We are often upset with youths of today being irresponsible and doing dangerous things, but when we were young, didn't we sometimes be silly and break the rules to have some fun? Maybe you didn't but I'm afraid I did sometimes. Here is one of those times.
In 1964 when I was working in PNG, I belonged to a scooter club, Every Sunday we would go on a ride somewhere different for a picnic.We thought it would be nice if we all wore yellow shirts. We couldn't find any in the stores so we bought white ones and dyed them. Not a good idea but that is another story for another post.
This day we went on a trip to Bisianumu. From memory it was the name of a cattle property up in the foothills of the Owen Stanley Mountains. We left Pt Moresby and scootered up the gravel road to Roana where we stopped at the hotel and had some refreshments. I don't remember any other buildings in Roana, it was a good place to go for a drive and a drink.
The road got more narrow as we climbed even further up the range. We finally came to the cattle property. We had previously rung and asked for permission to enter the property to reach the waterfall and swimming hole. We had to make sure we closed the gate after us. We had a friend following us in a VW because he didn't own a scooter.
Finally after the bumpy road ride we reached our destination. The views were stunning. Rugged, jungle clad mountains for as far as we could see. This and the next two photos were a panoramic view from where I was standing.
Behind me there was an idyllic waterfall tumbling out of the mountains and...
dropping over a cliff to the valley below.
A bit risky, but you are right -- we all did things like that, and most of us lived to tell. I do look back and shake my head once in awhile, and give thanks for being here in spite of my carelessness!
ReplyDeleteI think I have to put "swim under a waterfall" on my bucket list!
fun, but glad you all made it out! :)
ReplyDeletei was born a big chicken and scaredy cat, so never did anything dangerous and still don't... but i missed a lot of fun because of that.. it does look like fun. and at that time you were noticing the vista... i don't think i did when i was younger.
ReplyDeleteMy brother encouraged me to do a number of idiotic and dangerous activities but like you I lived to tell the tale. That flume looks like fun but I don't think I would be happy about my own children jumping in for a swim.
ReplyDeleteWow, you are the brave one.. Even as a teenager I was chicken to do something like your flume ride..Unless it was one at an amusement park.. Great photos, thanks for sharing your memories. Have a happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteThese are really good pictures for that long ago. I agree it was dangerous but looked like they were having fun. Love the clothes everyone has on
ReplyDeleteHa ha, I love that story. Yes, probably not advisable but that's the invincible attitude of being young. Everyone has to experience that feeling don't they. Good on you and great photos. Such beautiful scenery - wow :D)
ReplyDeleteyou have such super-fabulous memories Diane. Documenting your accounts here on Blogger are a wonderful way to bring them all back to the surface
ReplyDeleteSome people seem to have a brain switch that turns off memories of what they did as teens and now worry so much about what young people do. Some people have no such switch but still worry about what young people do, as they recall what they did themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe waterfall is fantastic and I would find the flume irresistible.
I note on the sign the signature of the Electricity Commissioner, so the flume must have been for generating hydro power.
I'm glad everyone survived their swim in the flume. I guess that's one advantage of being young -- and invincible. It does sound as if your Scooter Club had a lot of fun outing.
ReplyDeleteI love stories like this one. We all have amazingly selective memories of the crazy things we did when we were younger and I think it's great to write about them now. I love the look of all of you on your (what were then very normal) scooters (that are now so retro and trendy!) and being followed by a VW Beetle is just perfect! Linking up from Oh the places I've been.
ReplyDeleteYes, when you are young you can't imagine there are dangers in life. You feel king of the world. Glad nobidy was harmed,and it was realy fun I think.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful scenery Diane.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun in the flume but also dangerous if left too late to get out, so pleased everyone made it safely. Yes, we all did silly things when young, but it was also fun and different these days.
Fabulous post - but it made me worry even more about my "youngsters!!" xxxxx
ReplyDeleteAnother great adventure! This brings back a memory of a flume I saw in a movie once. Wish I could remember what it was.
