Papua New Guinea (PNG) is in my opinion one of the 10 most interesting countries in the world together with India, Mexico, Indonesia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Spain, and the three giants: China, Russia, and United States of America.
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I flew to Port Moresby from Honiara. The PNG visa can be obtained at the airport. No much to see in Moresby, as it is called by the locals. Perhaps the “palaffitos” are worth a visit. There were no roads up to the north of the country. There is a trekking called Kokoda from Moresby to Popondetta, but at the time I was in the country (June) the land was muddy and the trekking impracticable. I flew from Moresby to Tari, in the Highlands. Many people in Tari were dressed with grass, or hanging hair from their wives or children. And even saw some young boys with pencils around their noses and with spectacles without glasses, just the frames. Most tourists go to PNG during the Sing sing period, when thousands of local people join in Mount Hagen and Goroka dressed fantastically. That festival is as amazing as the Carnival of Rio, the Chinese New Year in Singapore, or the Kumbha Mela’s in India. In Lae I stayed one day in honour of Amelia Earhardt, the famous North American pilot who disappeared after leaving Lae with her airplane in her around the world journey. She was only 39. One of the wonders of PNG is the Sepik River and the tribes, where I spent one week. I got there from Wewak. I spent the first night in a hostel owned by a German ex-priest in Wewak. Then I hitchhiked until Angoram. From Angoram you can get up the river with local canoes. First you have to meet the chief of the village to ask permission to sleep. He will show you a local family where you can sleep and eat. I asked the chief to sleep in the House of the Spirits, called Haus Tambaram, but was refused. From Angoram I hired canoes and visited Kambaramba and Swagup and spent several nights with the exotic people who sold me masks made with beetles. And back to Wewak I continued my trip to Vanimo and then I flew to Jayapura, in Indonesia, to visit the danis tribes in Baliem Valley, near Wamena.
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Sepik River villages are something incredible. I advise you to visit at least two of them. You have to negociate the price with the local chief of every village.
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The exotism of the people. Some walk in the villages, beside the river, with pigs as if they were dogs. Pigs are very vauable in PNG.
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The first thing that you have to do when you arrive to a village is to ask for the chief, show respect and ask him advise to sleep in his village. He then will tell you in which family house you can spend the night and how much it will cost you.
In the towns, the hostels offered by the protestant missions are very useful and charge very little to spend the night. They even can arrange you flights in their airplanes (I flew with them from Vanima to Jayapura for less than 40 US dollars), and they have ferries from Madang to Wewak.
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If you happen to be in the market day, when all the locals join in a village by the Sepik River, then you can buy food there. Otherwise you have to make arrangements with the family where you live.
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Published on Sunday June 19th, 2005
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Mon, Feb 11 2008 - 07:35 AM
 by krisek
| The pictures are phenomenal! Thanks. Some great tips! Very useful. |
Sun, Jun 19 2005 - 09:33 PM
 by picasso
Very interesting,exotic and entising.****
Thank you.
Boris
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