- "We're back. I've showered and scrubbed and feel better. The village was an unbelievable experience. It wasn't clear that we'd be staying with them until we got there. They greeted us with all the warriors standing up on their longboats yelling and grunting and banging against the boat. I was overcome. I'll catch you up on the rest next week. The short version is this: that experience with them was the most poignant and changing of the entire trip."
- (Context: When Farrell left on this trip, we sent him with some things to give away to children he would meet: small kaleidoscopes, glow bracelets, hemp/bead bracelets Melissa made and Silly Bands--the shaped silicone bracelets that are so popular with kids here.) "The silly bands, bracelets and glow sticks were a HUGE hit. The kids went completely crazy. Last night when the kids were running around on the pathways waving their glow sticks around in the dark was probably the best moment on the trip. It was sacred to me."
- "I wasn't dry for 2 entire days. I was just soaking wet the entire time. It was particularly bad to lie down to sleep just swimming in sweat. When I got there we had these horrific sago cakes that we choked down. I was pretty sure I could survive on the beef jerky, mangoes and water flavoring I brought. The food got better. The last night we had freshly killed boar and rice that was really quite tasty. I pretty quickly got used to scooping it into my mouth with my fingers."
- (In answer to some questions from Dallen)--"There sure didn't appear to be any bedtimes. But there wasn't much to do after 6:30 when it was dark and no electricity. They speak their own dialect of Papuan. We slept on palm tree mats in a big long house with palm roof and sides."
- "The hunting was rough. The ground never really gets dry. So here I was in my big nice leather boots sunk up to my knees in mud. The Asmat people were barefoot just skittering across the top of the ground, knowing exactly where to step. They ended up having to chop palm branches and lay them on the path so we could cover any ground. They had about 6 of these seriously underfed dogs that went out and checked the boar traps and barked when there was one. That's how we got ours. We didn't even follow them because we were SO slow. They just walked back to our clearing (where the were harvesting sago) with the boar. One of the hunters carried it piggyback (giggle)."
- "The tribe got into this big fight about how to divide up the money the expedition gave them. They are rather passionate. At one point after dark there was a guy out there screaming and banging on a house. Another one was out there with a spear. That really got the village going and it did give me some pause. :)"
- This is taken from an email Vance sent to Kim: "Everyone was dreading another night in the "man house". We ate some boar stew and rice with our fingers and began the business of suffering through the night... At one point Jason felt something crawling on his feet. He looked down to find one of the Asmat men playing with his toes. We're still trying to figure that one out."
- "They butchered the boar right there on the spot out in the jungle. They started 2 small fires and cooked some up (it was good). It was interesting to watch them unravel the intestines, cook them up and share among the hunters (along with the heart). Its a delicacy they reserve for the hunters. (I didn't get any). They also got some yummy sago grubs for us. I passed on them because I was already full. :)"
- (Talking about earlier...) "There were scorpion fish we saw on every dive. If you grab one of those just for fun you'd be dead pretty quick. They hide in the reef so they aren't a danger. We only saw one shark. :( But our group did see a ray that was about 5 feet across. Those are beautiful fish."
- "Yes. Grubs as in big fat worms. They don't have monkeys in these jungles. Just crocs, snakes and these big beautiful birds. (I haven't seen any crocs or snakes). We weren't scared when we saw the shark and ray. Wish they would have stuck around longer."
- "I was overwhelmed when they [the warriors in the long boats] greeted us. It was so loud and foreign. And I was so completely surprised by it. I have a hard time describing how it made me feel. Overcome."
- Vance's email: "As we approached the village in long canoes, we were surprised by dozens of canoes with Asmat tribesmen standing up and shouting in unison. They surrounded us and then as we came to the next bend, another batch joined them. Very intimidating. They took us ashore and into their long house which was over 100' long. Only men are allowed in it."
- "I had just a few extra silly bands and the group I was with all had some so I found these 2 little tiny girls and gave them each 4. They let me put them on and I was reminded so much of Sarah Jane with 8 billion silly bands on her wrists."
- "The break from texting was us having crab and fish curry for lunch. :) I would dearly love to just blink home right now. It's been a great trip and I'm ready to be home with my family."
So what's left? A couple more nights aboard the ship and then they'll be to Timika where they begin to fly back home over a couple of days... Remember the beginning of this trip? 40 hours of travel (25 on planes) and they still had one more flight to go. Uhg. Well, sometimes you just have to buck up and pay the price. :)
Farrell arrives at the SLC airport this Monday night... I quite like the idea of him coming home. :)
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