After breakfast and before church Daniel had already climbed up the rope ladder onto the Kleyn's back balcony waiting by the kitchen until his friend was finished breakfast and could join him.
Ben and him were digging away (hopefully not getting too dirty) to try stabilize the ladder.
We headed off to East Boroko for church. The drive was less than an hour, and we arrived feeling relatively fresh still.
Church was fairly full when we showed up, lots of kids were sitting ready.
Another open air church. We got a slight breeze, being situated along a hillside. This was very nice! It still felt hot, but I had my meri blouse on and a bottle of water handy.
The worship service was led by Rev. Kleyn, in Tok Pisin this time. I was pleasantly surprised that I could follow along with it relatively well. However, when we were introduced by the local elder, I could only pick out a few words.
After the worship service we had to introduce ourselves. Unlike last week, we were able to squeak out of being obliged to sing for the congregation. They would have liked us to, but we weren't sure we knew any songs well enough to pull it off. Certainly singing a capella with no music in front of us was something we'd prefer to have practiced! Daniel didn't even want to be in the front, and made himself as scarce as possible while still being up front. Most greetings require hand shakes and other physical contact, and he was hoping to avoid this as much as possible.
Safe up a tree, with a fellow monkey!
I opted to get back to the campus via the alternative route, where the walking is a bit longer than my route in was. Nice to get a different view again. The driving was a bit shorter as a result, as well.
Back at the campus, Daniel is in another tree. This time, seeking mangoes.
After lunch and a rest, we decided to go for a walk around the neighbourhood.
Across the road, a decent sized dwelling. I think this was the piggery across the road. When the wind blows in from here, the smell on campus is not good.
We crossed the river via a suspension bridge. During the most recent flood, the water was going over the bottom of it, and knocked out a few of the "floorboards". And its higher than it looks in these photos. It was fixed again. A lady, who was a local leader or sorts, gave us a guided tour of her neighbourhood.
Lots of big leafy trees were spread all over this side of the river, giving it the feel of a cool park. So lovely!
The leaders seem to have the bigger houses.
There was running water in a central place close to the chief's house. It is piped in from where those distant hills are. Gravity fed, and it's nice and clean, unlike the river water nearby. It's sure a luxury for the community.
Not that long ago some members from the college went here to join in a house-cry. This is what a typical PNG funeral would be, where all family gather and wail over the loss, and where also you can donate things to the family to help them deal with the funeral expenses and loss.
We headed back over the bridge. It sways a fair bit, so not a recommended bridge to cross with a crowd of pesky kids if you are a nervous type!
The cows came as a surprise. Cows are a rare sight in PNG. Recently a dairy farm opened, so now fresh milk can be bought at the supermarket. Just a few years ago all you could buy was tinned milk (which some Aussies seem to use often and not mind/enjoy). These cows are the cast offs from this dairy industry. Being bulls they don't give any milk, and so they are raised here for meat. Buying a chunk of beef was bandied around as a possibility by beef deprived locals who felt eager for a change in diet!
The cows looked a bit skinny, and their pasture a bit dirty, but perhaps it'd be safe enough.
We followed a PMV back until we got back to our main track back to the college. It went through the potholes with ease.
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