Daylight robbery

Whether or not its climate change the rainfall has increased in the past month to such an extent that it is falling down in the daytime as well as its legal night-time period. (It already was providing three times as much as we are used to in the UK). Day time rain in Madang is treated as either a National disaster or as Gods way of telling us to cancel appointments and not go to work. Still most of the days remain dry although when taking a couple of visiting Australian visitors to the attractive river cave in the forest at Sein we got stuck on the road despite the four wheel drive so turned back to visit the butterfly ‘farm’ (really just another part of the forest but good place all the same) where again we got stuck but escaped with reduced tyre pressures and without the enthusiastic offers of help from village children (“when we get back from Church”).

The Town Manager, using his highly tuned executive skills has at last found the solution to MULLG’s serious image problem, probably in his ‘Business for Dummies’ book. We will change our name and all will be solved. Not being enthusiastically received in the office but it surely can’t be related to the Councillors’ proposed bonus to his salary to lift it a few grades which move in turn, has no connection with their suggestion that the Manager should find a way to help the grateful citizens of Madang pay them a terminal bonus for their efforts and untiring work since being elected and before the new elections in July.

Ramu NiCo the Chinese mining enterprise in town has now decided what to do with its stockpile of Chromite at their mine. It can’t be sent 130km down the pipe being used for the Nickol and Cobalt cause it is too rough and may break the pipe so it has to be taken out by road. Originally this was to go to the port at Lae, the roads were better than going to Madang and the port was much larger and able to cope. Now however plans have changed Lae port has problems of capacity (and possibly don’t want this potentially dangerous material standing on their wharves so now Madang gets to “benefit” from the business. Seems like 40 trucks with 15 or 16 tonnes of material every day five days a week and accompanied by four wheel drive emergency response cars  front and rear – not that there is any risk but just to be absolutely safe. The port would like the extra business but is not sure where to store the stuff between tanker visits. The town residents worry mostly about the already overcrowded roads and the director of health, with others worry about health issues in th event of any accident.  The Mine’s current wharf at Basamuk is not reliably accessible by road for this quantity of traffic and the much vaunted wharves at the free trade zone up the road remains unbuilt for unknown reasons.

So all going normally, Easter weekend break 

ps Easter Monday lunchtime cycling by the coast down to Madang Lodge for lunch two young men run up behind and pull me to the ground – I hang onto the bike wheel but boy number two produces a knife, not a proper swashbuckling bush knife but a slightly rusty 300mm kitchen things, nevertheless I didn’t think twice before leaving the bike and standing up to pull the cord on my rape alarm which disconcerted them so they just had time to throw it (the alarm) into the sea and make off in opposite directions. Felt disappointed to lose the bike but at least the mobile camera and cash were intact  is this another new improved front page, like hotmail? can't find picture posting thing - see next time !