Keith Jackson & Friends: PNG ATTITUDE

P&O cruises provide a boost to PNG tourism

TRAVEL BLACKBOARD

PRIME MINISTER PETER O’NEILL has welcomed cruise company, Carnival Australia, to Papua New Guinea.

The entry of P & O Cruises is a major boost for PNG tourism and comes after years of hard work by the PNG Ports Corporation and the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority to develop the cruise tourism sector.

Carnival Australia, which operates a fleet of seven P&O and Princess vessels, recently announced that P&O Cruises will do a series of cruises to PNG beginning in October next year.

Friday’s joint announcement by Mr O’Neill and Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia, highlighted PNG’s strengths as a cruise destination.

“We are taking steps to ensure cruising becomes an important contributor to our nation,” Mr O’Neill said. “Infrastructure improvements are part of that strategy.”

In 2013-2014, Pacific Dawn [pictured] will sail to Milne Bay with calls at Alotau, Doini Island and the Trobriand Islands.

“We always believed in PNG’s potential as a cruise destination and this has been confirmed by the strong interest following the announcement of P&O Cruises’ initial three cruises to the Milne Bay area,” Ms Sherry said.

“The PNG government’s decision to accelerate funding for the port upgrade at Alotau is a positive investment to achieve the economic benefits of regular cruise ship visits.”

Ms Sherry said the Milne Bay area would be popular with Australian travellers for its exquisite scenery, its colourful culture and for its historic World War II links for many Australian families.

PNG looks to strengthen relationship with Cairns

THE CAIRNS POST

PORT MORESBY COULD USE CAIRNS as a model for how to embrace indigenous culture as authorities fight against growing modernisation in the Papua New Guinea capital.

A delegation of local government and business officials has spent 10-days in the Cairns region. It was led by Opposition leader Dame Carol Kidu and visited various centres and tourist attractions looking to build relationships.

Port Moresby has a sister city relationship with Townsville, but Dame Carol believes the link between the PNG capital and Cairns could be stronger.

"It gives us a lot of perspective here with what we can learn, and if we can forge a relationship we can have more than what we have with Townsville," Dame Carol said.

"Our culture has been eroded and the more we can keep this exchange program going, the more we can learn.

"We also visited tourist centres like Tjapukai and Mossman Gorge.

"We don’t have tourism at home because of the image of PNG, but if we got our act together it could be even better than here."

True North: Singsing and sago up the river

BY LINDA BERRY
AS TOLD TO JANE E FRASER

WE WERE UP IN THE FIORD AREA near Tufi and it was spectacularly beautiful.

Deep channel entrances and fringing fiords are framed by jagged mountains coming straight up from the sea.

We were taken by local villagers on traditional outrigger canoes to an area upriver from their village.

If you can imagine being paddled up a remote river where there is no sign of human habitation and then seeing a procession of women and children throwing petals into the water - it was very special and quite moving.

They did a sago demonstration for us: the sago comes from a palm and they pulp it down and wrap it in vine leaves, to store. It's a starch that forms a traditional component of their diet.

[The expedition vessel] True North only does a few trips into these areas each year and a number of local villages rotate their participation, so the experience was very authentic.

It really feels like you're getting a very intimate insight into their traditional customs and you have a lot of opportunity to learn about their cultural background.

Following the demonstration, we were dropped off at another village for a singsing with drums and dancing. The experience of being in the outrigger and seeing the colours of the traditional dress was just fantastic.

The feathered headdresses are handed down through the generations and if a feather falls out, someone will carefully pick it up and tuck it away to hand it back to the person who lost it. It was fascinating; the headdresses are works of art.

I felt there was tremendous pride on the part of the people we met - I didn't feel that we were intruding or resented in any way. I really like the New Guinea people and I think there's a special bond with Australia over the war experiences."

The water- and shore-based activities are all included on True North. It is great value.

The first time we were talked into doing one of their cruises, we thought, 'Gee, it had better be good' because it's at the top end for price, but the wow factor and the experiences we've had on their trips are priceless.

And the fact that there were less than 30 people on the excursion, including the crew who came with us, made it really easy to see what was going on and to move around and take photos."

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/singsing-and-sago-up-the-river-20120419-1x9j4.html#ixzz1sjer4ISS

Chinese funds to support highlands highway upgrade

OXFORD BUSINESS GROUP

PLANS FOR A MAJOR HIGHWAY UPGRADE DEAL with China and progress in transport development schemes underline Papua New Guinea’s determination to tackle infrastructure deficits that have thus far inhibited the country’s economic growth.

In March, Francis Awesa, the minister of transport, told Australian media that the government is seeking a $4.73bn-$5.67bn loan from China to fix its major economic lifeline – the Highlands highway – with some funds also to be used for other road upgrades. Awesa added that he was “confident” a deal with Beijing would be negotiated.

The 800-km Highlands highway runs from Lae to the highlands region, which is home to the crucial Exxon-led $15.7bn PNG liquefied natural gas project, the Porgera gold mine and numerous coffee plantations.

“Economically, it is very important for the government to look after this highway, which a lifeline for these projects and the people,” Awesa told ABC radio on March 13. “Lae is also the biggest industrial city and deserves to have the best roads.”

Plans for the highway upgrade are part of wider government plans to improve infrastructure. Under the PNG Development Strategic Plan 2010-30, the government aims to raise the share of national roads in good condition to 100% and triple their length by 2030. This includes long missing links, corridors, and “nation-building roads” that will create a “national road network”.

The Department of Transport has prepared the National Transport Strategy 2011-30 and the Medium-Term Transport Plan 2011-15 (a five-year capital improvement program), which both place greater emphasis on maintenance and rehabilitation above system expansion.

Officials say the funds for planned upgrades – including repayments to China for the proposed highways loan – will come from a sovereign wealth fund established to manage revenues from the PNG LNG project, which are estimated to be $300bn over 30 years.

PNG’s road system comprises 8,762 national roads, 8,100 km of provincial links, and around 8,000 district, local and other roads, as well as 800 bridges. The national roads include 3,335 km of designated “roads of national importance”, often called “priority roads”.

PNG is slowly emerging as a travel destination

BY JIMMY IM
THE TRAVELLING TYPE (USA)

ANY HISTORY BUFF will most certainly know that Amelia Earhart has been making international headlines again — this time, with new clues to the disappearance of her plane. And any Amelia Earhart fan will remember the last leg of her flight leaving from Papua New Guinea.

This may be the once in a blue moon that PNG has garnered worldwide attention (in addition to the fact that James Cameron succeeded two weeks ago in undertaking the world’s deepest solo submarine dive in the Mariana Trench off New Britain).

But it won’t be the last time you hear of PNG and, soon enough, it will be making headlines of its own.

Papua New Guinea is the “land that time forgot” but travellers are starting to pay attention to this off-the-radar destination, thanks to the current trend of “ends of the earth” journeys, where intrepid travellers are looking beyond “hot spots” to explore rarely visited destinations.

In fact, North America arrivals in PNG rose 25% in 2011 alone, mostly due to the country’s one-of-a-kind cultural events, villages with more than 700 indigenous tribes and 800 languages, expedition cruising and niche markets (from birding to sport fishing to surfing).

Still, locals and visitors alike will argue it’s the romantic aspect that will always lure. It’s one of the last places on Earth that is discovered for its beauty rather than major travel trends and pampering luxury hotels (of which few exist).

Last year, National Geographic named Papua New Guinea one of the 20 Best Trips of 2011, and Popular Photography magazine recently named it one of the 25 Best Places to Photograph on the Planet. What accolades will it rack up this year?

Papua New Guinea plans on launching a new campaign later this year (What Tribe Are You?), so hopefully they’ll bring back the two tribesmen who marched through Times Square last fall.

Moresby's giant potholes disrupt everyday living

BY LIAM FOX
ABC CORRESPONDENTS REPORT

PORT MORESBY'S PLANNERS HAVE LARGELY FAILED to account for population growth and an increase in traffic.

That problem was highlighted last week when a part of the city's major road collapsed and had to be closed. The result has been a week of traffic hell for the motorists and it's likely to continue for some time.

Every day like clockwork, storms have rolled in the afternoon. Torrential rain has poured for several hours. That's caused havoc both to and on the roads.

The drains don't work and when it rains, localised flooding quickly develops. Potholes have opened up everywhere, and I'm now standing in front of the mother of them all.

This pothole stretches across four lanes of highway. It's about 10 metres wide and about 10 metres deep. The road it's cut is the Poreporena Freeway, the road that bisects Port Moresby.

As part of the highway gave way during a particularly heavy storm, the culverts underneath simply couldn't cope with the amount of water passing through them. It's Port Moresby's main road and its closure has caused havoc.

MALE DRIVER 1: It's a real problem here now because in terms of doing work we are, you know, late in attending meetings and actually to, you know, turn up for work. We are having a real problem here, you know, the roads.

MALE DRIVER 2: It's really terrible for students and working class people.

I'm standing down at the Hohola roundabout. It's one of the main off ramps for the Poreporena Freeway and it's where a lot of the traffic is being diverted. And traffic here is banked up for at least 500 metres. At times it gets worse; at times it gets a little bit better. But it's a long wait to actually get down to the roundabout and move on with the rest of your journey. And the motorists are not happy.

AMBULANCE DRIVER: Traffic is really bad.

LIAM FOX: You're on ambulance driver, has it made your life more difficult?

AMBULANCE DRIVER: Yes. So difficult, so difficult.

LIAM FOX: Has is stopped you from getting to patients and things?

AMBULANCE DRIVER: Yes it does, we hardly get to the patients very quickly.

We've got one of Port Moresby's infamous taxi drivers here. Hey, I'm from ABC News, what do you reckon about all the traffic problems at the moment?

TAXI DRIVER: Ah it's getting worse every time. We have a lot of potholes here and we're trying to manoeuvre all these during the wet season it's very difficult.

LIAM FOX: How's it made your job?

TAXI DRIVER: It's making our job very difficult, especially during the afternoons. There's a lot of traffic jams and we couldn't make many trips. So we are just carrying one person at a time and it's not enough.

While there's been an increase in the number cars on Port Moresby's roads in recent years most people still get around on public motor vehicles or PMV's.

PMV's are medium-sized busses that carry around 40 people. The people that use them say their lives have got tougher as well.

FEMALE BUS TRAVELLER: Yeah I catch PMV most of the time, that's the cheapest transport in town. And we can't afford to get on a cab every time, cab is like quite expensive. So PMV, we get PMV. But then the other problem is that we will wait for some hours and then we'll travel and sometimes it's not too safe.

MALE BUS TRAVELLER: We have to widen the road. Make it bigger, like three lane, four lane. The volume of cars, vehicles, moving around Moresby today it's increasing.

Back at the mother of all potholes work is underway to try and erect a temporary bridge over the gap. Even if that's successful, traffic won't be able to return to normal for some time. There's a lot of pain for motorists to come.

The travelling triumph that was Dan Winkel Tours

BY TERRY EDWINSMITH

ONE OF MY MOST CHERISHED MEMORIES of my time in PNG was my loose association with an institution known as Dan Winkel Tours.

This little business was not to be found in the Yellow Pages of Port Moresby’s phone book, but by word of mouth.

