Contented, we continued along the trail until reaching the gates of Tari High School, the lair of Sister Mel. Mel is a nun, a disciplinarian, a seductress. And for 30 years she has lorded over Tari High, a catholic missionary outpost in the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea. She abandoned her native Cincinnati and nests now among the bird of paradise, the cus-cus and lizards large enough to eat pigs. Tag and I slogged down the muddy trail, Mel's 4x4 tire tracks guiding us on.
Tribal warfare is still common in the region and tensions had been high.
Hidden by overgrown vegetation and mounds of dirt, entrances to small villages peaked out alongside the trail. Trenches concealed by the mounds served as pathways for warriors attacking in the night. Gates of upright logs, sharpened into spears, blocked each entrance. We arrived at a row of massive spiked poles, painted red, yellow and white. The school sat on a square kilometer of manicured lawn in a jungle clearing.