Greetings from Papua New guinea,

 

This story started long before I got to the island of New Guinea. Undecided about spending so much money for such a short trip I hesitated making flight decisions... or even destination decisions. Still smarting from the exorbitantly expensive costs of everything in the northern Australian outpost of Darwin, I was in no mood for further demands on my limited resources and Papua New Guinea definitely would be that. Research on the Internet disclosed hotel room rates in the hundreds! Most deluxe hotels listed room rates of $200 to $400 per night. Looking for backpackers hostels proved futile. Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority has a very good website and I studied it for answers as I debated various courses of action. PNG by circumstance or design seems to have adopted a tourism strategy much like that of Bhutan which I visited in 2008: limit the number of visitors making demands on the limited resources of the country by keeping the price of entry high.

Before proceeding with the more detailed planning I first needed information about a Visa On Arrival and studied this Site where I learned Americans and a few other nationalities don't need to do anything before landing in the PNG Jacksons International Airport. At the nervous urging of friends I also wanted to study the personal safety situation in the country as numerous articles caution visitors to be careful away from the most developed areas. In casual conversations about hazards faced by foreign tourists in Port Moresby I kept hearing a word that sounded like "rascal" and thought people meant "prankster" when they used the word. In reality, the word being used actually is Raskol, a Tok Pisin (Pidgin English) word derived from the English word rascal and is currently used in PNG to refer to gang members or criminals in general. 

Originally I had thought I could just "hop" across the straits as the island is located only a few hundred miles north of the Australian coast. In your dreams! Expensive island circling cruises leaving at other times of the year are possible, but in the southern hemisphere summer none were listed in the sources I checked. Also, there surprisingly are no direct flights from Darwin to Port Moresby. After hours of research I learned most flights start in Brisbane on the east coast, a four hour flight from Darwin. Fares vary wildly from day to day with the few airlines flying the route. Vacillating between skipping the entire adventure and just flying home early, I decided initially to opt for flexibility by going first to Brisbane and deferring the Papua New Guinea decision a while.

At the last minute literally, I decided to make the expensive jump up to Port Moresby and checked on airline schedules and costs. An agent in the Darwin Backpackers World travel agency worked with me to minimize costs. As I already had the Darwin to Brisbane Tiger Airways "red eye" flight, we tried to find a connecting flight the morning I would arrive in Brisbane. It turned out flights leaving the day I arrived were $150US more expensive than one leaving the next day. Assuming I could either get a cheap hotel near the Brisbane airport or just hangout at the airport 28 hours (something I've done before) we booked the later, cheaper Air Niugini flight up to Papua New Guinea.

The fact I'd be able to get very little sleep for three days didn't register... after all, I've done it many times before... when younger. For some reason my mind refuses to accept the fact that eighty year old bodies simply cannot operate like their younger counterparts... but, I'm slowly getting the message! Getting only brief snatches of sleep for sixty-five hours is not for the faint of heart... or the average octogenarian.

During those 65 sleepless hours fate conspired to provide me with impossible challenges. Catching snatches of restless "sleep" on the departure waiting area cushioned benches provided inadequately brief episodes of recovery. The big challenge came when the Air Niugini check-in counter finally opened around 6AM ahead of the 09:00 flight departure time. "Where is your return flight ticket?" asked the airline agent. I explained my decision to make the departure destination and timing from Port Moresby after arriving in Papua New Guinea. According to my Darwin travel agent, returning to Australia or going on back to the United States was a decision that could be deferred for the time being I'd been assured. "Not so." repeated the agent at the check-in counter advising me to discuss the matter with the shift supervisor at the end of the counter. I got the same answer from him: I'd need some proof of my plans and ability to leave Papua New Guinea before anyone would allow me to board a flight into the country! What could I do? Why, buy a ticket out of Papua New Guinea, of course... in the next thirty minutes!

So, over to the FlightCenter agency booth located on the same departure floor of the terminal I dashed, uncertain what to do or even if anything at all was possible. The ticket I had for the one way flight to Port Moresby could not be cancelled or changed without forfeiting the total fare paid.