Indeed it was most often heard from the man himself who would phone prospective clients and outline the project of the week to all interested parties.

The clientele was somewhat select as it was aimed at members of the Australian Armed Services who wished to see the wonders of the Territory known today as Papua New Guinea.

Whether it was the country’s geography or its people, Dan had “just the trip for you!” It may have been a weekend in Mt Hagen for the Show, a singsing at Goroka, a day in Popondetta or Rabaul, a weekend away to the Trobriand Islands ( an exotic location) or Tapini Hill Station, to name but a few of the most interesting trips on offer.

Dan would scan the calendar for up and coming events, spy an adventure within the pages of the South Pacific Post or hear some details of a faraway place from work colleagues that required personal inspection.

He then set about the task of enlisting acquaintances who showed an interest in the proposed project and who would part with a small sum of money to finance the hire of an available DC3 aircraft from Jackson Strip, now known as Port Moresby Airport.

On securing the prized craft, the pressure was on to fill the available seats and hopefully make a small profit. Seating was allocated on a “first come, first served” basis but, being a transport aircraft, the seats were ‘side-saddle’ with passengers looking inwards to the middle.

Seat belts were fitted and cargo netting was available for the cautious to hold onto during take-off or landing. Passengers filled with adrenalin were too full of excitement to worry about potential dangers of this exercise.

Anyway, take-offs and landings were nothing compared to the thought of the plane not making it over the Owen Stanley Ranges. The exquisite scenery viewed through the low flying clouds around you tended to calm passengers down as the plane rattled noisily to its destination.

The greatest number of potential passengers was to be found at the three army battalions in Port Moresby: Murray Barracks where Dan worked as a warrant officer in the Education Section of the RAAEC, Taurama Barracks which was close by and could be relied upon for support and finally Goldie River, more distant and less profitable in such undertakings.

Mausman and raskols on the Highlands Highway

BY JOHN STANDINGFORD
GUARDIAN WEEKLY

I THOUGHT IT WAS AN ACCIDENT SCENE when I saw four or five vehicles blocking the road ahead. Then I saw a young man approaching us waving a 2-kina note.

He saw me in the passenger seat and immediately substituted a 5-kina note. Ruben rolled down the window and exchanged words in rapid pidgin. Money changed hands and we drove on.

People had told me about road blocks on the Highlands Highway. In this case there was a good pretext. The young men were filling a particularly deep channel that had been gauged across the road by heavy rains, so road users were being asked to pay an informal toll.

Ruben explained that he was willing to pay something if a public service was really being performed, but too often it was just an attempt to get some easy money. The village elders generally frown on it, but in a spirit of compromise they let the youngsters do it for a couple of hours in the morning.

Wikipedia sums up the Highlands Highway as follows: "For most of its length the Highlands Highway is no more than a single carriageway two-lane road which is often hindered by potholes and land slips. It is also notorious for being the place of numerous armed hold-ups and robberies committed by local bandits called rascals."

We saw no rascals, but everyone has stories of trucks being held up and looted.

Four of us were driving south from Mount Hagen to visit a rural development project, with the rehabilitation of a gravel road as its centrepiece. I was to have a chance to explain my assignment and seek help with periodic surveys to assess the project's effectiveness.

We were taken to a schoolroom to meet about 30 elders and representatives of various interest groups: women, youth, churches. The meeting was conducted by the mausman (spokesman). He was a retired teacher with a voice much bigger than his frame and an even bigger smile.

Everyone was invited to address the meeting, and the women's representative was the last to speak. When she finished, the half-dozen members of her group came forward to present each visitor with a traditional knitted cap.

As we were leaving, the mausman approached me and spoke in English for the first time. "John," he said, "when you are writing your report you must wear your cap so you will remember our village."

Import ban on ships, vehicles more than 5 years old

BY EOIN BLACKWELL
AAP / THE AUSTRALIAN

PAPUA NEW GUINEA will introduce legislation banning the import of ships and motor vehicles older than five years and impose heavy taxes in an effort to clean up the nation's transport industry in the wake of the MV Rabaul Queen disaster.

Transport Minister Francis Awesa said he had instructed his department to work on introducing tough new measures on the transport industry. "All transport will be under review," he said.

"I have instructed the Ministry of Transport to look at putting a 1,000 per cent tax on any vehicle more than five years old. We will impose taxes on second-hand vehicles. Any ship more than five years old ... should not be brought in," he said.

"All Papua New Guineans know, we are being used as a dumping ground."

Mr Awesa said he also wanted to break the dominance of four shipowners in PNG, of which owner of the MV Rabaul Queen, Rabaul Shipping, is one.

Describing how some passenger ships in PNG are tug boats made for towing logs, he said it was unfair to ask people to use them.

"These boats are not made for the 12, 24-hour journeys."

First impressions of Wewak: town of silent edifices

BY MARTYN NAMORONG
THE NAMORONG REPORT

THE CAPTAIN ANNOUNCES OVER THE INTERCOM, “Cabin crew please prepare the cabin for landing.”

For a moment I notice that the Fokker 100 aircraft has paused in mid-air above the mighty Sepik River below. A brown slithering body of water makes its tortuous journey into the Bismarck Sea. The flood plains below look like puddles of mud.

As we approach Wewak, I notice villages lying on tiny strips of land sandwiched between the roaring sea and brackish lagoons. I see in nature a metaphor of the state of the people of my country: a people trapped on a flimsy strip of land and compressed by globalisation and imperialism.

As the aircraft circles Wewak town, the strain of the engines seems to create goosebumps in the sea below. An eager crowd gathers at the terminal straining their eyes to notice familiar faces. I’m not sure whether my ears are locked but there is an atmosphere of silence that hangs above the town. A sort of post-coital calmness.

I noticed this silence in the loneliness of a young boy sitting in the grass at the edge of the airport, watching the plane as it taxies along the runway. It brings back memories of growing up in a logging camp and watching planes land and take-off just for the pleasure of it.

And perhaps this explains why, as I’m being driven into town, my driver tells me he’s never seen any games played at the Chinese built stadium. Perhaps the stadium just exists for the pleasure of existing.

And yes, the stadium is silent as we drive by. I am told by my driver that they plan to build a volley ball court at the silent stadium. Up on the hillside I notice a whitewashed mansion with red roofing. “Somare’s mansion,” my driver says. It stares silently at the stadium.

There is a yawning gap between these two modern buildings and the dilapidated state of the rest of the town.

I have found the people here to be reserved but very friendly. Perhaps it’s because I chew betel nut and mauswara a bit. Or perhaps its just that Wewak’s residents are simply very friendly people.

In the evening I have a chat with two other guests at the place I’m staying. We talk about the latest news and politics. They are both fascinated by my blog. Both men are on the Joint District Budgetary Planning Committee of the Ambunti-Drekikir electorate.

They are stunned when I tell them I set up my blog for free. Their electorate had just allocated K30 000 to create a website. Perhaps no one will visit that electorate’s website but I hope more people visit Wewak.

I’m beginning to like the place. There’s a sense of remoteness about it; not in terms of its backwardness but in a more romantic and rustic sense.

Huli wigmen and Asaro mudmen take New York

BY MEG WEAVER *
National Geographic Intelligent Travel

TO A HULI WIGMAN, the streets of Manhattan have got to seem pretty exotic. And vice versa. Even among the blasé denizens of New York, the warriors manage to turn a few heads.

Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally diverse countries on earth and home to some 800-plus languages.

To the American eye, its peoples’ traditions appear exotic and intriguing, especially those of the Huli Wigmen, warriors who craft elaborate headdresses out of their hair, feathers, and plants, and the Asaro Mudmen who cover themselves in mud and don ghoulish masks to hearken back to a legendary defeated tribe who tried to recover stolen land by wearing such “earthy” disguises.

The Wigmen and Mudmen usually materialise during celebrations and rituals in PNG so it was surprising when they showed up last month in New York City of all places.

We touched base with Ally Stoltz of the PNG Tourism Promotions Authority, who hosted the special visitors, to learn more about them and their NYC sojourn.

Meg Weaver: How long did it take for the Wigman and Mudman to travel from PNG to NYC?

Ally Stoltz: They flew Port Moresby to Auckland to Los Angeles to New York – roughly 40 hours.

MW: Where did they go in Manhattan? What did they see?

AS: The first day we got to New York we went straight to the Flower District to buy plants for their costumes because they packed tons of plants and dirt that was obviously confiscated along their travels! They were like kids in the candy store with all the plants. They bought ones just for their hotel room, not for the costume!

They also had pizza for the first time. They went on the Staten Island Ferry by night so they could see the city from another angle (honestly, they wanted to get away from all the noise) and to see the Statue of Liberty.

MW: What did they think of what they saw/did?

AS: The most interesting part of their trip to U.S. was that they didn’t have much to say at all about it. Journalists and the people at the party kept asking them, “What do you think of NYC?!” and, as PNG is known for its quiet, modest culture (until you make them mad), they just would almost whisper, “Yes, it’s good, or very busy” and that’s about it.

They are really not extroverted people because in village life, extroverts stir up trouble and it’s all about maintaining balance in communities like theirs. And there’s respect issues and the language barrier as well – only the Mudman really spoke conversational English. But back home they speak two to three languages, Tok Pisin and then their town/village languages.

MW: What did New Yorkers have to say about them?

AS: They encountered a wide variety of responses. Some people couldn’t be bothered as they had places to go. An old man in Soho nearly lost his mind, couldn’t say he had seen anything like them ever before.

The Wigman and Mudman definitely turned heads in Times Square. The most common response people had was one of reverence and fascination – their costumes are very intricate and they managed to bring more teeth, bones, feathers, and hair into the country than I ever thought possible.

* Meg Weaver is a senior researcher for National Geographic Traveler

Papua New Guinea through the eye of a pig

BY RAMON GLAZOV

I’VE BEEN SPENDING THIS PAST MONTH in a paranoid little town called Mt Hagen. My motel’s pretty typical for New Guinea: there’s a huge, corrugated-iron wall around the perimeter with a sheet-metal gate you have to bang loudly every time you want in.

You knock on the gate, the doorman peeps through a little hole and lets you into the car park. There are two more checkpoints: one to your immediate left, which leads to a hut full of pokie machines — you can see gamblers getting pat-downs on their way in — and a moat at the other end of the car park, with yet another gate, another guard post, which takes you to the inner courtyard with the actual motel rooms.

Luckily, there aren’t any bedbugs here, which is always my biggest fear. There’s everything else, though: ants, wasps, moths, scarab beetles, butterflies, praying mantises. Motel owners here stuff their gardens with as many tropical plants, thatched gazeboes and pseudo-Japanese bridges as money can buy.

A few fancier places keep hornbills and tree kangaroos in cages; anything to soften the paranoia, pad the cell, keep things looking less fortressy. At the place I’m staying, someone even found time to braid ponytails out of the vine-tendrils hanging along the perimeter fence.

The moat’s half-dry now, thanks to water rationing, leaving a school of very claustrophobic koi squeezing through shallow green water while their ceiling closes in on them like some computer dungeon trap.

Nearby, the inner-courtyard gate is made from the same latticed iron barrier-material you’ll find fixed to car windows and bank teller booths around town. Stuck to the wall where the guards are sitting is a list of customers banned from the hotel bar: “Councillor Jim Kuri,” “Dr Samu,” and “Mr Jacob (Lawyer?).”

