Where on earth is Kavieng - Not just another story about eels.

I’ve written about tame eels in a previous post during my recent visit to Madang but nothing prepared me for this adventure in Kavieng.

About 85 kms off the town, driving through the very scenic coastal Buliminski Highway lives a woman, a former flight attendant, who has made it her vocation to look after eels, and they’re no ordinary eels. These are giant eels.

In the village where she lived lies a stream with crystal clear waters flowing out into the ocean. And on this stream lived eels. As the stream was shallow, kids and sometimes adults would often play with these eels and maltreat them often pounding them with stones and heavy objects. And in order to protect these eels, she thought she needed to do something.

Slowly she tried to tame the eels by luring them out of their dwellings with food. Several baits were tried until eels developed a liking to a particular brand of canned mackerels. From one tame eel, the list has now grown to almost ten. All of them with names.

During our visit, the lady opened the sardine cans and poured the soup into the water flowing downstream so that the eels could pick up the scent. Slowly, as if on cue, the eels appeared out of nowhere. Some of them were as long as five feet! The lady then fed them with morsels of mackerel straight out of her hands while the eels fed gently. In fact the eels didn’t even seem to mind us touching their slimy bodies. It was fascinating yet bizarre.

My mother and I drove off and headed to our next destination with smiles plastered on our faces. It was an experience that will stay with us for a very long time.