ReplyDeleteI don't like people who always complain about the youth of today ! I think they were never young. I had fun in my youth and didn't care about rules I certainly was a nightmare for some elderly people. When I see your pictures I think we had much more freedom and fun as the youth today. Everything has become dangerous !
ReplyDeleteHi there, We are back from ANOTHER trip. This time we were in Georgia checking out yet another waterfall... Check my blog today when you get a chance.
ReplyDeleteHA HA---ME???? Doing things like you all did back in the day to break the rules???? NEVER!!! HAR HAR HAR...
Those views were fabulous --and the swimming did look inviting despite the cold water... Great photos.
Have a great weekend.
Hugs,
Betsy
More amazing photos and you know what when we are young we do take risks and when we are parents we would be worried if our child was to take the same risks as we did.....
ReplyDeleteGreat memories.
ReplyDeleteYou and your friends certainly were adventurous - I must confess I was rather a coward in that respect, and too afraid to break any rules. I'm sure you had more fun!
ReplyDeleteOh when I think of some of the things we did and now I'm afraid of everything :) well heights and small spaces :) You are so lucky to have these wonderful photographic memories Diane, such a fantastic series of images in this post. Enjoyed reading it so much.
ReplyDeleteMy mother startled easily & over-worried everything aloud so I grew up hesitant about doing anything even remotely dangerous & I still hesitate which is frustrating & embarrassing at times, but I can't help it. I was determined, therefore, not to hamper my own children that way - thus I have kids who parasailed, bungee-jumped, parachuted out of planes, rafted down wild rivers & more. I shuddered every time they did those things, but I couldn't be prouder of them & I'm glad I never let them know how scared I was for them.
ReplyDeleteSwimming under a waterfall is totally exhilarating. I remember camping by a waterfall in my youth and washing myself in it. Great photos you've shared, thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou did a good job of photographing that trip. The flume reminded me of the underground river I floated on in Mexico. There were warnings for people over 60.
ReplyDeleteYou were all young, and, as you say, silly .... and lucky. Wonderful photographs, I always look forward to seeing your photographs of PNG
ReplyDeleteYes! Looking back most of us did some rather risky things when we were young. I think that some people may forget that!
ReplyDeleteI am really enjoying these posts, about your young days especially.
Isn't next week's theme about Danger. You could have used that final swim for a Danger post. The landscape photos were absolutely beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI remember as a teenager listening to my elderly grandfather recounting tales which we more than adventurous too! Seemed so strange to hear at the time.....
ReplyDeleteFantastic series about an adventure in a an area most of will never visit.
ReplyDeleteLike the flume, in my younger days, I too would jump in.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh -- that last bit of "adventure" was just craziness. I'm glad you got the pictures! And by the way, this fits NEXT week's Sepia Saturday prompt as well. Two for one!
ReplyDeleteWell I can claim to have been in a flume...but at Wet n Wild...a theme park near where we live. Lots of fun being silly with my sisters-in-law...never would have done it without them.
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ReplyDeleteWell spotted Andrew.
Yes the sign was erected by the hydro-electricity authority.
The water tumbled down massive pipes, not far from the flume Diane and mates were swimming in, to drive the turbines down the mountain at Rouna.
The two words on the sign translate into 'Forbidden'. One was Pidgin English, the other Hiri Motu, the lingua franca of the Papuans.
I think 'taravatu' is Motu and 'itambu' is pidgin. But we've been back from PNG for nearly 40 years so the old memory fades.
Having been in the Solomon Islands recently, I can confirm that "itambu" is very similar to the SI pidgin word "tambu," which means, as you say, forbidden or "taboo," which of course is the word from which it was derived.
ReplyDeleteYeah, wonderfully dumb but fun. Youth lets us get away with so many things that later look so foolish. I would no longer be willing to head out after 9 pm in a snow storm to drive over the Sierra's to to go out to dinner. But in my college days it was just a matter of putting on the tire chains and taking off knowing I'd be fighting a storm in both directions. Stupid. Incredibly stupid. Of course there were cute ski bums at the restaurant so there was reason worth risking life and limb.
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