Mt Hagen isn’t the most violent place in Papua New Guinea, but it’s still a scantily policed dystopia where women and tourists can’t go out at night — not alone, anyway — for fear of being mugged or raped by PNG’s notorious raskols.

Speaking to Kaiglo Ambane, the Provincial Police Commander for Western Highlands Province (which includes Hagen), I learned that about a thousand serious crimes — that is, rapes, murders and armed robberies — are committed within his jurisdiction every year, leading to about three or four hundred arrests.

Why does Hagen have such a serious crime problem? Most likely because it’s the capital of a province with 600,000 people and only 388 police, far lower than the UN minimum requirement of one cop to every 450 people. According to Ambane, his police force has barely grown since 1975, when PNG gained independence from Australia. Not only does it lack funds for recruitment, but it doesn’t even have a large enough barracks, with enough dorm rooms, to house all those needed recruits.

You can read the full Roman Glazov article here

The Papuan village: joy and astonishment

BY BEN FOGLE

PAPUA NEW GUINEA BLEW ME AWAY; it was one of the most exciting places I have ever been. I led an expedition down the Black Cat Trail, following an old Second World War route through the jungle.

There was one encounter that I'll never forget: early one morning, as we reached a clearing, three young children appeared from nowhere and gestured us away from the path. We trekked through the jungle until we reached an enormous pair of gates made from leaves and vines.

Slowly the gates swung open to reveal a pretty little village with half a dozen long houses. A dozen men appeared in head dress and loin cloths. They were holding spears with bows slung over their shoulders. They stomped their feet on the ground and chanted hypnotically, holding the spears aloft as they began to move towards us.

We stood frozen to the spot as they circled around us then escorted us into the village, all the time chanting and singing. As we entered the village, another group appeared from behind one of the longhouses, and then another.

The village was festooned with flowers and vines that had been strung from house to house. I noticed an old Second World War bomb hanging upside down as a bell, and there was the wing of a crashed plane as a roof.

Singing echoed from the jungle beyond as a group of more than 100 women and children danced into the village. Fear turned to joy as more and more people flooded into the village. For an hour the ceremony continued as we all watched open-mouthed as the spectacle unfolded – Cirque du Soleil had nothing on this.

When I was younger, Dumb and Dumber was guaranteed to lift me out of a mood. Now I just take myself back to that joyous scene in the Papuan jungle. I shall never forget the sight of all those men, women and children dressed in full ceremonial wear, waving us off, down the trail.

Source: The Independent (London)

Mining boom helps Cairns-PNG flights take off

BY NICK DALTON

THE RESOURCES BOOM in Papua New Guinea has resulted in a big jump in flights out of Cairns from 23 to 37 each week.

A Tourism Queensland report shows Airlines PNG has boosted its flights from one a week to Port Moresby to 15 throughout PNG, including Port Moresby (6), Lihir Island (6) and Mt Hagen (3).

Seat capacity to PNG has also increased from 1,852 to 2,400 including 10 flights by Air Niugini and 12 by QantasLink.

"These flights are servicing the burgeoning mining sector and reflecting Cairns Airport's growing capacity as an aviation hub for this type of activity, which opens up new business and tourism opportunities for our region," Cairns Airport chief executive officer Kevin Brown said.

Source: The Cairns Post

Cruising PNG – journeys into paradise

BY SCOTT PODMORE

SHOCK SET IN THE MOMENT my fishing guide Ben locked a look of horror on me after frantically grasping the fishing line.

One of six large hooks on the popper lure had pierced straight through the side of my left hand.

I'd been barbed by a barracuda!

And that barracuda, with protruding needle-like teeth and one large peeper firmly fixed on mine, was about to have the last laugh after our five-minute fight by delivering another of its trademark aggressive thrashes.

Even the backdrop of the Solomon Sea surrounding the island reefs lining the tropical Papua New Guinea islands suddenly provided eerie theatre.

Dark clouds drifted over and unleashed a furious downpour and within seconds the obligatory photo pose for catch of the day, a 2m barracuda all right then, maybe two feet had turned to sheer panic as our luxury cruiser, the MV True North, sat majestically in the background.

Ben and I stood wide-eyed and stiff-legged, balancing in awkward silence. "I think you'd better work quickly, mate," I told him, knowing one more vigorous wriggle by my fishy foe would have made mincemeat of my hand.

Fast but sure, he reached for a set of pliers and swiftly snipped the top half of the hook off.

Each day coral reef ecologist and marine expert Dr Andy heads up a dive, and just as easily turns his hand to conducting a fascinating talk and slideshow presentation in the True North lounge later that evening.

Accommodation spans three decks, including Explorer, River and Ocean classes.

There's a lounge/bar area, viewing decks and Linneys Lounge where pearl sales tend to put decent holes in credit cards.

The True North is purpose-built to sail deep into the heart of wilderness, visiting areas that larger ships can't. Every October the Adventures In Paradise cruise, with seven-night or nine-night options, sets sail in Papua New Guinea's paradise island precinct starting at Alotau and gliding north to Kavieng.

"Paradise" is everywhere in between as the ship slowly steams and stops off at the D'Entrecasteaux Islands, Sebutuia Bay, Tufi Harbour, Lusancay Islands, the beautiful bays and islands off New Britain, the Duke of York Islands and New Hanover. There's something different with every sunrise.

Read more: http://www.news.com.au/travel/holiday-ideas/hooked-on-paradise-png-cruise/story-e6frfqd9-1226228522152#ixzz1hbVgN9iI

Luxury hotel about to open in Port Moresby

PORT MORESBY is about to enjoy what, for it, is a rare occasion — the launching of a newly built major hotel.

On Thursday 1 December 1, the Grand Papua Hotel will open in the city’s centre and at its highest point.

By Papua New Guinea standards, the hotel is cutting edge.  Guests will check in using an iPad.  The building is designed to maximise energy efficiency.  Rooms feature 32-inch LCD cable TVs and wifi connections.

Lest things get too techie and impersonal, guests will be able to easily interact with the city and remember where they are.

The hotel is within a stroll of Ela Beach, and a souvenir-rich crafts market is nearby.

The interiors of the hotel feature a mix of modern and indigenous design. And from their rooms, guests can enjoy views of the sea.

Source: DestinAsian, 15 November

Madang crash: hard facts from the accident report

BY SIMON HRADECKY

PAPUA NEW GUINEA's Accident Investigation Commission (PNGAIC) has released its preliminary report on the air crash near Madang on 13 October.

Through Australia's ATSB, the PNGAIC said that the crew reported they were about 24 nautical miles from Madang descending through 13,000 feet.

About three minutes later the overspeed warning horn sounded shortly followed by both propellers overspeeding simultaneously and exceeding their maximum rpm limit by by about 60%.

Witnesses on the ground reported hearing a loud bang at that time.

The crew declared MAYDAY and reported both engines had stopped, prompting Madang tower to immediately declare a distress search and rescue phase believing the aircraft would ditch in the ocean.

The aircraft however impacted terrain 33 km south of Madang Airport, on sparsely timbered ground on the north side of the Buang River.

The aircraft disintegrated due to impact with trees and ground and an intense fuel-fed fire erupted.

Villagers who had heard the initial bang and witnessed the aircraft descend proceeded to the crash site and helped the four survivors out of the wreckage, which was engulfed in flames.

The four survivors were the captain (64, 18,200 hours total, 500 hours on type) with serious injuries to his right leg, the first officer (40, 2,750 hours total, 410 hours on type) with minor injuries, the flight attendant with minor injuries, and a passenger with severe burns.

The wreckage trail was about 300 meters long, the traces indicating the aircraft contacted ground in a controlled state at a low rate of descent.

The aircraft had accumulated 38,421 hours in 48,093 flight cycles since its introduction to service in 1988.

Source: The Aviation Herald, 15 November

Trainee pilots prepare to graduate in NSW

BY ROB WRIGHT

THE LATEST CLASS of Papua New Guinean pilots studying to get their wings in Coffs Harbour, northern NSW, are well on their path to becoming commercial airline pilots.

Once they complete their training, the 10 scholarship winners will be ready to take over the controls in the cockpits of Dash-8 aircraft, flying with Air Niugini.

The training program is run by Professional Pilot Training at the Coffs Harbour Regional Airport.

Chief flying instructor Robert Loretan said the class arrived in May and will graduate in September 2012.

"Once they are trained, these students will receive multi-engine commercial pilot licences and will return to PNG capable of commanding aircraft instruments as first officers on board Air Niugini flights," Mr Loretan said.

Source: Coffs Harbour Advocate, 5 November

Air safety authority clears Dash-8s for service

BY GEOFFREY THOMAS

PNG's CIVIL Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has issued an emergency airworthiness directive for the Bombardier Dash-8 aircraft operated by the Airlines of Papua New Guinea.

All Dash-8s were groundede after the 13 October crash near Madang that killed 28 people.

The airworthiness directive mandates increased inspections and tests on the propeller governor and power lever systems, plus some other modifications.

Airlines PNG said last Thursday it had been cleared by safety authorities to return its Dash-8 aircraft to service.

The airline said that “while a full investigation continues to be carried out, preliminary evidence points to a component failure,” which resulted in the loss of power to both engines “leaving the flight crew with no other alternatives other than to attempt an emergency landing.”

Source: Air Transport World, 31 October

Solomon Airlines Dash 8 still not flying

THE DASH 8 aircraft on lease to Solomon Airlines from Airlines of PNG remains grounded whilst the airline awaits further information regarding outcomes of investigations into the Madang accident two weeks ago.

A team from Dash 8 manufacturers, Bombardier, Transport Canada, and the Australian and PNG air safety bureaus are still deliberating on what caused the crash and whether the fleet can be released to flying operations.

Solomon Airlines indicated that further advice from Airlines PNG is expected later this week.

Passengers have been asked to maintain in contact with the airline offices and agents.

"The safety of our passengers is paramount and this major disruption will not deter our policy of safety first,” the airline said.

“We are seeking to find solutions as quickly as possible to continue a safe Dash 8 operation in the Solomon Islands."

Source: Solomon Times, 26 October

Air services expansion not in doubt: O'Neill

WHILE THE Papua New Guinea government has cancelled the planned merger of Air Niugini and Airlines PNG, it is determined that the national carrier will be further strengthened and that scheduled air services will be extended to many more of the country’s smaller communities.

Expansion of the domestic network was a key factor in the planned merger, along with rationalisation and possible extension of regional routes.

The merger was cancelled by the National Executive Council in the wake of the recent Airlines PNG Dash 8 crash.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill cited this as a key reason for the cancellation but also pointed to the need for a clear policy on the commercialisation of state-owned enterprises before proceeding further.

While the proposed airline merger had been generally well received, there had been some questioning as to whether the model was the most appropriate and most likely to succeed.

Mr O’Neill said that the Independent Public Business Corporation would work with Air Niugini on plans for a new third level airline operation, to ensure that the priorities of expanding national coverage were met.

Source: Air Cargo Asia Pacific, 20 October

Heaven on earth: sea kayaking in New Ireland

BY SUSAN GOUGH HENLY

TINY FISH flashed across the bows of our yellow kayaks as we paddled across a tropical sea. Our destination was a sliver of white sand with a topknot of pines.

