Not to steal any fame away from the song Down Under – Men at Work (YouTube Link),
One memory I will most likely never forget… Back in 2011, I was living in Papua New Guinea for a while, mostly in Port Moresby. Made some great friends there, one of them being an Australian, working as a French/English teacher at the international school in Port Moresby. We lost touch after PNG and for the life of me I cannot remember her name but, she was truly “unique”… From what I remember, she didn’t seem scared to take on anything or any terrain, nothing was ever a problem. She had no respect for any vehicle, because it was seen as only a tool to get her (and the dogs) from point A to B. And, she owned two great dogs (Misty and Ouso), that were scolded to in French when they misbehaved. LOL, great times. I found some old pictures of us (and the dogs), walking the first day, “day walk” of the Kokoda Track. As a side note: If you want to read more about the history of the Kokoda Track, click here: Kokoda Track or the tragic Kokoda Track Campaign, click here: Kokoda Track Campaign.
Back to my story… Close to the end of my “stint”, living in PNG, I joined her and her family for a picnic style, Saturday, open air, school concert on a sports field. It was a great evening and a good show, breaking away for the reality of living in PNG and watching the kids have fun. One character or should I say mascot or clown was a kid fully dressed up in a triangle sandwich costume that did not make any sense to me until the song for the final act played on the sound system… Down Under – Men at Work (YouTube Link). He was the Vegemite sandwich and made it known to everyone with his killer dance moves and unstoppable, contagious, enthusiasm. Honestly, “good times” and a spectacle I will (and want) to never forget. The night ended with larger than life close up fireworks (thanks to no H&S) and for a couple of hours I was transported away from PNG, the world and the problems we faced. Back to going on my upcoming trip, I feel a bit like the man from down under and I wonder if someone will recognise my half SA half NZ broken English accent. Nevertheless, I will think of this song and the unforgettable memories we make while travelling.
One other interesting fact to note: this is post number 183. Yes I have been doing Floating Phil for (more) than half a year, which also means that I am 50% through my “gap year” sabbatical experience or whatever this is turning out to be. Daunting to say the least, have I done enough? Hmmm…
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43.5323 – 172.5567
12 July 2024
FP-183
6 responses to “I come from a land (below) down under.”
Interesting reads on the Kokoda Track 🙃
So many pieces of history of the Second World War is buried deep in unnamed jungles or at the bottom of the ocean. Things many people will never know if it doesn’t hit “close to their home”. The war cemeteries in PNG are surreal to visit.
Sulke awesome memories!
Remember what you said to yourself in the beginning of the year..
Go with the flow, take it easy and take the days as they come..
No judgment on if you doing enough.. OK😊
It is easy to say all of that stuff, the execution is where things get difficult. The Hamster loves self-judgment LOL.
You have already done more than many people. Some Kiwis have never gone beyond NZ and never will.
There are Americans (and Europeans) who have never seen the Ocean or sea! That might put things in perspective?
Yes, the world has certainly become smaller in recent years. Travel is made to be so easy and reasonably affordable for most, or the ones that choose to travel. Like you said, many people are afraid to leave their own doorstep.