$35 for a Weekend in Paradise

Behind every good camping trip is a woman, was my face book status this past week.  It is true.  At least in this family.  All the lists.  Purchasing of goods.  Food prep.  Packing.  Three partial days of preparations.  Hundreds of details.  Washing gear that was musty from storage.  Meeting with friends to discuss who should bring what.  Borrowing, various items….because you can’t run to Walmart and buy them.  Yet, I was full of anticipation because I was looking forward to the paradise that I knew awaited us and being with friends.

Everything was so in order on Thursday evening that I was able to drive to the airport at 5:40 a.m. on Friday to pick up Darron and Andrew who had flown all night from Jakarta.  I knew that they were tired and so the weight of this trip was on me.  We had eaten breakfast and taken care of the last minute details by 8:00 a.m……here were our friends.  We were off. Dodging pot holes, or going through them.  Trying to keep the tires on the boards when going across the one lane bridges.  Forging the river.  Then twisting through the mountain jungle pass where the road had been caving away leaving narrow places to pass and blind corners and no where to move over.  For some reason, this is my most favorite drive in Papua.  I LOVE it.  Perhaps it is the beauty of the tropical land, or the simple humble homes, or the people that yell out, “Hey foreigner!”, or the fruit vendors, or the first glimpse of the sea, or the cows/goats/chickens/dogs/people standing on the road or in yards or small fields.  We pulled up to the boat dock.  The men negotiated the price of the boat trip.  The boat drivers are not paid until they pick you up and return you to the dock.  A very important rule.

I was struck at the adventure that we were embarking on as we set off.  3 families, one teacher and a friend of the boys piled with all our stuff in 2 boats.  Only a handful wore life jackets.  I made Nathaniel and Jacob hang onto their buggy boards. (Note to self: add life jackets to shopping list in America).  I was amazed at how rugged the shore line became once we curved around the corner into the Pacific Ocean.  In a short 45 minutes we had made it to the beach, after having to shoot through a narrow coral channel to reach the beach.  The boat drivers had great skill.  Little did we know how much we would come to count on that.

Aubrey, Andrew and Yohan’s sleeping area.  Note the mosquito net strung over the hammock. 

The first task at hand was to set up camp.  Because the main camping area was already occupied we decided to “create” our own “new” camping area.  Which meant the ground had to be cleared.  Then tarps strung up.  Tents pitched.  Beds made.  Kitchen area set up.  Food organized.  Dining area created under a big tarp.  We had brought a big filter to make sure all the water from the fresh water source was truly clean.  Toilet dug.  At last time to play.

Pits were dug.  Snorkeling.  Shells collected.  Talks were had.  Food was consumed.  Laughter.  Swimming.  Coconut tree flipping.  Showering in the fresh water.  Cooking.  Hammock lounging.  Drifting.  SMore’s.  Coral wounds attended too.  Sharing.  Singing.  Games.  Serious talks.  Lighthearted talks.  Catching waves.  Reading books.

On Saturday, I was delighted to see our dear friends the Stubbs arrive in a boat to join our group for the day.  Susan and I are kindred spirits with 4 boys, as sons.  We enjoyed snippets of conversation throughout the day.  Our own boys were just getting ready to go out and explore the coral reef.  Susan had just reviewed the hand signals for danger and explained the risk of the possibility of current through the channel when we noticed Mr. Brady (the school teacher) in the channel not moving anywhere, despite his powerful strokes.  Susan watched him for about another minute before she sprang into action.  Arousing her husband to go rescue him.  I just stood there feeling helpless.  While Susan ran and got the board and ran a life jacket out to her husband as he was making his way out.  Then as I numbly stood there, watching Mr. Brady wave his hands signaling that he was in distress….I see my husband go zipping by on a board to join the rescue.  While I was fiercely proud of him, I was also worried.  You can read his take on the story (his blog is listed on the right hand side of my blog page of blogs I follow).  By now Brian is standing on the coral only feet away from Mr. Brady and throwing him the life vest and then the board, all of which he misses.  Darron is getting closer.  I began to wonder how many lives would be lost today.  Knowing that my husband was about to enter extreme danger.  Forget praying silently.  I was praying fervently out loud.  That God would let no men perish that day.  That His hand of protection would be on Mr. Brady, Brian and Darron.  Darron entered the churning mass with Mr. Brady and managed to get a board to him.  Then within seconds a boat that just happened to be in shore was able to skillfully pull both of the men, out of the sucking whirl.  Meanwhile, Brian was left on the coral.  Yet they quickly went back for him too.  I was ready to do a celebration dance, to thank the Lord for orchestrating the rescue so beautifully.