Beaching the kayaks, we found four outriggers and some lads sitting round a campfire. They showed off their catch of red emperor and coral trout. It was a feast fit for a queen, appropriate as it was the Queen's Birthday, a public holiday in New Ireland Province.

Today, its only tourists are a few adventurous surfers, divers and fishermen. But 100 years or more ago, it was a destination for missionaries, who decided to share their beliefs with the easygoing locals, who obligingly incorporated Christianity into their Malagan culture, with its carved masks and elaborate funerals.

I was there with my husband and three teenage daughters exploring a group of coral atolls off the main island of New Ireland. Our 40 km kayaking trip was a new offering from Australian-owned No Roads Expeditions.

Working with the local tourist board, PNG Tourism, No Roads provided each village on the itinerary with a new water tank, and pays them for food and entertainment. Three local trainee guides, Gabriel, Allan and Lapin, had come along to learn the ropes.

We flew to Port Moresby, PNG's capital, and on to Kavieng, a crumbling copra port on New Ireland. But this just made Nusa Island Retreat, a pretty eco resort five minutes away by boat, with beach bungalows and a bar on the sand, all the more perfect.

Next day we paddled across water in more shades of blue than Eskimos have words for snow to Enuk, five miles to the south. Under a palm-frond shelter the village women presented a lunch of parrotfish, fried plantains and rice. The menfolk watched from the shade, machetes at their sides.

A few more miles of paddling took us to Kabotteron. While the crew set up our tents my oldest daughter Alice and I swapped our plastic kayaks for a dugout, carved from a tree trunk.

We soon tipped into the water, to a chorus of giggles. There was no running water, so we doused ourselves with buckets; a freshly dug pit toilet was beautifully screened with pandana leaves.

This set the pattern for the trip: we'd paddle morning and afternoon with stops for snorkelling around reefs.

On Kulinos our sleeping quarters were on the veranda of the minister's house. It was Sunday and a large wooden drum called everyone to the mint-green, dirt-floored Seventh Day Adventist church.

The minister, Sion Sionakis, welcomed us in English as honoured guests: "For some people it is the first time they have seen white people, and we are very glad."

That evening, young men with white-painted torsos performed a traditional sing-sing to drums and guitars and children chanted stories about fishing. Next morning, we attempted our own hastily practised farewell song, a paltry but heartfelt tribute to their hospitality.

Lapin was dying to show us his home, Nusakelo. "I love my island – the beach, the orchard and vegetable garden, the reef," he says quietly. "Can you believe an American found Nusakelo on Google Maps and tried to buy it for $70,000? We said no, because we want to keep it the way it is."

On Laminlagit, we held outrigger races with village teenagers then feasted on watermelon, damper and mud crabs. Our daughter Julia found a guitar and sang to adoring children as fireflies pricked the darkness.

At our final destination, Tsoilik, at the tip of the island chain, a pretty guest house offered real beds, a solar shower and flushing toilets.

These were unexpected treats, but nothing to the thrill of racing hermit crab with the local kids as dusk fell and spear fishermen on outriggers were silhouetted against a flaming sky.

Source: The Guardian, 14 October
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2011/oct/14/papua-new-guinea-sea-kayaking?newsfeed=true

Chewing testes while waiting for the rest rooms

BY KELA KAPKORA SIL BOLKIN

THE THIRD LARGEST city of Papua New Guinea, Mt Hagen, has “no enter” rest rooms at its Kagamuga Airport.  The facilities have been shut since 2008.

I say ‘2008’ because that was the last time I travelled out of Mt Hagen and asked to use a rest room when I felt urged to answer the call of nature.

After beseeching and literally telling the male staff that I chew his testes (our Simbu way of begging), I was made to jump over the counter to be let into their office to use the staff rest room.

Almost three years later, on 29 September 2011, I travelled to Mt Hagen again.  Arriving at the airport in the morning, I was greeted by some 55 tourists (who looked like pensioners) from Australia - also waiting to travel.

When the flight was delayed by three hours, the timid tourists, like the natives, sat and mumbled that they could no longer hold back what the body wished to flush out.

As usual, Mt Hagen was cold, so I helped myself to two cups of hot coffee and, soon after, also felt the urge to answer the call of nature.

I ran out, paid K5 to a mother who sold betel nut at the north-western corner of the terminal and used her pit toilet. The tourists had to jump on the hotel bus and head back to town to answer their calls.

Goroka Airport has had the same problem for three years now. I say ‘three years’ because I was there and met the same fate also in 2008. I experienced the same “no enter” this year and knew passengers had suffered silently for many years.

Passengers have to be in executive class to access a rest room.  Passengers in any other class have to cope with the agony of holding back the stuff that wants to come out of the body.  Although I have found that occasional belching and farting will help to reduce the pressure.

Almost all Papua New Guineans and most foreigners don’t have access to the executive lounge, so imagine the agony they go though travelling in and out of these airports where there are no rest rooms.

Mt Hagen and Goroka are major airports that on average have five Air Niugini flights a day, let alone all the small planes.

The two towns are major tourist destinations and such a half-baked rest room service by the National Airports Corporation is a loss to PNG.

I have also found the same problem at Vanimo, Kundiawa, Manus and Popondetta airport terminals.  Other towns, including Wewak, have run down and filthy rest rooms smeared with phlegm, betelnut stains and graffiti and sometimes are without water.

I rang the National Airports Corporation on Monday and a young man answered. I told him that a couple of airports need good decent rest rooms and also told him of the passengers’ ordeal.

“So many people call and made this same complaint,” he replied. “The senior executive management team in the National Airports Corporation is aware of it but I don’t know when they will start renovating the rest rooms in some or all of these airports.”

Well, there you go. We can all wait until the cows come home.

Government jet still gadding about: Hawaii report

PRIME MINISTER Peter O’Neill and his delegation spent a night on Kaua‘i in Hawaii en route home from the United Nations General Assembly.

The island is the home of Captain Christopher Smith, head of the crew that flies the PNG government’s Dassault Falcon 900 EX that Mr O’Neill has promised to sell.

Captain Smith said the group spent the night on island because the plane needed refuelling and his flight crew needed refreshing.

Smith is a part-time pilot for the PNG government, said his mother, Rosemary Smith, standing near the prime minister’s plane parked at Lihu‘e Airport.

“He lives in Colorado with his wife, who is a captain with Frontier Airlines, and their three daughters,” she said.

“But he commutes to New Guinea as the pilot for the prime minister four months of the year.”

Dessie Benson, one of the three flight crew members on the the prime minister’s trip, said the Falcon get is owned by the Papua New Guinea government.

Joining Smith on the flight crew were Kris Randall, a former United Airlines pilot, and Vincent Kipma of New Guinea.

Joi Bonaparte, the Kaua‘i district manager for Air Service Hawaii, said they get corporate jets frequently, but it’s not every day they have the privilege of servicing foreign government dignitaries.

Photo: Capt Christopher Smith displays the flight deck of the Falcon he pilots for the prime minister of Papua New Guinea

Source: The Garden Island, Hawaii, 25 September
http://thegardenisland.com/news/local/article_3bf597e6-e80d-11e0-976b-001cc4c03286.html

People stand to lose from airline monopoly

BY MARTYN NAMORONG

THE PNG GOVERNMENT recently announced its approval in principle for the merger of state owned airline Air Niugini with the privately owned Airlines PNG. A merger between the two airline sets to create the largest airline in Papua New Guinea.

Airlines PNG is Air Niugini’s only real competitor on certain national and international routes.

Nationally they both compete on the Mount Hagen, Lae, Tabubil and Bulolo routes. Internationally they compete on the lucrative Australian market. In fact, the increased competition as a result of Airlines PNG expanding its routes has seen a decline in prices.

Many pundits are therefore wary of the proposed merger. The matter has been subject to much discussion on blogs and social networking sites. On Facebook, for instance, a post by ‘Essential Meri PNG’on Sharp Talk racked up over 120 responses. ‘Cuma PNG’ summarised the general sentiment saying, “Lack of competition will never benefit the people.”

Perhaps the most well reasoned arguments against the merger come from former Minister Arthur Somare. In 2010 when Airlines PNG wanted to merge with Air Niugini, Mr. Somare immediately ruled out talks. Here are his reasons as reported by the Post Courier on the 23 August 2010:

1. Airlines PNG suffered big losses in its two years as a company listed on the Port Moresby Stock Exchange and, if it is now enjoying robust growth, that is good for future competition;

2. Publicly available information suggests APNG’s improved performance is due to charters with the PNG LNG Project and others, but this has little benefit to the wider travelling public;

3. The then Transport and Works Minister Don Polye said the Government’s “open sky” policy could lead to more competition and he cited the case of Virgin Air. This argument does not hold now since an Air Niugini merger with APNG would kill off Virgin’s code share arrangement with APNG,”

4. Air Niugini has enjoyed an accident-free history since its formation in 1974; a merger with APNG would ruin this reputation and result in payment of much higher insurance premiums;

5. The higher insurance premiums would result in higher costs and higher airfares;

6. The APNG air crash in Kokoda in August last year could result in expensive litigation once official reports are concluded. There is no reason for this burden to be passed on to Air Niugini.

7. Rising inflation is one of the biggest concerns of Bank of Papua New Guinea and the National Government. Do we want to take a backward step and allow airfares and airfreight charges to rise again?

8. Air Niugini was able to reduce international airfares by 20 per cent to 50 per cent to different international destinations in recent years and domestic fares had fallen by an average of 20 per cent.

9. The practical implication of the merger is that a single individual, John Ralston Wild, will become the biggest private shareholder in Air Niugini with a stake five times bigger than Nasfund, APNG’s second largest shareholder.

 

Four unions want to nix proposed airline merger

The four unions in Papua New Guinea's national airline are reported to be against the government's proposal to merge state-owned carrier Air Niugini with the publicly-listed Airlines PNG.

The government is justifying the move by saying that both airlines are struggling.

The National Broadcasting Commission reports that Air Niugini's National Airlines Employees Association, National Air Pilots Union, Flights Attendants Association and Aircraft Engineers Association all strongly oppose the idea.

The National Airlines Employees Association says it believes the merger will displace local employees and not do any good.

Australia Network News, 26 September
http://australianetworknews.com/stories/201109/3326195.htm?desktop

Air Niugini & Airlines PNG merger approved

AIRLINES PNG has expressed delight at the Papua New Guinea government’s announcement approving its merger with Air Niugini, the state owned national carrier.

A memorandum of understanding between the three parties will see the establishment of a Merger Implementation Office led by Sir Mekere Morauta, Minister for Public Enterprises.

The Office will establish a transaction structure and implementation timeline.

Airlines PNG says the merger is expected to bring great opportunities and it has immediate plans to extend routes into a range of rural areas not presently well served.

The merger will enable the combined airline, which will operate one of the largest fleets in the South Pacific, to better cover an extensive range of international and domestic destinations.

A larger, stronger national carrier is also expected to provide increased employment opportunities for PNG staff.

The merger is subject to the approval of Airlines PNG shareholders and approval of the final transaction by the government, together with corporate, regulatory and third party approvals.

