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The Azmat People

I recently read an article about some exotic destinations, which reminder me of one of my favorite trips – a visit to the Azmat people of the western side of Papua New Guinea.

The Asmat are a tribe that are found on the south side of the western part of New Guinea,  ruled by Indonesia.  The Asmat prefer to live on small islands with mangrove forests, saltwater and freshwater swamp land and lowland rainforest. Renowned wood carvers, their work is collected worldwide – unlike the results from the other skill they have long been famed for, as headhunters. They are perhaps the most famous cannibalistic tribe on Papua.

Headhunting raids were an important element of Asmat culture until Christian missionaries worked hard to convert the Asmat to Catholicism ending the in the 1990s. Headhunting was practiced both for revenge and to complete certain rituals. One of America’s famous sons possibly came to a sticky end at the hands of the Asmat. Michael Rockefeller, from one of the richest families in the USA, was collecting Asmat art in the region and went missing in 1961. Some say he was lost to a river when his boat overturned…some say he was invited to a barbeque… Sadly, he has never been seen again.

We arrived in the Asmat region by small plane from Irian Jaya.  The flight had been cancelled the day before when we had a choice of a plane with a flat tire or one with only one engine.  We decided to wait another day on order to get spare parts.  There were 6 of us, who flew with some live chickens (in cages), and dozens of eggs, waiting to be delivered, all in the passenger compartment of the plane.  The plane itself was missing its passenger doors, but we did have seatbelts.  We flew at low altitude over forest for miles.  There were no roads to be seen.

When we arrived at the airstrip, hundreds of villagers came out to meet us, swarming the grass field and surrounding us, all with looks of friendly curiosity.  Apparently, pale people had not been seen in awhile, and their interest in us was equally matched by our fascination with them.  We were led by the hand to their houses.  They live in thatched longhouses – dark, smoky places on poles above the land, where little sunlight entered through the small open windows.  In fact, it was hard to see the faces of the people living there, but we certainly knew they were about from the clink of the trinkets they were offering to us and the ripe odor of unwashed bodies in the heat.

Once back in the sunlight, we were loaded into long canoes to visit some of the neighbors.  About halfway to our destination, out on the open water, we were greeted by hundreds – literally hundreds of men dressed in their tribal best in long canoes.  Some males had empty coke cans hanging from their noses.  Other had bones as nose piercings, colorful feather necklaces and headdresses made of leaves.  I wish I had taken pictures of all of them.  This was back in pre-cellphone days, when camera film was a limited commodity.  They were moving so fast that it would have been hard to capture most of them so quickly. 

I have been to many unusual places on the world, but the Azmats visit was one of the most exciting “meet and greet” experiences ever.  Some small ships (more like yachts) visit the area on a very infrequent basis, if you are interested in experiencing this remote part of the world yourself.

Burma or Mayanmar

Another memorable trip.  I had always wanted to visit Burma.  Although I did not approve of the political regime in the country, I had wanted to sail along the Irawaddy River, travel to Mandalay and see the stupas and pagodas Myanmar is famous for.

In Mandalay, we visited a Buddhist Monastery and witnessed the assembly of the shaven-headed monks in burgundy robes on a lunch break.  We stood in line, too for a bit of rice in a metal bowl.  The setting was lovely, and peaceful though.

At sunset, we climbed to the top of a temple where there were many young men dressed in sarongs taking in the view, and practicing their English.  The four young men who approached my husband and myself were eager to talk, but shy.  They each tried out various sentences like “Are you enjoying your trip?” and other basics.  The most memorable though was a very slightly built, but tall young man, who must have weighed all of 90 pounds.  He asked me. “Why are you so fat?  Do you not take any exercise?”.  I laughed all of the way home.

Cruises of 7 Nights or Less in the US

Cruiselines sailing from US ports have limited their sailings to seven nights or less based on a directive from the CDC.   As cruise operators move to commercial sailings, initial cruises should be as simple as possible with limited destinations, controlled excursions, and short trip lengths. Once these initial sailings are conducted and internally examined, it may be appropriate to carefully expand operations.  Most US cruiselines have limited their US sailings through October 2021.

In related news, there aren’t going to be any world  cruises in 2021, but many cruise lines are already promoting sailings for 2022 and beyond.

What are you doing this Thanksgiving?

Whether or not travel is on the menu for your family this Thanksgiving, a surprising number of Americans still plan to hit the road for Turkey Day this year, a new study claims.
On Monday, Tripadvisor released the findings from its 2020 Thanksgiving Travel Index, claiming that over half of Americans polled – 56% – intend to leave home for the holiday amid the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. Of those, 75% said they plan to drive to their destination, while a slim 11% said they’re flying to their Thanksgiving celebrations.

“This year, we can expect shorter trips with smaller groups of people for more intimate, close-knit gatherings. Many are taking day trips (24%) or spending one night at their destination,” Christopher Hsi, consumer market research lead analyst for Tripadvisor, said in a statement. “Americans are also continuing to avoid big cities, instead opting for warm weather and beach destinations in Southern states.”

While the numbers are down from last year, travelers are still planning trips during the traditionally busy holiday season, according to Allianz Partners’ Top 10 Thanksgiving Destination Index.  Internationally, for the sixth consecutive year, Mexico will attract more Americans for Thanksgiving than any other international destination, with Cancun, San Jose Del Cabo and Puerto Vallarta taking the top  three spots. In comparison with 2019, Cancun moved up one spot while San Jose Del Cabo and Puerto Vallarta each jumped up by four places.

Poll

2021 is only a couple of months away, and with it brings the hope that travel will return to “normal”.  We conducted an unscientific poll of our 824 Meetup members.  The results:
So we all want to travel - now or later. Pick a favorite destination to go to when we can travel again.
What is your #1 destination post Covid?
Caribbean 17%
Europe 67%
Asia 17%
When will you be ready to fly again?

When will you feel comfortable traveling by air, in the US or elsewhere?
Spring 2021 34%
When a vaccine is available 57%

AVAILABLE TRIPS

Italy & Switzerland

Spain

REFUND NOW

Rules for refunds from airlines and tour operators change on a daily basis, and they have changed dramatically over the past few months.

At the start of the pandemic and when decisions had to be made on an immediate basis,most travel providers stuck to their original cancellation penalties. They did not make any allowance for what was seen as a short lived "crisis": As the cancellations and postponements expanded, so did the thinking on refunds. As of now, there are more liberal refund policies. This, too will change over time.

My recommendation is to wait until the airline or tour operator cancels your trip or changes your schedule, giving you more leeway in getting your money back. Some tour operators are now offering a bonus for postponing rather than cancelling your trip with some adding 20-25% to the amount of funds you have to spend on your postoned trip.

If you are too nervous to wait, and you cancel now, make sure that your reason for cancelling is one that would be covered by your travel insurance, i.e, a medical reason, job loss or other covered reason. Although your travel supplier may charge a penalty, you should be able to recover this amount from your travel insurance company. Policies differ by the state in which you reside, so make sure you check your policy before cancelling.

The latest:news:

How to get a refund from an airline
As of 4.3.20: The U.S. Department of Transportation has mandated airlines  to refund passengers in the event flights are canceled, significant schedule changes or made, or government restrictions prevent flying due to the coronavirus outbreak. The order applies to any flights on U.S. or foreign airlines “to, within, or from the United States.

”
An airline can still provide a travel voucher in lieu of a refund if the airline tells passengers who already received that voucher about the option to receive a refund, updates and clarifies their refund policies, and goes over the new refund policies with staff, according to the notice.

Make sure you know the penalties involved in your program, and ALWAYS BUY TRAVEL INSURANCE.