First Road Trip

The day after Christmas we set out for our first PNG road trip to Lae. Friends of ours needed a ride to the airport there and we thought it would be a good opportunity to get out, shop at more than just one store and have a little bit of a R&R. So we rented a van from the auto shop, worked out all the logistics for leaving a few days (i.e. the dog!) and off we went.

I will say this experience made me appreciate US roads and highways more than ever. What goes up, must come down...5200 feet down the curvy mountain road, but the view was amazing and I’m very thankful no one got car sick!

The pot holes along the way can be the size of your vehicle...

My law abiding, rule following husband found that there aren’t really any rules to the road. There are no stop signs or traffic signals. There are traffic circles in town and you find out real quick whether or not you’re going in the right direction. If you’re not, just keep driving around the circle til you figure it out! You attempt to avoid pot holes, wrecks and pedestrians. You pass when you want and if need be drive on the median when the situation calls for it.

For those of us who are riding along, you hold on...tight...and keep your commentary on said conditions and situations to yourself. Yes, he IS aware that he's driving on the median and doesn't need to be reminded. (I'm talking to you back seat drivers ages 10, 7 and almost 4!)

We stayed at the guesthouse and it was nice. There is a pool so of course the kids lost what very little interest they had in shopping and found their inner fins.

 

 

I was so thankful for the restaurants we found and enjoyed the break from cooking. We found cereal and real pop tarts, THE breakfast of champions, so that couldn't have made life easier if we'd tried. We even had a double date with friends (thanks to their son for watching our 3!) and ate some great Chinese food one night. 

Since Lae is a port city, there are shops and more variety than we are typically used to. We found some great deals on some things and I learned the ins and outs of bulk shopping. Some items are cheaper, some more expensive. We did score some things I never thought I’d see here...Kettle Brand chips and Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce. Be still my Southern heart. I came ever so close to causing a scene in the store with my excitement, but showed some self restraint for my family’s sake.

Road side markets are a typical scene here, so on the way home we bought watermelon and cook banana (bananas you can boil or fry-our favorite!) As we ate both for dinner one night I completely forgot for a moment that it was the very end of December. Who eats watermelon in December?! Oh wait...we do now! :)

We had a great time and I’m so thankful we got a break from the “norm”, the routine, but it was just as great to come back.