Spotter: Peter Kranz

The land of the authentic cultural experience

PAPUA NEW GUINEA is a mind-boggling numbers game. Only 160 kilometres north of Australia, the country has more than 850 languages, 600 bird species and 600 islands surrounding the main land mass.

"Authentic experiences are getting harder to find but here these cultural experiences are not contrived - it's raw," says Michael Woods, of the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority.

"Australia is the No.1 target market but more than 50 per cent of visitors are from North America and Europe."

About 15,000-plus people have travelled to PNG this year, generating about 3 per cent of the country's gross domestic product.

On the festival schedule there's the Ambunti Crocodile Festival in East Sepik Province and the Mount Hagen Show in the Western Highlands Province, where visitors can walk among 70 different cultural groups in traditional costume.

"People are singing, dancing and chanting regardless of whether we [visitors] are there or not," Woods says.

Beyond the popular Kokoda Track there's Mount Wilhelm at 4508 metres, the Black Cat Track in the Morobe Province (challenges include ravine-crossing and abseiling) and the 60-kilometre Lark Force Wilderness Track in East New Britain.

The tourism body is also promoting the country's lesser-known water sports: from black-bass fishing to surfing uncrowded breaks and diving on World War II wrecks in 28-degree waters.

For those who have the budget for complete seclusion, a resort on Panasesa Island, with just six beachfront bungalows, will open in December. Part of the Conflict Islands group in Milne Bay, the entire 22 islands can be explored by guests.

Activities include diving and snorkelling and the resort has a resident chef whose menus include seafood (crayfish anyone?) from the surrounding waters.

The Panasesa Island resort costs from $3750 a person for a seven-night stay (based on 12 guests staying) and includes meals, beverages and return charter flights from Port Moresby.

Source: Sydney Morning Herald Traveller, 17 September
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/backpackers-send-some-love-20110916-1kdn3.html#ixzz1YFRd7Mj8

Solomon Airlines looks at a Port Moresby link

SOLOMON AIRLINES has concluded a series of proving flights to neighboring Melanesian countries.

The first of the series was flown to Port Moresby on Friday and a similar flight was made to Nadi and Port Vila on Saturday.

Commercial General Manager Gus Kraus said the proving flights were to introduce Solomon Airlines pilots and cabin crew to possible new routes.

The flights were also to enable the Solomons to promote itself to neighbouring countries that could see the airline re-enter the Port Moresby route.

Solomon Airlines had in the past flown with its own aircraft, a Boeing 737 but is currently flying under a code sharing arrangement.

But with the introduction of its new Airbus 320, Solomon Airlines is confident it can re-enter these markets under its own flag.

CEO Ron Sumsum said the airline had undertaken initial discussions with Air New Guinea, and he is hopeful an arrangement will be finalised in the next few weeks.

Solomon Airlines currently flies Brisbane-Honiara-Brisbane four times a week.

Source: Solomon Times, 12 September
http://www.solomontimes.com/news.aspx?nwID=6435

Tourism roadshow makes way up east coast

MELBOURNE PROVIDED a strong start to the four-city Australian leg of Papua New Guinea’s tourism road show this week, with travel agents meeting with PNG tourism operators to brush up on their destination knowledge.

The roadshow, hosted by Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority, is an annual event aimed at raising the profile of PNG and educating Australian travel agents on the range of travel opportunities and tourism infrastructure now in place in their country.

Exhibitors included Air Niugini, Airlines PNG, Walindi Plantation Resort, Loloata Island Resort, Pacific Tours, Paivu Tours, PNG Trekking Adventures/Village Huts, Tawali Resort, Kokoda Track Authority, National Planning Department, Wemso Lodge & Tours, Trans Niugini Tours, and Orion Expeditions.

Agents were encouraged to learn as much as possible from each company and were rewarded with great prizes.

The roadshow moved to Sydney on Thursday with more than 100 agents in attendance.

Details of upcoming events:

Brisbane: Monday 5 September, 1800-2030 [Brisbane Hilton, Queens Ballroom, 190 Elizabeth Street]

Cairns: Tuesday 6 September, 1800-2030 [Hotel Cairns, Plantation Ballroom, Corner of Abbott & Florence Streets]

Source: Travel Blackboard
http://www.etravelblackboard.com/article/122730/australian-png-tourism-roadshow-kicks-off-in-melbourne

The other Port Moresby: a city in the sun

BY TERRY EDWINSMITH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE CITY exudes an energy that was unknown in pre-independence days. Streets are a buzz with movement. Vehicles of every shape and size busily go about the business of the day.

Shopping centres and bus stops are crowded with people moving around purposefully from one part of the city to another.

People of every shape and size , from all corners of the world, answer ringing mobile phones to listen to the conversations of friends, relations and business associates in cities, towns or in the villages, either here in PNG or in other parts of the world.

Televisions, unknown prior to independence, broadcast local and international programs from both cable and “free to air” stations bringing domestic and overseas news to the population. All manner of items are sold in the trade stores and the newly opened shopping complexes springing up all over the island.

The harbour is full of ships waiting to load and unload cargo. Where once a single wharf would accommodate ships like the MV Bulolo on its six-weekly visit, with the wharf remaining idle for much of the time. It is now replaced by many wharves working 24 hours a day non stop as other ships wait patiently to secure a berth.

Who could have envisioned the time when the yacht club has had to move into its third premises to accommodate the expansion of interest both locally and internationally.

Shipping both commercial and pleasure find accommodation on reclaimed land on the harbour, used for containers or dry moorings to facilitate chandlery, refits and repairs. Car parks are filled to overflowing.

No one would have imagined that the airlines would have to schedule more daily flights to accommodate the demand. The international airport is a far cry from our beloved Jackson Strip with its Marston matting either on the runway or used as fences to hold back who knows what.

Travel Air takes delivery of first aircraft

TRAVEL AIR, Papua New Guinea’s newest airline, has taken delivery of its first aircraft.

On 18 August, Travel Air received its first of six Fokker 50. Four of the aircraft will be based in Madang and used for passengers operations in PNG.

The other two will be mainly operated from Lae and used for cargo operations to towns with short runways.

The first Fokker is shown ready to depart from Masstricht in the Netherlands on its long delivery flight to PNG.

Source: World Airline News

Philippines - PNG air travel is boosted

BY DARWIN G AMOJELAR

THE GOVERNMENTS of the Philippines and Papua New Guinea have agreed to increase flight entitlements between the two countries.

Carmelo Arcilla, Philippines Civil Aeronautics Board executive director, said the two countries agreed to amend their air services agreement by increasing entitlements to 600 seats per week from the current 150.

Mr Arcilla said demand for tourism is growing between the two countries, but the market is still small. At present, no Philippine carrier flies to PNG but Air Niugini flies twice weekly to Manila.

Source: The Manila Times

Travel to those idyllic surf locations

BY DAVID ELLIS

WITH ITS TROPICAL climate, uncrowded waves and enticing package deals at remote and picturesque surfing locations, now’s the time to book a surfing trip to Papua New Guinea.

Madang, Milne Bay, Kavieng and New Hanover are favourite PNG locations for surfing, boasting great swells and water temperatures of 26 degrees year round. And with surf management laws in place, surfers are guaranteed to never be battling the crowds on PNG’s waves.

Surf travel options include heading out with a charter company to catch the breaks around off-shore islands, giving surfers the opportunity to explore the waves in various locations on one trip.

Or base yourself at a land surf camp, such as Clem’s Place on Tunnung Island, just north of Kavieng, which is currently offering additional free nights if you book before 31 August.

And locations like Clem’s Place often offer secluded accommodation options for small groups in remote island locations, where the focus is on relaxation and surfing with true PNG hospitality from the land owners.

With six bungalows available and great surf, Clem’s Place has two deals for those wanting to experience the ‘last frontier’ when it comes to surfing: pay for 9 days and stay 10 or, pay for 12 days and stay 14.

Trips need to be booked before 31 August and travel must be during the 2011-2012 surf season (October-April).

Prices start at $270 a night with packages including reef fees, three meals a day and surf transfers. To book visit www.southseahorizons.com

 

David Ellis spent 20 years as a journalist with ABC radio and television news, including 10 in Rabaul, brief stints in Jakarta and Singapore, and the remainder in Sydney where he rose to position of chief of staff before leaving in 1979 to set up his own public relations business.

Source: Australian Public Service News

Air France & Air Niugini in ticket agreement

ON 1 JULY Air France KLM and Air Niugini introduced their first interline e-ticketing agreement.

As from 1 July, passengers travelling between Port Moresby and Europe have benefitted from this arrangement.

Prior to the signing of the agreement, passengers could only be booked to Air Niugini destinations in the Air Niugini network, which excludes Europe. Passengers travelling to destinations outside the Air Niugini network were advised to book with another carrier online.

During their trip passengers then had to collect their checked baggage and recheck for the next flight, which can be time consuming.

“The implementation of the interline e-ticketing agreement ensures that Air Niugini and Air France KLM customers now have easy connections between Port Moresby and Singapore, Hong Kong, Manila, Tokyo and any European city in the network,” said Wasantha Kumarasiri, CEO of Air Niugini.

“We are very happy with this agreement to offer our customers a seamless service between PNG and our extensive network in Europe”, said Paul Rombeek, regional general manager for Air France KLM.

Air Niugini now has airline agreements with 28 other airlines.

Source: Travel Blackboard

Anzac cruise to honour Rabaul heroes

AURORA EXPEDITIONS will stage a special commemorative voyage to Papua New Guinea next April, to mark the upcoming 70th anniversary of Australia’s involvement in PNG during World War II.

The voyage will encompass visits to historical sites from Alotau to Rabaul, ending with a special dawn Anzac Day service in Rabaul.

Lost in Paradise – Our Fallen Heroes will depart Alotau on 14 April landing at key historic sites such as Samarai, Linden Harbour, Jacquinot Bay, Tol and Rabaul.

An onboard historian will interpret the significance of these areas and shine a light on the courage and tragedy of Lark Force in the Battle of Rabaul, and the ensuing loss of troop and civilian life on the Montevideo Maru.

The cruise will include opportunities to snorkel pristine reefs, witness traditional singsings and simply take in the natural beauty of PNG.

Prices for the 13-day expedition start from $5,690 per person quad-share, including all meals on board, shore excursions and lectures. Aurora Expeditions can also organise all flight, accommodation, transfer and pre and post touring in PNG.

A proportion of the profits from the voyage will be given to the Rabaul and Montevideo Maru Memorial Society for a memorial which it is hoped will be constructed at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra next year.

Source: Aurora Expeditions

A traveller’s appraisal of Jacksons airport

REUTERS - PORT MORESBY, the capital of PNG – a beautiful and vastly unexplored country – is nothing you’d call out of the ordinary.

Yes, Port Moresby is fairly accessible from Australia and a few Asian countries, but the people you’d see on those planes wouldn’t be your typical tourists. In fact, most of them won’t be tourists at all.

Locals then? Nope, the locals mostly can’t afford the western priced airfares. png’s per capita GDP lies at only $2,500, putting the country at the bottom quarter of the global statistic.

So who flies to PNG? Expats, businessmen, politicians and the one or other adventurous traveller, is the answer.

