Panapompom - it’s fun to say and what a great name for a tiny island in the Louisiade Archipelago east of New Guinea. Louis Antoine de Bougainville, of the flowering plant Bougainvillea fame, named these islands in 1768 for Louis XV, King of France. This visit was very low key in comparison to the day we just had on Alotau, but was quite genuine and interesting in its own way. As each zodiac came ashore, it was “greeted” by a small band of warriors, shouting and chanting as they stabbed their spears in the air. We were told that this was to let us know that if they wanted to, they could easily destroy us but instead they chose to welcome us to their home. Notice that in contrast to other places, their costumes were made entirely of plant materials found on their island.
After our usual greeting dances, we had time to wander through the village which was spread out along the shore. The houses are raised on stilts and are made of wood and woven palm leaves. There are chickens and dogs wandering all over, and many flowering trees and bushes in the yards and palms waving in the background. It was all very quiet and lovely, and I felt that I was looking at the quintessential South Pacific scene.
Then it was time for the snorkelers to go off to a neighboring island for some looks at a Japanese fighter plane which had been ditched offshore during WW II. It is now covered in coral and is home to large numbers of fish, but one can still see the propeller, the cockpit complete with joystick, and the tail section of the plane as you glide over it. Mike (white hat) took the opportunity to sail over to the island on an outrigger canoe with some of the locals. He said it was quite a ride!