The FlightCenter agent smiled wanly as I poured out my consternation: "We see this situation all the time. One option is to buy a one way ticket out of the country that has cancellation privileges and then cancel it. Actually, if you want to make the actual departure flight decision later I can write a ticket right now and set it up for automatic cancellation tomorrow. You will have the required departure ticket to show to the check-in agent. It will cost you the cancellation penalty of $200US."  So my one way flight into Papua New Guinea cost $700 instead of $500. I'm here now and still don't know where I'll go next. These weary bones are beginning to crave a long period of rest and relaxation.

On arrival at the Port Moresby Airport in PNG, Immigration and customs formalities proceeded without a hitch and I soon emerged at the arrival hall exit where I expected the Wellness Lodge hotel representative to be waiting with one of those placards bearing my name. I waited around a half hour without finding any one from my hotel. The usual mob of waiting hotel shuttle drivers mixed with a confusing array of touts offering "good deals" on transport and lodging hovered around the departure exit accosting everyone not in the tow of some hotel representative.

Finally in desperation, I approached a young woman who seemed to know what she was doing. As it happened, she turned out to be a Holiday Inn reception staff member waiting for another arriving guest, something I learned only after checking into the hotel myself the next day. With Michelle's advice I located the airline service counter and got them to call the hotel where they discovered a "mix-up" and received assurance my driver would appear momentarily. After another fifteen minutes a guy dressed like he had been working in the fields approached and mumbled something which seemed to include a word that sounded like "Fred." He had no identification and looked like all the other many touts waiting around the exit doors. Without identification the guy could have been anyone, including an opportunistic tout or something worse! Our stilted conversation continued several minutes until I asked the guy to show me his car; the license plate number matched to one provided by the hotel. The "ten" kilometer drive seemed to take forever and I'm glad I didn't have to walk it now nearly overcome by fatigue and sleeplessness.

Unable to try the ATM at the airport because of the hotel transport mix-up and having no local currency and discovering my credit card transaction at the hotel check-in declined by the bank, I got the hotel taxi service to take me to an ATM near the hotel. This one didn't look like a reliable international ATM outlet, but I tried it anyway. The information screen could hardly be read in the bright back lighting and several people hanging around rushed foreword to "help" the disoriented foreigner. All my attempts to get some local cash were declined.

I'd previously noted the existence of the American Holiday Inn  and knew they would be familiar with international credit card transactions. So, I had the driver take me there after the aborted attempt to get the airport ATM to accept my cash advance transaction. After three "Declined" attempts I could think of no other alternatives and hoped the American hotel could help. Graham is a very personable reception staff member at the Holiday Inn hotel. After multiple attempts to make the ATM machine in the lobby accept my card and his attempt to run a test charge on the hotel's card reader, it became clear we had a major problem and I would need to call the credit card company using the toll free number on the back of the card. BUT, I needed a WiFi connection to use my VoIP phone! Graham produced a WiFi password despite my inability at the moment to pay for it. The VoIP service I have for international phone service is never totally reliable; voice interruptions and distortions make every call a challenge and this important call to the credit card security number was no exception. Fortunately, I got a patient bank agent and after a long security dialogue where I could not remember some of the preprogrammed answers to her questions, we managed to reestablish my credit worthiness in Papua New Guinea for the next week. After talking with the bank representative, the lobby ATM in the Holiday Inn liked my card and produced 1000 Kina in crisp new bills of the local currency. (That's about $400US.)

Overwhelmed by Graham's gracious assistance, I told him I'd like to move over to his hotel even though the rates were well above my budget and wondered if I'd find more favorable rates by using the online booking agent, Agoda. He said he could offer me a special "walk in" rate of 429 Kina including breakfast and that would be less than what I could find online (that works out to be about $167US; I later found an Agoda listing for $155 w/o breakfast). So, I made a tentative reservation as my current booking at the Wellness Lodge was for two nights and I did not look forward to the uncertainty of cancellation complications. I said I'd try to check out early and if successful, would return to the Holiday Inn the following morning. I desperately needed a Port Moresby Street Map and Graham found a quite good one for me in one of the promotional tourist booklets.