It’s therefore not surprising that when you land at Port Moresby’s Jacksons International Airport (IATA: POM) the queue at the foreign residents visa counter is the longest; followed by the queue for visa-on-arrival (many nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival for 100 kina).

The airport overall is split into two terminals: international and domestic. In all fairness, the domestic terminal is actually well frequented by locals, even though airfares to fly within PNG are quite high. However, flying is oftentimes the only way of getting to another town as roads are bad and sometimes nonexistent.

But let’s get back to the international terminal: While you are advised not to walk around Port Moresby unless accompanied by a local and definitely never at night, the airport feels safe with plenty of guards who only allow travellers into the terminal building.

Having said that, the sound of the alarm from the metal detector upon terminal entry didn’t seem to bother the guards when we entered. Luckily there is another, more serious security check before you get to the airside area.

After you check in, don’t expect to find many shops within the terminal building. However, there are a few places you can spend some time. Here our suggestions.

If you have a lot of time before your flight and have a car, go to the Airways Hotel. It’s on a hill only a few kilometres from the airport and offers all the facilities you’d want including a supervised children’s area, a restaurant and a fantastic view down towards the airport. It even features an old Air Niugini DC3 which was converted into an internet cafe.

In the terminal: go on a bargain hunt and buy locally produced coffee and vanilla seed pots (you are allowed to bring both into Australia as long as they are properly sealed). Buy postcards, flags or other souvenirs from one of the small shops before immigration.

In the same area, visit the Melanesian gift shop or the jewellery shop which has more than just shiny objects: for example, you will there also find the typical, local bilums (bags).

Grab a last SP, SP Gold, Ice Beer or Export in the Airport Café (they have non-alcoholic beverages as well as some snacks).

After entering the airside area, you’re restricted to one small souvenir and duty-free shop (you can also buy duty free before immigration and get it sent to your gate) and a tiny snack bar.

On one of the walls there is, however, a nice infograph of the Kokoda track which is worth spending a few minutes looking at. Who knows you might get some ideas for your next trip?

Source: Reuters latedeparture.com

The sights and sounds of Milne Bay

BY DAN UGLOW

A CROWD HAD GATHERED around and it was swelling rapidly. There were mostly men, of all ages, with stained red teeth, dark skin, all carrying knifes or machetes.

The women and children stayed on the fringe of the growing melee. Many of them also bore the telltale red mouths. That could mean only one thing — betel nut.

This natural stimulant from the jungle is like an extreme caffeine hit for the locals, and it renders visitors very high, often leading to hallucinations. A man preached the gospel to another crowd, but his was diminishing while ours was growing.

The light from the evening’s low sun had become hazy, filtered by dust that was being kicked up by the drug-fuelled, machete bearing crowd as they grew ever more quizzical of our presence. But this was not a dangerous mob, their red teeth were framed by smiles. There was chatter, fits of laughter and above all, excited talk of dim dims.

Alotau market is not exactly used to receiving visitors, let alone white foreigners, or dimdims as they are called by the locals. Depending on who you ask, the word dimdim either means “man of the horizon”, which sounds somewhat mysterious, or it’s a reference to our white skin.

Either way those who inhabit PNG’s most easterly point, the spectacular natural harbour of Milne Bay where Alotau is the primary town, use it with great affection.

Our group had wandered down from the hotel during the early evening to buy market food. Dishes of dried fish cooked in coconut milk and green vegetables sat next to home-baked breads, deep-fried fishcake patties with noodles and handmade donuts.

The crowd, buoyed by our willingness to try their food, grew ever more friendly. Mischievous boys hungry for a sale claimed they cooked the food that afternoon, only to turn red and giggle when asked what the recipe was.

 Shrieks of laughter from the women and men cut through the evening as the boys stumbled to cobble together an answer. Eventually they too cracked under the pressure and launched into hysterics at being found out.

We talked rugby league — Darren Lockyer and Wayne Bennett were nothing short of heroic to the men. Teams like St George, the Brisbane Broncos and the North Queensland Cowboys were intoned reverently as we spoke.

Word of our dimdim presence and carefree attitude to food had spread and it wasn’t long before a man came forward with his hand buried deep in his pocket. He opened his fist and within the palm of his hand lay six pearls as fine as you might see anywhere in the world. Each one varied in size, but all had the same soft pink tinge and each was perfectly spherical.

Kamatal: the most exclusive club in the world

BY ALAN LITTLEFIELD

THE LOUISIADE ARCHIPELAGO is an idyllic group of islands, since the suspension of beche de mer fishing reliant on trading from visiting yachts for income.

During the annual Louisiade Yacht Rally, many of the villages host feasts or produce displays of traditional dancing and handicrafts competing to tempt the yachts to visit. This is vital as there are literally hundreds of communities and the rally yachts can’t visit them all.

Kamatal, a small island some 25 km from Misima, has a very small anchorage. While picturesque it is difficult to enter because of coral and it faces into the prevailing wind. Anchoring is disconcerting on a lee shore with coral behind the boat and, even in the lightest wind, a skipper does not get a peaceful nights sleep.

The island has no water and, although it has pigs and chickens, grows no crops. What it does have, however, is Chief Jimmy.

With the unenviable task of competing against islands with far more amenities, charismatic Chief Jimmy set about putting his island on the cruising chart. His first action was to research what yachties wanted. He decided that what the Louisiades lacked was a yacht club, so in 2007 the most substantial building in Kamatal was finished and the Kamatal Yacht Club was born.

At a historic meeting in 2008 between skipper and crew of catamaran SY 5 O’Clock Somewhere and Chief Jimmy, the subject of attracting yachts to Kamatal was raised. Rob and Pam Robson from 5 O’Clock Somewhere suggested a swap library where yachties could exchange books, so Jimmy set about extending the club to feature a library.

When I visited on SY Dreamagic during the 2009 rally, there was the yacht club complete with bookshelves but no books. Bob and Pam had said that if Jimmy built the library, they would provide some books. He spent the next year building the library but 5 O’Clock Somewhere didn’t come back until late 2009, when two crates of books were offloaded from rally yachts.

In September 2010, when SY Dreamagic visited again, I was concerned that the book supply would have been depleted by absent-minded yachties taking more books than they gave, so we brought a case of books to donate. However, we need not have worried because the library was going from strength to strength.

Additions that Jimmy has made include navigation marks to make entry into the lagoon relatively straightforward. Another improvement is the jetty at the front of the club. It seems Jimmy decided that it would be nice for yachties to be able to sit and read or watch the sun set over the lagoon, so he constructed a viewing platform.

With no electricity and rudimentary hand tools, the villagers have driven each post into coral by hand and then constructed the deck. It is a testament to his leadership that he has managed to inspire his village to work on something which is of little use to themselves but will be appreciated by the visitors whose trade is so important to the island.

Vaguely reminiscent of those pictures one sees in glossy coffee table magazines, it is hard to believe Jimmy hasn’t a marketing degree in the way he has packaged his island to tempt visiting yachts.

So if you are passing and need to refresh your supply of reading matter, drop in to the Kamatal Yacht Club. You will get a warm welcome from Commodore Jimmy and his wife Jessie. Jimmy tells me that all yacht clubs have reciprocal rights and, for a small fee, he will have his wood carvers make a plaque of your boat name to decorate the clubhouse.

Source: Mysailing.com.au

Orion increases number of voyages to PNG

SARINA BRATTON, CEO of Orion Cruises, talks to CAROLINE ADAM of Travel Weekly

Adam: How is Orion's cruise program for PNG shaping up for 2012?

Bratton: For the first time both Orion ships will visit PNG in 2012. The two ships have been chartered by US organisations for the Solar Eclipse off Port Douglas. The Orion II will have her maiden call in Australia in November 2012, and then we will operate from Cairns to Rabaul on our established 11-night PNG Cultural Highlights itinerary.

Adam: How many voyages will Orion make to the destination in 2011 and 2012?

Bratton: We had seven voyages in 2010 and have four in 2011 and six planned for 2012. We usually operate in PNG every spring and autumn, however due to charter activity now and again, our plans get altered.

Adam: How has demand for the destination been in recent years and how important is PNG to Orion?

Bratton: For Orion, positioned in this part of the world, we consider PNG part of our shoulder season, with Antarctica and the Kimberley being our peak seasons. PNG is not considered a mainstream tourism destination. However, our well-travelled and inquisitive guests' feedback informs us that being able to visit and interact with diverse cultural communities means the destination provides rewarding experiences.

We work very closely with a number of communities, providing equipment, aid, medical assistance, building school houses and building community work centres. We contribute in a corporate sense and guests contribute personally.

Adam: What selling points can you suggest to agents, for clients considering an Orion trip to this destination?

Bratton: The few large ships that do visit are restricted on where they can operate, making access difficult in shallow waters or remote areas. No other operator in PNG has the strong community links that Orion has forged over the last six years.

Orion also operates a convenient charter flight between Cairns and Rabaul (and vice versa) to transfer guests to and from the ship at the beginning or end of each voyage. And Orion has the highest rated ecologically responsible cruise operation in PNG.

Source: Travel Weekly

PNG: a new frontier in great surfing

BY ABHISHEK MISHRA

DESPITE ITS IMAGE of an underdeveloped and perhaps dangerous country, PNG has been attracting tourists in the recent decades and there is no wonder.

Unlike other prominent tourist destinations, it offers absolutely uncrowded and sustainably protected waters for some phenomenal surfing, diving, fishing and kayaking.

Its virgin forests and highlands provide world-class adventure: trekking, mountain climbing, bush-walking and bird watching.

When it comes to surfing, PNG is characterised by a ‘short second interval’, which means the swell is less powerful and it is an ideal place for low intermediate to advanced surfers.

And this country has become a new frontier in discovering new breaks – literally by the day! As Andrew Rigby of PNG Explorer put it: “Somebody needs to come up with the formula to name new surf breaks as we are discovering so many, I've run out of names!”

PNG’s surf potential is there all year round. During the wet season, the north coast has great surf locations from mid November until the end of April. The swell is brought in by the monsoon and some consistent waves are to be discovered and scored in Vanimo, Wewak, Kavieng and Madang and the breaks range from one to three metres.

Other great spots include Hula Beach (about 100km east of Port Moresby), Bougainville Island and the Gazelle Peninsula.

And the best part? It is the unique approach that the Surfing Association of PNG has taken towards its surf tourism development. By limiting the number of surfers staying at any one time and offering environmentally-friendly and low-impact facilities, this is a great development model for sustainable surf tourism.

One of prime examples is Nusa Island Retreat in New Ireland with eco-friendly accommodation, food and boat transport to the surrounding islands. All of the breaks are easily accessible from the resort and can be surfed on any tide.

The best surf charter boat in the region, and probably in the south Pacific, is the PNG Explorer. Rewriting the record books in discovering new surfing spots, they take surfers to New Hanover, St Matthias, New Ireland east coast, the Admiralty Islands and beyond.

“We are discovering, on average, eight new breaks per trips”, said Andrew Rigby, who, with his wife, provides great service to adventure surfers who have decided to give PNG a try.

There is still lots to discover in this beautiful and mystical country – absolutely remote, secluded regions, beautiful mountains, virgin forests and unsurfed breaks without the crowds, untouched by mass tourism and commercial resorts.