From the Stubbs being there and brining extra gear.  For a boat being in shore right at that time.  For Darron’s bravery.  For Brian’s wisdom.  For Susan’s quick action.  For the boys not going out and one of them getting caught.  So thankful to God for His provision.

It took Mr. Brady a good 20 minutes for his breathing to calm down.  I was amazed that he had no idea why Darron had coral cuts along with him.  He didn’t even know that Darron had been there.  I believe at that point, he was very close to drowning.  He said he felt like he had only 30 seconds left.  We squirt vinegar on coral cuts, otherwise, they are pretty much guaranteed to get infected.  The treatment always gets yelps from the victims and chuckles from those watching.

Aubrey ended up leaving with the Stubbs at 4 p.m. because he was to be at church by 9:30 the following a.m..  The way the waves were building we were not to sure if the boat people would be able to pick us up in time, so it was decided that Aubrey should just go to be safe.  Every year, a tradition for the 8th grade class is to take them on a “Sneak”.  This is where they are pulled out of school (randomly) for a day and get to do something really fun.  They were going to get to go to a big Papuan soccer game.  Spend the night at a wealthy classmates home.  Eat at Pizza Hut and a yummy donut joint.  Spend school day, Monday, at the beach and riding a jet ski.  I had to tell Aubrey what was going on, but he revealed that the whole class already new.  So much for surprises!!!! : )

We enjoyed the rest of the time.  Darron fetched me a beautiful orchid.  No rules here about not picking.  No one ventured out to snorkel the rest of our time there.

Our adventure was not over.  It was time to go home.  The boats arrived around 11:30ish.  We were all nervous about making it out of the channel.  Now we knew how treacherous it really was.  The waves were churning.  We all made it out, despite our boat engine stalling right before the climax of channel turmoil intensity.  The waves and swells were huge.  We would ride the wave way high, watching the front of the boat rise in front of us and then it would slam down.  Causing me to pop right off the seat a good 2 feet until I found a tight grasp.  At first, Andrew and Yohan were asked to move from the front of the boat to where the rest of us were sitting.  Then it was just the experienced boat assistant riding up front.  Climbing up swells.  Slamming down the other sides.  Who needs Six Flags?  I was screaming with every slam.  At one point the other boat was in front of us.  It looked so small and pathetic in the giant tossing ocean.  I was glad when it was out of sight.  Our clothes became soaked with ocean spray.  My eyes stung from the salt water.  The boys thought it was great fun.  We climbed one very tall wave and then our boat assistant flew a good 4 feet in the air when the boat slammed down.  He quickly moved to the back of the boat.  At last we reached the bay.

My friends Fiona (in pink shirt, she is a nurse midwife) and Christy.

 

Unpack the boats.  Sort all the goods.  Load the cars.  Drive home.  Unpack.  Start the laundry.  Wash all the dishes.  Clean coolers.  Clean the tents and the bedding.  Put everything away.  Go out for supper.  I’m exhausted and yet exhilarated from our $35 dollar weekend in paradise.

 

P.S.  Aubrey had lot’s of fun on his Sneak.  I think the highlight was the jet skis and body surfing with his classmates and NO SCHOOL.