We have been in PNG for one week now and have finally gotten our internet access up and going at home. Hurrah! We had a really good trip down here. We really couldn't have asked for better travel conditions. My biggest worry was the luggage. We chose not to send a shipment to PNG, but took all our worldly possessions as excess luggage instead. I was afraid that it would be more then Bill and I could handle alone. (We had 9 pieces of check-in luggage and 4 carry-on pieces) Bill was confident that we could fit it all on to two carts...I on the other hand was very skeptical.
As you can see, Bill was right! In Los Angeles we had to transfer our luggage from the terminal we arrived in over to the International terminal. We loaded up our luggage, each took a cart, headed outside, and walked the 4 terminals away to the International building. Good exercise. We had a 10 hour layover in LAX so had plenty of time to make the transfer!
Once we reached our destination we did some repacking. You have to know how to play the game. (-= Southwest airlines only allows 50 Ibs per check in bag & 15 Ibs per carry-on. However, we happen to know that they never weigh the carry-ons. So we made our carry-ons as heavy as possible. Qantas Airlines allows 70 Ibs per check in bag & 15 Ibs per carry-on. They always weigh your carry-on. So in LAX we shifted the weight from our carry-ons to our check -in luggage. Sound complicated? International travel always is. You need every possible pound allowed!
Now what to do during the 10 hour wait? Well, as soon as we arrived in PNG Bill was scheduled to sit his air law exams so he could get his PNG aviation licenses issued. This was a last minute plan, so poor Bill spent every spare moment frantically studying. Here you see him sitting on the floor because it was too early for us to be able to check in our luggage with Qantas, and there was no seating available in this part of the airport. We boarded our flight for Brisbane at midnight - long past my bedtime. Unfortunately I don't sleep well on airplanes. Bill on the other hand snuggled down into his seat, fell promptly asleep, and didn't wake up until we reached our destination 14 hours later. Not fair!
At last... a decent place to sit and study. During out 5 hour layover in Brisbane we found a quiet corner where Bill could once again study. As for me, I lay on one of those soft leather couches you see in the back ground and took a much needed nap. When I wasn't sleeping I walked up and down the corridors trying to get some exercise and help pass the time.
Here is Air Niugini, waiting to take us on to Port Morosby, the capitol of PNG. We arrived in Port Morosby around 5PM on Thursday. Some where over the ocean on the way to Australia we had crossed the international date line and lost a day. We whisked through immigration without any trouble, collected our mound of bags, then headed for the custom's official. While we had absolutely nothing to hide, customs is always a bit worrisome just because it is a pain to have all your luggage dug through and then you have to quickly try to repack it - a science when you are trying to make every pound count for something. Everything has its specific place so that it will all fit. Trying to remember how you originally made it all fit is not always easy! So it was with great relief that the custom's official proved very friendly and waved us through without opening a single bag. PTL! Roger Millist, the director of Adventist Aviation in PNG was waiting outside to meet us. It was good to see him again, as he replaced Bill 4 years ago. We spent the night at a hotel in Port Morosby so Bill could sit his exams the next morning. It was with extreme sadness that we discovered the next morning that Bill's brother Bob, who was a mission pilot in Venezuela, had gone missing, along with his wife and 5 other passengers. Up to this point in time the plane and passengers have not yet been located. It has been an extremely heart wrenching beginning to our mission service here in PNG. Just like last time... 
After Bill sat his exams we boarded the mission plane for the final leg of our journey to Goroka. (By the way, we found out later Bill passed all his exams with over a 90%. Even with jet lag. PTL!!!)
Yes, Bill and Roger managed to fit all our luggage into the PAC 750. It can carry several tons and believe me, even though it might look like it, we did not have several tons. (-=
Here we are leaving the coast of Port Morosby headed inland.
I have never seen a cloudless day in PNG. In fact, we have arrived in the middle of the rainy season and have been deluged with rain every single day. 
This gives you some idea of the rugged terrain that Bill will be flying over. PNG is part of the South Pacific "Ring of Fire" volcanic islands and is very mountainous.
The scenery is absolutely beautiful. The camera never does it justice. I never tire of the beauty here. It is good to be "home".