Source: For more information visit http://www.theperfectwave.com.au

Is Port Moresby safe or dangerous?

BY BETH WHITMAN

TELL SOMEONE you’re going to PNG and if they’ve ever heard of the country, they will likely tell you how dangerous it is (whether they’ve been there or not).

Specifically, they’ll share how dangerous it is in Port Moresby, the capital and entry point for nearly everyone.

I heard an earful from a lot of people, including those whom I consider very experienced travelers.

It’s not worth repeating their words of danger as I’d only be perpetuating the fear, but suffice it to say… the words of warning had me questioning my own travel plans and frantically sending off emails to the folks who had arranged my tour, asking them for reassurance that I’d return home in one piece.

While I won’t tell you that Port Moresby is safe, I will tell you that what I experienced was not worthy of the dire words of warning and the suggestion that I avoid the city at all costs.

To the contrary, I met the most lovely people in Moresby (as the locals call it), shopped for artifacts that were gathered from around the country, and browsed through hundreds of unique books from the University bookstore.

After arriving early in the morning from a few days at the Tawali Dive Resort near Alotau, I freshened up, grabbed a quick lunch at my hotel and then was picked up by my guide for the afternoon, Andrew.

After a few awkward miles of driving and halted conversation about what I might like to see in Port Moresby, Andrew and I got into a groove. I explained that I was interested in the local culture, I wanted to shop for some artifacts/crafts and wanted to go to a bookstore. Andrew was right on it.

An adventurer with a heart for the people

BY PETER KRANZ

CHARLEY BOORMAN IS an English TV adventurer, travel writer and actor. He is well-known for his association with motorcycles and his enthusiasm for biking.

He is the son of film director John Boorman and has filmed many motorcycle trips to places off the beaten track, first with friend Ewan McGregor, and then on his own in the By Any Means series.

In Episode 2 of Sydney to Tokyo By Any Means, he travels through Papua New Guinea. From Lae, up the highlands highway, through the Bundi Ppass to Madang, across to the Sepik and along the coast to Wutung, where he finds he can't get permission to enter West Papua.

I started watching this program fearing it would be another 'white man dares to travel through dark primitive places' piece, a genre beloved of some documentary makers in western TV culture.

But after the opening credits (PNG is dangerous, there are rascals, crime is the worst on the planet), I quickly realised that it wasn't one of these at all. Charley obviously likes and respects the local people, confesses that he has fallen in love with PNG and shows a remarkably genuine honesty and concern for PNG life and conditions.

The first part is about getting from Lae to Goroka by truck before riding trail bikes to the upper Simbu and down to Madang via Bundi. Quite a feat in itself.

In Goroka, Charley's humanity starts to show through. He visits a VSO clinic run by Marcel, a volunteer physiotherapist helping disabled people and is quite frank about some of the cultural prejudices he encounters.

The trail bike ride through the mountains of Upper Simbu and across the Bundi track is awesome - including a frightening shot of a truck just managing to negotiate a bridge across Wara Simbu that has no decking - just a few steel girders [picture].

There's a heated argument with locals who demand compensation to let them pass - thankfully resolved peacefully (with K50). Charley stops off for the night at Betty's Lodge at the foot of Mt Wilhelm, where Betty is her usual delightful self (God bless her) and we learn how the locals feel about the government’s abysmal failure to maintain basic infrastructure and security - a recurring theme of the show.

I get the feeling this episode started off as a travel documentary on transport in difficult places, but quickly morphed into a revealing and heartfelt description of the people, culture and conditions in PNG today.

At Madang Charley stays with Nancy Sullivan who describes some of the realities of life for women in different cultures of PNG, then he catches PMV's and banana boats to Gapun village on the Sepik where he is a guest of Don the anthropogist who is studying the unique Gapun language. He eats local food, stays in a village house, plays with the kids, and talks sympathetically to everyone he meets.

Charley then travels to Aitape and Wewak - gets held up again by locals asking for compensation for crossing a river (where they claim they once had a bridge) and eventually finds his way to Wutung where he finds the Indonesians won't let him cross into West Papua. He has to return to Port Moresby, where he does eventually get permission - that's the next episode.

It is a lovely program - not patronising nor a tourist gloss, but comes across as a genuine and honest description of one white mans first experience of PNG culture - warts and all, but predominately showing how stunningly beautiful are the country and its people.

I thoroughly recommend it and you can get a taste of it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzNVuLUGLpM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Otc0FAeNwdE

Right to the Edge: Sydney to Tokyo By Any Means, Episode 2 - Papua New Guinea, BBC TV 2009

Late nights - & mornings - in Moresby

BY PETER KRANZ

  
THERE IS A THRIVING night life culture in Moresby. It is sometimes dangerous and always lively, exciting and entertaining.

If you want to experience it for yourself, you could do worse than visit some of the late-night discos, clubs and drinking establishments, some of which manage to stay open until late in the morning - despite licensing restrictions.

Best to go with some local friends. Luckily I had a few ex-Simbu rugby players and a raskol or two to chaperone me on such outings.

The Shady Rest Hotel was close to where I lived, so my wife and I occasionally wandered down there on a Saturday night looking for entertainment.

One such weekend we stumbled across the famous Gay Night - a beauty contest for cross-dressers, aspiring transvestites and gays. Somewhat to my shock, and feeling like a fish out of water, I was asked to be one of the judges.

The contestants paraded in front of the appreciative audience in a variety of gorgeous costumes, performed various dances and acts (quite decent I add) and then waltzed around the judges to be scored.

The variety and creativity of the costumes was amazing, considering they must have been put together on a shoe-string budget but worthy of the Sydney Mardi Gras.

It was difficult to make a judgment based on the various parameters we were given by the organisers: poise, beauty, costume and dance movements were some I remember.

I was offered a discreet bribe by some of the contestants and their fans - which kept me in free beer for the evening!

The music was loud, mostly 80's style disco, and the judges were encouraged to try a few dance moves with the contestants. (I got a few cheers, mostly out of politeness).

It was great fun, and something of an eye-opener. You don't find this in the tourist brochures.

We judges saw all the beauties strutting their stuff most professionally, conferred earnestly and totted up the scores.

Then to rapt silence the winners were announced - the silence immediately replaced by raucous screams, congratulations and a few teary thank-you's.

Then it all melted into a retro disco evening - complete with revolving glitter-ball and some great dancing.

Gay Night is usually frequented by local celebrities - singers, sports stars, politicians and media personalities.

An evening not to be missed.

Visit to PNG changes students’ outlook on life

WENTWORTH COURIER (SYDNEY)

PNG IS NOT EVERYONE’S ideal holiday destination. The country has a high murder rate, a reputation for lawlessness, and HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis are endemic.

But for six students from St Clare’s College in Waverley and their social justice program teachers [right], it was an ideal place to spend 12 days in December.

Year 12 student Lauren Cooper, who lives in Vaucluse, said she’d heard about the dangers of PNG, but that her experience had been overwhelmingly positive.

The students spent most of their time in Vanimo, near the border with Indonesia, and its surrounding villages.

“Everyone is friendly, you can’t go past anyone on the street without someone saying hello,” Lauren said.

“While we were there Oprah was in Sydney - we were like Oprah in Vanimo. Everyone would scream hello, it was quite amazing, it was very humbling.”

During their trip, students spent time learning to make traditional billum (bags) and observing how many people lived subsistence lives.

Lauren said she had been particularly affected by a visit to a home for young girls who had left their families rather than be forced to marry and leave school, and by visits to a local hospital where they met leprosy and tuberculosis patients.

“The people, they were so inspiring, they literally had nothing, but they were the happiest and most joyful people I’ve ever met,” she said.

“The thing that shocked all of the girls was the fact they have nothing. Their houses are made out of the trees they live next to. They have no supplies, there’s only one supermarket in the whole place.”

She said it had changed her outlook on life.

“I think I’m just thankful for the people who surround me and that I’m able to finish school and go to uni, because the girls (at the school) have nothing.”

Source: http://wentworth-courier.whereilive.com.au/news/story/humbled-by-trip/   Spotter: Peter Kranz

Taking a bit of retail therapy in Irian Jaya

BY A TRUSTED FRIEND

THE DIRECT FLIGHT from Port Moresby to Wewak takes just under two hours with another 45 minutes to Vanimo.

On 20 January, with my hired 4 x 4 double cab Ford utility loaded with relatives, I drove for three hours into the mountain range to Imonda. My sister married a man from there.

In the colonial days Imonda was only accessible by MAF plane from Maprik or Vanimo. The airstrip is now overgrown with grass and there is a well maintained gravel road built by the logging company.

From the highest point on the range, you can see hundred of miles of forest extending all the way to Indonesia. Awesome! My nephew owns a vast area of this. In fact, the logging company will start logging his area in March.

We stayed in Imonda for over an hour, during which time I visited and paid homage to my brother in-law’s grave.

Coming down was easy. We stopped over at a waterfall where we had a drink of ice cold fresh water, and later visited one of the many roadside markets where we bought ripe bananas and a whole lot of fresh vegetables at a very low prices. It took just under three hours to get back to Vanimo and on to Lido village where I stayed with my niece and her family.

On 21 January I drove around Vanimo and into the main Lido village where I saw the construction of accommodation for the Asia Pacific Surf Championships which will be held in November. The surf and the beaches are really beautiful! My niece and family live within walking distance of the main road to the beach. The only disturbing sound in the night is the crashing waves.

On 22 January, we drove the 45 minutes to the border area, past Wutung village [pictured]. I left the car on the PNG side of the border and took a five minute walk over to the shopping mall on the Irian Jaya side, no passport or visa required.

This mall is open for business on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays and 15-seater and 25-seater PMVs operate from the town to the border, K10 each way. PMV owners make a fortune in one day as hundreds of people go there to shop. At the mall, all prices are bargained.

I even saw some people who flew from Port Moresby just to go and buy goods from this mall. The only check point is on our side, where PNG Customs prevent the importation of certain live animal products and vegetable stuff, otherwise there are no hassles.

I flew back to Port Moresby on 23 January. I might go back there again next year.

A Lark Force track visualisation exercise

BY PETER NOWLAN

RECENTLY I WAS a member of a group of trekkers who completed a trek along the Lark Force wilderness track on the Island of New Britain.

I have done a number of walks in New Guinea, and always have cause to reflect on the last paragraph of the book In the footsteps of Ghosts by Bill Spencer, which traces his war experiences in the Middle East and New Guinea.

“Will the Australian Soldier’s battles in Papua be freshly remembered and never go by from their day till the ending of the World”. Will their legacy – the still young, vibrant and evolving Australian society, embarking on new directions and challenges, be inspired by these Ghosts? I dearly hope their will.”

In the course of walking this track we were retracing the route taken by members of the 2/22 Bn in January-February 1942 after the Japanese invasion of Rabaul on 23 January. After the order “every man for himself” was given by Colonel Scanlan, the force split into small subgroups at Malabunga Mission and made their way to the north or south coast, where they hoped to be picked up by flying boats.

Four hundred soldiers eventually got to Australia. However at least 850 soldiers were rounded up and taken back to Rabaul and another 150-180 executed by the Japanese at Tol and Waitavalo Plantation on 4 February. Most of these men together with 208 civilians later died on the Montevideo Maru.