When I awoke after that first night in PNG I expected to enjoy my first real meal in 24 hours, but discovered no provisions for morning meals in the Wellness Lodge! Checking out of the hotel proved easier than I expected and the hotel driver got me over to the Holiday Inn quickly. Graham had entered a tentative reservation for me and registration proceeded normally with lots of congenial conversation about the situation I'd experienced. The receptionist, Michelle reminded me she had helped me at the airport the day before, something I had totally forgotten in all the confusion and fiscal challenges.

The seventh floor room assignment turned out to be magnificent! Even in 4 & 5 star houses I usually find something amiss, but in this Holiday Inn near the ends of the Earth everything in my room is perfect! Not only the physical plant, but staff relations with guests are exemplary. The automatic sliding glass entry doors in the lobby have noisy failing bearings that screech loudly with every use, but on the other hand, no one sneaks into the Holiday Inn unnoticed.

In the dining room I only needed to notice my coffee cup getting low and someone appeared at my side with a coffee pot. My included breakfast is selected from a lavish buffet array which includes many fruits. Pawpaw is delicious and seems to be a variety of papaya, one of my favorites. People speak softly for the most part... even the Chinese guests who are notorious for loud boisterous behavior while traveling away from home. The elevator floors are announced by the sexiest female voice I have ever heard; bringing a smile to my face every time I reach the ground floor. Food in the hotel is excellent, but very expensive. Fortunately, the Vision City Mega Mall is a mere ten minute walk from the hotel and has a good selection of restaurants where I took many of my meals while people watching.

I spent many hours making observations in the Mall. Some of the interesting things seen include: Most people do not wear socks in this country. Consequently, clothing stores don't always carry them. Very few people wear wrist watches. Having a couple prescriptions running low, I discovered pharmacies here refill medicines without prescriptions. Shopping center guards wear the brightest and most colorful camouflage uniforms I have ever seen, making them easy to spot... and avoid. Floors in the shopping center are continuously being mopped or dusted by a couple dozen disinterested workers, making hallway navigation tricky. Those doing the wet mopping treat areas still wet like their personal property, gruffly chasing anyone who dares intrude away.

After making a purchase at one of the stores in the Mega Mall I paused to examine the change received and a guard noticing my peculiar behavior asked if he could be of assistance. Showing him the coins, I asked what the embossed images represented. We had a pleasant ten minute conversation about the culture and history of his country as he explained each of the images. Later, in another part of the shopping center he again approached me and motioned for me to follow. He wanted me to see the long canoe hanging in the middle of the two story high opening and then proceeded to explain how these unique boats carried 15 or 25 warriors into battle in the old days and how today they are used periodically in national celebration festivals with participants displaying their colorful tribal decorations. It is amazing how much one can learn by examining a country's coinage. The closest I came to headhunters and cannibals is this 15 minute YouTube video entitled "The Last Cannibals." I knew you'd be curious; I was.

The National Parliament building is some distance beyond the shopping center and made a good walk one day. Just before the park like entrance to the Parliament grounds there is a wall covered with murals. I'm told they are being painted every independence day by artists from the provinces depicted. At the Parliament building I paused to admire the art work on the face of the building and the caretaker, David asked if I'd like to see inside the structure where the legislature does it's work. It is truly a remarkable piece of architectural design. Inside the cavernous "lobby" the designers have created  and impressive sense of authority and power. A ten meter tall totem pole dominates the lobby and David explained each of the character carved into the wood symbolize one of the country's tribes. Only a few other decorations still exist in this vestibule because, according to another informant, the presiding member of parliament had many destroyed to reflect his opinion that: "This is a Christian country and pagan symbols have no place in our national assemble!"... according to my informant. The representatives have offices in the back of the main assembly room.

