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Day 334: Papua New Guinea By Way of … Australia?
A complicated way to get there, and some reflections with one month to go.
November 30, 2015: Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea — There were no direct flights from Bali to Papua New Guinea today so I had to make a connection … in Sydney, Australia, not exactly on the way! Instead of a quick hop, I took an all-nighter last night, had a layover this morning, and arrived exhausted in Port Moresby this afternoon, too late to do any birding. (At least I saw a couple of common birds from inside the Sydney airport, so it wasn’t a zero day.) I’ve done pretty well with efficient connections this year but just couldn’t get around this one.
It was a little strange to drop into Sydney today after spending weeks in southeast Asia, then be lifted straight onward to New Guinea. Technically, I have now stepped on all seven continents this year, but I won’t really arrive in Australia for another week. First things first: Papua New Guinea! Holy moly! I’ll hit the ground birding here tomorrow.
So, 11 months down and only one to go. How did December arrive so fast? I added 360 new birds in November, an average of 12 birds/day. To reach 6000 by the end of the year, which would be a sweet milestone (and a thousand over my original goal), I’d now have to add 579 more in December (18.7 birds/day), a very tall order even with the bump I’ll get in New Guinea and Australia. I’ll go for it, but whatever the final tally, it has been an incredible adventure. I’m excited to see what this last month will bring!
New birds today: 2
Year list: 5421
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