In the course of our trek, we had a minute’s silence on 1 July to remember the victims of the Montevideo Maru and had another short service at Tol, where there is a small memorial cairn. The area around Tol-Waitavalo is now a logging camp. As you look around it is hard to believe that this area was the scene of a major massacre of Australia soldiers. Seventy years on, we can only imagine the experience of these soldiers.

Prior to trekking the Lark Force track, we were all given a packing list of what to bring and we all packed creature comforts: muesli bars, lollies, Staminade. Imagine what it must have been like to be a soldier in Rabaul during the Japanese invasion. Every man for himself. We are leaving in half and hour. The soldiers may have been able to fill haversacks with bully beef and biscuits. Many didn’t have basic camping equipment, groundsheets, tents or mosquito nets. They didn’t know how long the walk would take.

They were tired, having been waiting in battle positions since 22 January. Consider the impact of a large body of soldiers on the local villagers. During the course of our trek, we visited a number of villages. We all commented on how friendly the people were and how they were prepared to share fruit and vegetables with us.

In our group there were seven trekkers plus a support party with their own food supply. With Lark Force there were small and large groups of soldiers without food walking through various villages. In the accounts by survivors of Lark Force, some groups of soldiers spent too much time resting in villages, killing more chickens and pigs than they needed and taking vegetables and fruit. One can understand why some villagers got tired of groups of Australians continually passing through.

Two other points worth considering. The first is group dynamics. In a modern trekking party, you have a leader and fast and slow walkers. You are dealing with a number of personalities. Consider the group dynamics 70 years ago in a small Lark Force unit. Large groups split into smaller groups; some groups decided to surrender, while others continued walking.

Consider how you feel after walking four days in a jungle environment. You’re tired and dirty but you know there is no more walking to be done. Imagine what is must have been like for a member of Lark Force back in 1942. They had been walking for weeks and even if they got to Tol Plantation prior to the massacre, they were still faced with the prospect of getting to Karlai Mission and a further walk to other points such as Jacquinot Bay. A daunting prospect. Many were hungry and sick. One can understand why some of them made the decision to surrender to the Japanese.

As I looked from Tol across to Karlai Plantation, I was pleased I was going across by boat. I could only imagine the number of days it would take to walk around Wide Bay to get to the plantation let alone what problems would have been faced by the Lark Force soldiers in 1942.

New Ireland's allure; its people's warmth

FOR TRAVELLERS desperate to find a spot untouched by tourism New Ireland clearly fills the bill.

Writing in last weekend's Melbourne Age, Louise Southerden said while kayaking between remote islands in the Bismarck Archipelago the days had no names.

"We didn't see a single other tourist all week and the only other non-locals we came across were missionaries," she said. "There aren't many places you can say that about these days."

The heat stripped away anything extraneous leaving just what was essential which on the first day of the five-day island journey meant paddling from Kavieng to Kabotteron, the first village campsite.

Snorkelling just offshore and looking through water as clear as glass anemone fish, parrot fish, hard and soft corals and three brown-skinned boys came into view.

A 10-year-old boy, David, showed the visitors how the village lads use their handmade spearguns. David demonstrated to the visitors how fish spearing was done, standing barefoot on a sea-smoothed coral head and spotting his prey.

He dived deep and the watchers heard a clink as David's spear hit a rock, pinning a pretty reef fish to the sea floor.

When he resurfaced David bit it around the gills ("to kill it") before tossing it to one of the other village boys to be placed in one of the canoes.

The Age writer and her companions were met at Kavieng airport by their Australian guide, a 67-year-old former Army SAS commando with a decade of experience as a Kokoda guide.

New Irelanders Wotlom and Levi, who grew up paddling their home waters in dugout canoes, were also among the guides.

Southerden reported a few rough edges on the trip. The paddlers were dependent on villages for lunches and dinners and a few times arrived at spots only to find the 'coconut telegraph' out of order: the villagers hadn't been expecting them.

That was part of the adventure of travelling in PNG they agreed and it was easy for a few people dispatched in canoes to catch the fish for the meals. The fish was supplemented with canned peas and instant noodles, a PNG staple.

The allure of New Ireland was evident. Southerden reported the remoteness of the place and the quiet warmth of its people was touching especially on the last night when guide Levi's family farewelled them on the island of Tsoilik, where they operate a little resort.

Read Louise's full story here

Home thoughts from abroad: lessons for PNG

BY PAUL OATES

DURING A RECENT farmers' tour to Greece and Turkey I observed a number of social impacts affecting both countries that PNG could learn from.

The European Union (EU) recently offered large subsidies to Greek farmers to grow cotton and so compete with other non-EU cotton producers. Many farmers turned to cotton in preference to their normal food crops.

But cotton needs a lot of water and Greece is mostly a very dry country. So when it started to import fresh food because it was not growing enough itself, the cotton subsidies were discontinued.

Lesson: Only crops suitable for the local conditions and local consumption should be encouraged. Perhaps the broad acre farming of oil palm in PNG should be reviewed to see who will benefit from this activity in the long run.

With 73 million people, Turkey is a very populous country with 50 percent of its people involved in primary production. Since every farmer traditionally wills his farm to his children, as the rural population has increased, each farm has become smaller. Now many farms are unviable.

Increasingly, young people are moving to the cities to find employment away from the hard work on the land. Yet they still own small unproductive acreages - good food producing land standing idle or growing weeds.

The Turkish government has just passed a law that only those people who farm can inherit land. There will soon be a larger drift of young, unskilled people to the cities. These people will need retraining and new employment opportunities. Yet the current government does little planning.

Lesson: Planning will help PNG when rural small holdings become unviable and there is a larger drift of young people to the cities. Training and new employment activities must be planned now to absorb this future labour force.

Both Greece and Turkey are much sought after tourist destinations. Both are situated in a very volatile part of the world and every time there is strife, tourism slumps dramatically.

Neither country can control its neighbours and economic activities can be severely affected by what goes on next door.

Lesson: Don't become dependent on just one big export earner, especially if it may be directly influenced by another country. In other words, 'Don't put all your eggs in one basket'. Now why did I immediately think of LNG?

Return to New Ireland – a PNG experience

BY PETER COMERFORD

THE DECISION to make my second trip to New Ireland in 16 months, was made quickly and with limited preparation.

The original reason was to take medical supplies to Kavieng Hospital and reading materials to Carteret and Tsoi primary schools. But another dimension came into play when my wife suggested that I take my twin daughters Penny and Katy with me.

They were born in Popondetta and left PNG in their mid-primary years on Bougainville.

The place was going to be very different for them as adults: one a nursing sister; the other studying teaching at university.

They had travelled in Asia, Europe and the Americas, so presumably had the experience to cope with culture shock and the patience to ‘go with the flow’ when things did not progressing at speed or go to plan.

To assist in their preparation, I downloaded a copy of the independence edition of PNG Attitude which contained current and interesting commentary on PNG 34 years after independence

So, armed with Attitude, two suitcases of medical supplies and reading materials, gifts, a couple of Parramatta NRL guernseys and caps, a first aid kit and very little else, we checked in with AirNiugini and to my relief, when I explained what we had in the suitcases, were not charged excess baggage.

Arriving in Port Moresby, people could not have been more cooperative and, after completing immigration, we were ushered through customs to be greeted by the heat, crowds and the smells of the airport.

The girls told me later that this was the most daunting part of the trip - the sudden confrontation by a predominantly male crowd and the eyes upon them as they made their way through the automatic doors into the heat.

The feeling was only temporary, and we were soon greeted by the hugs from smiling Bougainvillian and New Ireland school friends.

Penny was the first to get a real glimpse of the lack of resources and third world nursing conditions. I left her in the company of an ex-student and graduate nursing sister who was running the post natal clinic at Kavieng Hospital. What an eye opener it was.

Penny is an intensive care nurse who has worked in Dublin and Australia and she was confronted with all types of medical situations at the hospital. She said to my wife Marian on our return, “I don’t know how you handled all these things on a day to day basis when you were so young and the matron here.”

Things were different then with some experienced expat staff support and more than meagre medical supplies. Not that, even pre independence, it didn’t have its challenges.

An ex-student, who was to die a week after we left Kavieng, was awaiting biopsy reports and sharing the only oxygen bottle with numerous other patients.

Penny had nothing but praise for nursing staff. She was in awe of one of the nursing facilitators who had an incredible intellect and wonderful insight and diagnostic expertise.

But everything is lacking - people with skills, support and medical supplies. PNG medical staff are sometimes sent overseas to gain experience but this was not always relevant to the conditions and needs in PNG.

Katy’s experience in the primary schools was also an eye-opener and she commented on how few resources were available, how well behaved and attentive the students were and how a simple game similar to marbles could be played with incredible accuracy and skill using rubber bands. A winner’s skill displayed proudly by the number of bands adorning their wrist.

On our arrival at Tsoi Primary we were formally greeted at school assembly with the Tsoi Island song sung in the typically beautiful harmonious tones of the Pacific. The girls and I were called upon to address the students and this was followed by the donation of materials to the deputy headmistress who later distributed the teaching resources to teachers and the teacher responsible for the simple library.

The ‘outcomes-based education’ has teachers struggling with few if any appropriate resources. The approach has not been particularly successful in Australia either. But in PNG well paid consultants introduce these schemes with what appears little understanding of the real needs of a poorly resourced third world education system.

The teachers we met were dedicated and innovative. One on Tsoi was cleverly using plastic bags and aluminium cans for art and craft. The bags were cut into strips to be woven into ‘pom poms’ and the cans cut and shaped into mobiles to provide some simple but clever displays in the classrooms.

Chalk boards were neatly set out in beautiful cursive writing with the week’s program and topics. School and class rules adorned the limited space on walls at the front and back of classrooms together with displays of creative writing activities.

There was a lot of discussion about the decline in educational standards and facilities, and strong comment that pre-independence New Ireland schools used to be among the leading schools academically in the country are now well down the list.

Some people blamed this on the lack of skilled expatriate teachers; a desire to return to gutpela taim bipo when there was discipline, respect for teachers and family, a desire to learn and a pride in the school. I could have been listening to the same comments here in Sydney.

Others felt that declining academic standards meant a decline in the standard of teacher education, teachers did not really care as much these days. From personal observation and what one reads in the Post Courier, there may be some substance to this.

On the plus side, the New Ireland provincial government has implemented free education policy for all students up to Year 8, which eventually will be extended to Year 10.

From the twin’s perspective, the trip was a positive and stimulating experience. They were fortunate that most of their time was in the company of Papua New Guineans in the relatively safe New Ireland, which gave them an opportunity to re-establish personal and emotional bonds with PNG.

There are very good teachers in PNG, who do their best teaching in poor conditions with few resources, coping with introduced programs and initiatives from systems outside PNG which may not be the most appropriate.

The schools, particularly secondary schools, need administrators with budgeting skills capable of implementing school maintenance programs and dealing with the government officials responsible for ensuring that funds are available and arrive on time at the school to be used for the purpose intended.

This would allow the senior teachers and principals to use their expertise to plan, implement teaching programs, and mentor their staff.

Photo: Penny, Peter and Katy at Tsoi in New Ireland