Madang, Papua New Guinea

A Day Ashore in Madang from the Regent Seven Seas Voyager

Papua New Guinea is located in the Pacific Ocean on the eastern half of New Guinea, which is the second largest island in the world. The mountainous country is slightly larger than California, and much of it is covered with tropical vegetation. The port of Madang is on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea and is sometimes included as a port of call on cruises between Australia and Asia. We stopped over for the day on our wonderful cruise from Sydney to Shanghai on the Regent Seven Seas Voyager.

While in Madang, we did a morning shore excursion to the village of BilBil, where we watched native women create earthenware pots, enjoyed a traditional singsing, and learned much about Madang Province and its peoples from our guide. In the afternoon, we did a boat tour of beautiful Madang harbor, toured nearby Krangket Island, and marveled at the pristine and colorful coral reefs while snorkeling at Pig Island.

I was thrilled to see dozens of the giant fruit-eating bats (also called flying foxes) the island is famous for. I'm usually fairly adventurous, but wasn't tempted to try the betel nuts that the natives love to constantly chew.

Not many North American tourists visit Madang, but the people are warm and open.

Papua New Guinea occupies the eastern half of the island of New Guinea. Papua New Guinea got its independence from Australia in 1975.

Madang has a beautiful protected harbor.

Madang has sugar cane and charcoal factories such as this one.

The Coast Watchers Memorial Lighthouse was dedicated in 1959 to the mostly Australian and British soldiers and civilian volunteers who served as coast watchers during World War II. Many of these brave men radioed the positions of Japanese ships to the Allies from Japanese-held territory such as one of the many islands surrounding New Guinea.

Movie and/or theater fans should remember the Cary Grant comedy, "Father Goose", and the classic musical "South Pacific", which both featured main characters who played the role of World War II coast watchers in the South Pacific.

We were in BilBil on a Sunday, and this church was filled with worshipers.

The runway at the Madang Airport ends right at the harbor.

The women of BilBil make this earthenware pottery entirely by hand--no pottery wheel. They use mud from the village and sculpt, decorate, and sell the pots.

My mom with two of the lead dancers of the BilBil tribe.

Cooking outdoors is a way of life in tropical Papua New Guinea.

Grass huts are made from sago and toddy palms.

Many citizens of Papua New Guinea chew the betel nut, which stains their mouth, tongue, and teeth a brilliant red. It is actually a seed of the betel palm.

Betel nuts contain a mild stimulant, similar to drinking a cup of coffee or smoking a cigarette. Almost everyone we saw in BilBil (of all ages) seemed to be chewing on these nuts. This young girl was the village chief's granddaughter and was quite happy to smile for my camera.

Flying foxes are seen all over the area surrounding Madang. Like other bats, they roost in groups during the day. These chose a large tree near a roadway.

These flying foxes or fruit-eating bats are gigantic compared to the bats seen at home in North America. Their size causes the branches on even a large tree to bend significantly.

These giant fruit eating bats (flying foxes) were a little scary, but their size is amazing. Some even left the roost and soared overhead during broad daylight.

These bats are called flying foxes because of their dog-like face.

This cottage is at the Kranget Island Lodge near Madang, Papua New Guinea.

We enjoyed touring the Madang Harbor and visiting Krangket Island on this comfortable tour boat.