Day 4- August 9th

We all woke up early eager to start the day, especially since we had so much planned. The Port Moresby Nature Park and the National Museum and Art Gallery were on our agenda, and we were glad to be doing something besides flying. We each took turns taking showers some people taking longer ones than others (Jessie). Katelin got impatient and decided to bang on the bathroom door thinking that was going to help.

After everyone was ready, Ayesha drove us to the Beachside Brasserie at the Ela Beach Hotel to eat breakfast at 9 am. We decided to ride with the windows down to let the warm air fill the car. Sarah switched to a different station, mainly because she wanted to dance to the local music. It took a while to get there because Sierra kept dropping the map, and the GPS that we had brought was malfunctioning.

The Beachside Brasserie

Once we had reached the restaurant we saw that it offered tasty dishes from the Pacific Rim. We all ate Beachside Caesar Salads, which were to die for and had the best dressing. Sarah decided on the Battered Fish & Chips, because that was her favorite. We all thought our food was delicious and were glad to have eaten our food in the open air by the poolside. Our meals put everyone in a great mood, and we were ready to start our day. Even though these were typical lunchtime items, we decided that this was fine.

Port Moresby Nature Park (Environment): At 10 am, Ayesha drove us to the Port Moresby Nature Park. She was getting cranky because she was tired of driving, and she wanted a chance to admire our surroundings. We finally reached the park at 10:30 am.  

The Port Moresby Nature Park is the only combined botanical and zoological parks and gardens in Papua New Guinea.The park is

A picture of a heliconia

dedicated to promoting the various flora and fauna found in the country. We saw many types of plants such as palm, gingers, orchids, and heliconias. We had to persuade Sierra not to pick any of the flowers or branches off the trees and plants or take any of the birds home, because she was very tempted.

There were many kinds of animals including birds of paradise and hornbills. Birds of paradise have very vibrantly colored feathers and this made for a great target for hunters. There were also some animals that we had never heard of before like the tree-kangaroo. Ayesha didn't want to leave because she was too busy reading about the habitats of the tree-kangaroo, and both Katelin and Sarah had to practically drag her out of the exhibit. She later told us that the kangaroos can jump up to 60 meters. 

A picture of a cassowary

We learned that the Port Moresby Nature Park was the only place in the world that displayed all three species of cassowaries. A cassowary is a type of bird native to the tropical rainforests of Papua New Guinea. It’s known as "the most dangerous bird on earth", and has been known to attack humans before and in some cases, killed them. They’re distant relatives of raptors and other dinosaurs that roamed the earth long ago, and even show traits that were similar to these ancient animals, like the shape of their feet. They can also be categorized as a type of theropod, the same family that a T-Rex and Velociraptor are categorized as.

The nature park was very different from the zoo's we had been to in the past. We had never been to a place that combined a zoo and plant life to create a park. The experience was phenomenal in terms of the various kinds of wildlife they had there. The different species of birds, mammals, and other animals amazed us with their vibrant colors and weird sounds. The biggest rat in the world even lived there.  It was discovered in 2009 and was called the Basavi Woolly rat. This rat can grow up to 3 feet long!

After looking at the fascinating wildlife for three hours, we decided to eat lunch at the Fusion Bistro. This Chinese restaurant had amazing dishes full of flavor and taste. Sarah ate the Pandan Chicken, Jessie ate the Sambal Fish, Ayesha ate the Claypot Chicken, and both Sierra and Katelin ate the Salt-and-Pepper crab. We couldn't finish our food since we were already full from our breakfast, so we took our leftovers with us.


National Museum and Art Gallery (Culture): Next, we headed to the National Museum and Art Gallery. There were over 30,000 objects from all over Papua New Guinea. Additionally, there were artifacts from World War I post-colonial, and colonial history in the museum. It also held essential evidence on the 50,000 years of human history in what is now Papua New Guinea. The gallery elaborated on the various forms of paintings, arts, crafts, and music.

The Life and Land Gallery

We explored the following galleries: Life and Land, Independence, Sir Michael Somare, Sir Allan Mann, and Masterpiece galleries. The Life and Land gallery had artifacts and records from the early inhabitants of Papua New Guinea. There were also preserved bird specimens and a diorama that showed the vegetation and wildlife of the country. We also learned that the early Highlanders were one of the world's first farmers. 

The Independence Gallery

The Independence gallery had a collection of fishing equipment, pottery, traditional ceremonial and casual dresses, cooking utensils, and musical instruments. This gallery featured a Kula canoe that came from the Trobriand Islands. Musical instruments, such as the kundu and garamut drums were put on display. We learned a lot about the culture of Papua New Guinea in this gallery. 

The Sir Michael Somare Gallery

The Sir Michael Somare gallery was named after the first prime minister of Papua New Guinea. It was opened in 1986 and it shows temporary exhibits. The Sir Allan Mann gallery was named after the first chairman of the board of Trustees. It had important traveling and temporary exhibitions as well.

The Masterpiece Gallery

The Masterpiece gallery has the museum's most significant cultural objects when it comes to religious importance. We saw tall posts that came from the Sepik region that was used to enhance spirit houses. There were ancestral boards that  had come from the Sepik people and beautiful Malangan masks as well. We learned a lot about the diversity and spiritual expression of Papua New Guinea in the Masterpiece gallery.        

We visited all of the galleries, happily engaged in the history, and art. Overall, the National Museum and Art Gallery was an intriguing experience and perfect for tourists who want to learn more about the country's history and culture. 

Vision City Mega Mall

Vision City Mega Mall (Culture): We soon decided it was time for some shopping, especially Katelin because she wanted to bring some souvenirs home for her family. We all jumped into the truck and Sierra started driving because Ayesha was worn out. We soon reached the Vision City Mega Mall. 

The Cherish store

As soon as we reached the mall we were all very excited and rushed inside to the air conditioning. The Vision City Mega Mall is currently the biggest mall in all of Papua New Guinea. While we were there, we visited sports and traditional stores. Our favorite store was called Cherish. It had everything from fashion apparel to backpacks.

 We all bought Papua New Guinea shirts and headed to a sports store named Trophy Haus. This place had sporting and casual clothing. Jessie was looking at the running shoes, while Ayesha was looking for basketball shoes. Katelin, Sierra, and Sarah looked at the various t-shirts and shorts they had there. We spent so long looking around that we lost track of time and realized that we were all hungry. We all walked towards the food court to eat supper.

The Dynasty Restaurant

The food court had many fast food and dining options, and it was hard to choose where to eat. In the end, we ate at the Dynasty Restaurant. We liked the trolley cart that they would wheel around every 10 minutes and you would pick what you wanted to eat. We also loved the Yang Chao and seafood rice. The restaurant definitely satisfied our hunger.

An image of the Ambunti Crocodile Festival on TV

After our delicious meal, we all went back to the hotel and plopped on our beds and turned on the TV. Holiday/Celebration: One channel featured the Ambunti Crocodile Festival held in the Upper Sepik region. Tourists were also seen attending the festival. They were visiting different villages and their spirit houses. For example, the Haus Tamabaran spirit house is located in Tok Pisin. The people on TV were showing the different art styles of the Upper Sepik. The artwork and spirit houses were interesting and definitely beautiful to look at. 

This celebration places a highlight on the crocodile's significance and cultural importance to the Sepik people. The festival also helps to increase awareness about the importance of protecting and conserving crocodiles. The festival is based on various legends, beliefs, and traditions about the crocodile that have been passed down from generation to generation. This is what makes the crocodile significant to Sepik culture. 

After watching the channel for a couple of hours, we decided to end the day and soon fell fast asleep.