10 April 2006
Happiness, pure and simple
Merel, who's homeward bound now
© Greenpeace/Behring
“Welcome to the VIP boarding lounge for all passengers to Port Moresby,” says Simon, who is comfortably chewing some beetle nut, sitting on the grass under the shady mango tree, next to the airstrip.
“We have just contacted the control tower,” he continues, pointing at the boys in the next mango tree, “And they informed us that your flight is experiencing a short delay - of about 5 hours ... Would you like a beetle nut?”
I never really got into the habit of chewing this bitter palm fruit, which, when combined with lime, makes you a bit high (and makes your teeth completely red).
The emergency cards in the airplane are fantastically adapted to this local reality. Along with the instructions saying “No smoking” and “Don’t use electronic equipment”, there is a picture of a spitting man, which says, “No beetle nut chewing” underneath.
“Will you miss the mungis?” Simon asks, laughing. Well, I guess not. But I will miss my morning swims in the peaceful, warm lake, the sounds of the forest as I fall asleep at night, the amazing stories told around the camp fire, the happy faces of all the local people, the wonderful meals we (well, mostly Susan) cooked over the camp fire, the inspiring Sep, and just realizing that you really don’t need that much to be comfortable and to be happy!
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Comments
so Simon has taken to chewing the beetle nut eh it sounds really bad for the teeth i reckon!
ric
Posted by: ric o at April 11, 2006 3:56 PM
Hey Merel! Chewing palm fruit? I'll add it to my menu, send me a recipe :) Take care, g.
Posted by: gillo at April 19, 2006 2:49 PM
