Over the last week I've been involved with helping the person in charge of a small nursery, which the Fresh Produce market has started up, to supply seedlings to the local farmers. They are having problems with insects eating their plants (most probably Diamond Back Moth) as well as a few problems with their potting mix. Diamond back moth is resistant to most pyrethoid insecticides, in most places in the world, and its been so in PNG for nearly 10 years. Unfortunately the locals don't understand that, and keep spraying (mainly Karate) even though it doesn't have any effect; there are lots of holey Cabbages, Wong Boks and Pak Choi's in the local market. There are three companies selling ag-chemicals here in Kokopo but none have stocks of the most effective chemicals. So it looks as if stocks of Success and Steward will need to be ordered in.
The same problem with the potting mix the locals are using; we need to source some better ingredients. Not sure if appropriate stuff can be sourced in PNG. One of the local companies is looking into it. But the exercise has re-enforced the isolation here; 1500km from Port Moresby. Transport is relatively expensive around PNG. In many cases its cheaper to get stuff shipped from Asia. I'm still trying to assess what is needed and what is available here and what can be done in a practical sense and that the locals can work with after I'm gone.
One of the problems we have been trying to address is barking dogs; we live in a compound with about 10 other houses. Two of our neighbours have a total of about 5 dogs between them. Over the roads also has about 5 dogs. Every compound in the area seem to have some; they are "security" although they hardly ever bark at strangers. I reckon there are about 100 dogs in the immediate vicinity. Often they set each other off during the night. On friday night they were barking on and off for a couple of hours (12:30- 2:30 am).
One dog in our compound is the main cause; I've talked the rental manager and the noisy dog is now put inside the house yard at night, which has helped. Talking to a few locals; they just accept the barking, yet there are virtually no dogs in the local villages. But in the urban area of Kokopo there are thousands, mostly friendly but half looking half starved. I've got an ultrasonic bark preventer coming from NZ, so I'll see if its effective. One thing I don't want to happen is to become sleep deprived; as I don't handle waking at night very well. We were warned that dogs were problem in the pacific but not so much in PNG. We didn't anticipate being woken in the night by barking dogs!
It looks as if the weather is going to be stormy for the next week, with thunderstorms predicted every day for the next 10 days. We had a thunderstorm last night; the thunder and lightening was pretty loud and strong, continuing into the night for hours. The rain was also very heavy, west coast heavy; the rain on the roof was so load you could hardly hear anything else. The best thing is that the next day is usually overcast and the heat tolerable; more like it is in NZ in January.
Christine:
(this part not for the squeamish) very early one morning the dogs were kicking up a frightful din just outside our window. The guard told me later that a very very large cat had strayed into the compound and the dogs had attacked and dispatched it. The locals from the nearby village who had been fattening up the cat, came and took it back for the pot!! When next I feel dissatisfied with whats for tea I will think of said cat and be grateful for whatever else there is in our pantry!
On one of my bi-daily walks to the bus to Kokopo a lady called out from the next door property. She and her friend (Dorcas) earn money working at sewing machines set-up in an old freight wagon. I was invited to come back for a longer chat. Unfortunately when I did go back the lady had gone home to her village for the funeral of her brother. The house-mary from another home was away at a funeral for her father. Life expectancy is very low here (less than 50yrs) even supposing one gets past infancy. Funerals are large affairs and very costly for whole of family members. Dorcas and I spoke about another lady we both knew named Dorcas who was much loved and appreciated by all the women of her town for the clothes she made for people.
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