(From the New Hope Gazette.)
With backpacks and maps, Barb and Pete Peterson and their five-year-old son Wynn left Buckingham in 1992, for a nine-month trip to the Pacific Rim.
Their plan was to tour the South Pacific from New Zealand to the coast of China, stopping for several months at a time at various spots, taking in the sights and sending Wynn to local schools.
Their first stop was Fiji, where their flight landed on Traveuni Islands dirt-strip air field.
At Susie's Plantation they rented a "bure," a grass root hut with a straw roof. Wynn went to the local school in the mornings. After snorkeling and hiking, his classmates visited in the evenings, crawling under his mosquito netting while they sat on his bed.
On to New Zealand, where the Petersons toured the North and South Islands for two months, mostly by car, but a few days were spend tramping the islands' hiking trails. Though their stomaches ached from bumping over the rough terrain, the rewards were spectacular views of the sea from the hills.
To Barb the vistas of beaches reminded her of scenes from the recent movie, "The Piano". Country fairs and farms dotted the rolling countryside, sheep grazed in open pastures.
"Sheep outnumbered the human population at least for two to one," Barb said.
From Christchurch on the South Island they flew to Sydney, Australia, for some quick Christmas shopping and then on to their holiday destination, an apartment on a dairy farm at Launceston, Tasmania.
In the early 19th century, Great Britain sent her most violent prisoners to Tasmania, a lush land of farms. Today commercial fishing dominates the bays where salmon, trout and Malaysian prawns are raised in pens. Queenstown, on the western shore, is famed for its wild white water rides.
Australia, also founded as a penal colony in the days of Empire, brought new challenges to the American travelers. Across this vast continent the Persons used inexpensive air and rail tickets to visit cities and small towns.
Avoiding the stifling heat of Adelaide, which hit 115 degrees on the beaches, they flew to Ayers Rock in the heart of the continent. The red sand in the central desert startled Wynn, who thought all sand was yellow, like the Jersey beaches.
Nearby, close to the MacDonnell Ranges, was the unusual town of Alice Springs. Staying there for a few days, the Petersons took a guided tour of what appeared to be a moonscape in the land.
At the town's center stand high tech hotels surrounded by hovels which house the semi-nomadic aborigines. Impoverish and stripped of their tribal lands, the aborigines maintain their culture through their art, performing dances.
Much to his delight, the tribal elders painted Wynn's body when he joined their dances. The Petersons noted that the Australian government treated the native tribes much as we treated American Indians.
Perth is half a continent away, on the Indian Ocean, the sailing capitol of the world. The Petersons joined other tourists surfing and dolphin watching.
Expensive as American tourist spots are, finding a room in Perth for $80 of $90 a night became a challenge. Staying a short time, the Petersons visited nearby Freemantle, which reminded them of New Hope, with its upscale restaurants and atmosphere.
Learning some local history broadened their knowledge of the thousands of islands known as Indonesia.
In ancient times, the Indonedians were sailors and traders, navigating across the Indian Ocean, even meeting Western explorers.
Their culture survived many conquerors who brought various religions to the islands.
The remains of the temple at Borobudur proved a majestic sight. Built in 800 A.D. by the Buddhists, its terraced steps and towers covered two million cubic feet. It was the symbolic grave of the local Buddhist leader, Sailendra, a resting place before he joined Buddha in the other world.
Nearby are the ruins of a Hindu temple, Prambanan, dedicated to the god Åšiva, built in 850 A.D.
On the islands of Indonesia, rich farms and vast forests produce large quantities of vegetables and lumber. The warm rainy climate permits an outdoor lifestyle and made travel for the family.
Peter hired a guide-translator for journeys from Bali to Jakarta to Lombok. Artisans in the villages carry on the traditions of the former Dutch conquerors, doing deft handiwork sculpting wood and making ceramic vessels. All of the craftsmen worked without electricity.
After seven weeks traversing the islands, the Petersons needed to slow down. Barb's sister and her family were living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, while her brother-in-law worked for an international company, so a comfortable new home with all the amenities suited them. Wynn went to a chinese kindergarten and the grownups read and idled for a time.
Remembering the workmanship of the craftsmen on the islands sparked Pete's imagination. He decided to take another look at the furniture made with hand tools, thinking how appealing it might be to buyers in the States. Before long, he returned to buy tables and chairs, leather luggage and armoires, similar to furnishings popular with 19th century Far Eastern travelers.
Three months later, ready to leave Indonesia, Pete had shipped furniture to Lambertville and had started a new career.
Peter and Barb have opened The Orchard Hill Collection, a shop at 22 N. Union St., Lambertville.
Peter and Barb still long to visit more of the Pacific Rim, but now Wynn must go to school regularly and they must earn a living.
What better way to start their next journey than by selling imports made halfway around the world.
