Greetings again from the end (almost) of the 2nd week here in PNG. This week has entailed some shockers..

Firstly there was the demise of our reg with malaria & pneumonia leaving me and the resident in charge.. and the consultant when he was around. It was a nightmare! Just when i'd thought i'd gotten out of the paperwork type stuff & more into the surgery i was once again back on the wards! AHH! AND i lost the earpiece to my stethoscope leaving it useless, but the whole hospital did get behind me in looking for it... such champions!

Surgery has consisted of more circumcisions, but a heap of orthopaedics this week, and a lot of nasty nasty infectious stuf.. this pic (you can't miss it) is of this Buruli ulcer they have here.. or Mycobacterium Ulcerans... very very nasty and we're seeing it more and more. Its horrible. Family members remember pepe's ears when they were really bad?? Probably not! But it had this awful stench that this stuff has. IT IS THE FOULEST THING EVER! And terribly painful.

On the entertainment front had my first hash run, my return to the wewak golf club, and my attempt at launching a canoe into the ocean... which failed miserably! Gosh the seas get rough here! However.. i have managed to scough down a coconut finally! Even though they are everwhere! I look a bit spaz in this photo but i'm thoroughly enjoying myself let me tell you! I reckon we should have coconut cocktails back home served up in them! They're fabulous! Once u get them open.. u should see the michette type bush knife used to crack this one!

Anyway.. hope you're all well.. can't believe it's only week 2. 2 weeks and 2 rats so far in the good old penthouse ala Johnson. I'm still sleeping with the lights on and one eye open. Just in case. Love to all!