I've been here in PNG a week and am ready to move on. I'd hoped to learn more about the history and culture from some of the people, but the few I met didn't know much more about their ancestors than the average American knows about theirs. The art seen around Port Moresby tells a different story and fortunately I took lots of pictures. Tomorrow I fly back down to Brisbane Australia to consider my next objective: east or west? Istanbul is a possibility and would be my fourth circumnavigation of the globe. We will see. 'til the next pause in the adventure...

Peace,

Fred L Bellomy

 

PS: (Prescript)  2 January 2015

 

PS: (Prescript)  4 January 2015 

Hello from Brisbane, Australia, 

 

 

Port Moresby: Immigration and customs formalities proceeded without a hitch and I soon emerged into the arrival hall exit where I expected a Leisure Lodge hotel representative to be waiting with one of those placards with my name on it. I waited around a half hour without finding any one from the hotel. Finally, I got the airline service counter to call the hotel where they discovered a "mixup" and assurance my driver would appear momentarily. After another fifteen minutes one of the guys lingering around approached and asked, "Fred." He had no identification and looked like all the other people, including many touts.

 

Port Moresby: Striking painting hanging in the lobby of the Holiday Inn in Port Moresby. This work is full of symbolism associated with each of the nineteen provinces in PNG. Asking several people it became clear most Papuans have some idea of the meaning behind the symbols.

Port Moresby: These ladies sat on the sofa directly below the striking painting hanging in the lobby of the Holiday Inn in Port Moresby. They seemed curious and/or amused by my photographic activities and the one on the left seems to be taking MY picture, something I noticed only after enlarging my pictures.

 

Port Moresby: I learned that this is the national emblem of Papua New Guinea. The Bird of Paradise stands on a native percussion musical instrument. Here, it occupied a dominant position between the large promotional "Christmas Greetings" images of two important elected officials. I took the photo because I like the image.

 

Port Moresby: This is the national parliament building. As I wandered the grounds admiring the architectural designs, the caretaker noticed my activity and asked if I'd like to see inside the structure where the legislature does their work. It is truly a remarkable piece of architectural design work.

 

Port Moresby: This is the decorated face of the national parliament building.

 

Port Moresby: This is the national parliament building. The graceful curves used by the architect make the structure look more like sculpture than building.

 

Port Moresby: Twenty five man war canoe hanging on display inside the Cosmopolitan Shopping center.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings. A local informant told me each independence day a new painting is commissioned. Still need to find confirmation of that.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings. A local informant told me each independence day a new painting is commissioned. Still need to find confirmation of that.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings. A local informant told me each independence day a new painting is commissioned. Still need to find confirmation of that.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings. A local informant told me each independence day a new painting is commissioned. Still need to find confirmation of that.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings. A local informant told me each independence day a new painting is commissioned. Still need to find confirmation of that.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings. A local informant told me each independence day a new painting is commissioned. Still need to find confirmation of that.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings. A local informant told me each independence day a new painting is commissioned. Still need to find confirmation of that.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings. A local informant told me each independence day a new painting is commissioned. Still need to find confirmation of that.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings. A local informant told me each independence day a new painting is commissioned. Still need to find confirmation of that.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings. A local informant told me each independence day a new painting is commissioned. Still need to find confirmation of that.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings. A local informant told me each independence day a new painting is commissioned. Still need to find confirmation of that.

 

Port Moresby: During my long walk out to see the national parliament building I spotted a long wall covered with individually painted murals. this is one of the paintings.

Papua New Guinea: Flight routes for Airlines PNG.

Papua New Guinea: This is the iconic picture I wanted to take, but never got anywhere near people painting themselves, though many of the people walking around the city looked like they could be given this appearance with an exuberant paint job. Headhunters and cannibals? "Forget it unless you want to venture into the remote highlands where a few uncivilized tribes still exist," one local informant told me.

 

End