On my Birthday I got to wake up to pancakes and then a stroll around Rabaul, we saw the museum and Japanese bunkers. A stroll around Rabaul was amazing and it is one of the most interesting places we have spent time yet. Apparently we are lucky to have arrived when we did, as a day before it was flooding and the wind was spraying such constant ash that you needed an umbrella to walk around- perhaps that is what added to the sereneness of it all. We saw destroyed roads, and churches with their crosses bent, plenty of ruins. They have a massive built in stormwater systems which is as indicator of how much rain they get and now it is the beginning of the rainy season. Looking at the lonely planet it has an indication of where all the roads used to go and you can see how it must of been one of the prettiest cities in the south pacific, now it is definitely one of the most interesting! We have been absolutely amazed. I liked spending my birthday in such a special place.

Our quarantine man talked a bit more about the 1994 eruption for us: "people started moving by instinct with no deaths, there was a plan for immigration after the activity in the eighties but when it started shaking with - eruptions earthquakes after less than 5 minute intervals.." he said, "people in town started first to move, it reminded me of pictures of rwanda- everyone with children -at the roadside walking past with all their belongings and everything they own moving to safer grounds... it erupted at 6 o'clock Monday morning - pumice filling the whole bay.. people thought you could walk across the whole harbour which was filled with huge pieces of pumice".

Of course then for the full strange experience in Rabaul a strange "rabid" dog came and bit me unprovoked, I didn't even realise it was there, just minding my own business until a few seconds up to where it bit me out of nowhere. It really shook me up. Luckily someone who the dog may have belonged to or who knew the dog quickly yelled at it, chasing it away as it gnawed at my calf. Only a slight bruise was produced, the teeth of a dog are not that sharp lucky and it did not hold on too long and pierce my skin. Too quickly it happened and I did not really have time to face my attacker. Nonetheless I am definitely a cat person now! I am hoping the dog bite is not an indication of what the rest of my year is supposed to be like.

I got treated to nice strangers buying me drinks for lunch, 'Trade Winds' a Papua New Guinea vodka RTD which is perfectly named for sailors, and held their 21st anniversary key for some photos. Miriam and Anna who are both single mother locals chatted and drank with us and as the conversation turned to Papua New Guinea politics they raved about how corrupt the government was and that the Australian colonials never should have left. I asked about women politicians and Miriam said "No there aren't any because if the women were in politics they would do a damn good job and fix everything" I liked this quote. And these women who were so different to what we had expected from Papua New Guinea. Anna has invited us to carols for tonight!

Later Eric baked me a birthday cake and tidbits, and we went out for dinner at the Rabaul hotel and later opened a very precious and delicious bottle of dessert wine that Pat gave to Eric. It was a fantastic day! Now perhaps people will be less patronizing of my age being to young to be sailing? I mean its crazy how I am starting to think of 35 year olds as young because they are the closest cruisers we meet to our age...

Anyway I cannot wait for tonight, for christmas carols and a french chrismas eve dinner. We have decorations up on the boat, christmas CDs playing and stockings hanging from the cabin top but of course I am missing home at this time.