 6:45 AM, so we needed to be at the airport by 5 AM. Cindy had called the taxi company (Black and White) the night before, asking for a 4:30 pickup. Cindy and I were up before 4 AM after a fitful night of sleep, probably worrying about oversleeping, even though I had set the alarm. We got everything packed up, and at 4:30 started down the hill from our room to the Tree Tops office, and saw the taxi waiting for us. I had peeked around the corner a few minutes before and he wasn’t there, so I was duly impressed with the promptness of the taxi at that time of day. A quick ride with a very nice taxi driver to the airport, and we arrived at the international departures terminal by 4:40. The fare was about 21AUD, I gave him 25, nearly exhausting our Australian money supply. (more…)
We are in Ukarumpa
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008Just a quick note, more later. We have arrived in Ukarumpa via Port Moresby (Mapang Guest House), Lae (Lae SIL guest house), and Madang. Wonderful week so far, great visiting and snorkeling. Very interesting ride on the Lae<->Madang “highway.”
Tree Tops, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
After about 35 hours in transit, Cindy and I arrived at Treetops Lodge in Cairns (actually Stratford), Queensland, Australia. The trip went smoothly, no real hitches. Our suitcases weighed in at 48 and 48.5 lbs, so we should be good in that camp until the POM->Lae segment. (more…)
U.S. -> Ukarumpa Itinerary
Sunday, June 15th, 2008Cindy and I leave Chattanooga at 11:22 this morning, flying to Atlanta. An hour and a half in Atlanta and we head for Los Angeles, where we’ll get our luggage from Delta and check it in on Air New Zealand. (We saved several hundred dollars by booking each segment separately; it’s yet to be seen whether it was worth it to have to handle our luggage each time we change airlines.) (more…)
About the Trip
Saturday, June 14th, 2008
Gerry and Cindy Williamson (and Ernie and Lynda Brown) have a child (daughter Amie for the Williamsons, son Charlie for the Browns) stationed as house parents for the Ukarumpa International School (UIS) on the SIL facility at the village of Ukarumpa near Kainantu in the Eastern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea. Along with Amie and Charlie, their five children – five of our grandkids! – have been away from us for just a few days short of a year, as of this writing.When Charlie and Amie confirmed that they were going to stay a second year, after much prayer and discussion the Williamsons resolved to make a visit to them during the UIS winter break starting in mid-June, 2008.
