Papua New Guinea . . . impressions

So after a trip to Papua New Guinea, what impressions do you come back with?

Apart from the fact that it is a jolly long way to go for a bit of birdwatching, there are lots of prevailing thoughts from this rather exotic location to bring back with you.

A Betelnut seller at the side of the road

Firstly the locals fascination with Betelnut.   Everywhere you go there are people selling these green nuts at the side of the road.  They sell for around 2 Kina (for a good quality specimen), and are provided with a piece of ginger stalk and some ground lime.   After peeling and chewing on the nut for a while, they add the ginger stem dipped in the lime.   After a few minutes the juice from the nut reacts with the lime and a bright red liquid is produced.   This is then spat out wherever the chewer happens to be at the time.   Watch out if you are walking around town!

There also appears to be no control of refuse and huge piles of rubbish are found along the side of the road, just waiting to be cleared or buried in impromptu dumps.   Vehicles similarly are just abandoned where they stop - many have plants growing out of them, showing they have been abandoned for many months.

Traffic through the forest

The next that springs to mind is the collision of old and new.   People in traditional dress with mobile phones seemed rather incongruous.   Also the people still live their lives in a traditional way, with the boys and men living in one building and the women and girls in another.   This is to help protect the traditional cultures of the genders.   Men still have to find up to 30 pigs as a dowry for their wife, and wives are chosen for their work ethic and strength rather than their looks - how much longer will this continue I wonder.

One night we watched the documentary about the Leahy brothers' expedition into the land of the Huli people, and it showed the natives' fascination with visitors.   We found that fascination still continues today.  The children were delighted to be able to help us through their land, building stepping stones, holding hands, helping us up and down steep slopes and marvelling at our pale skin.   They were polite, helpful and joyous - a delight to have on hand when the going got a bit tough.   The only thing they would have been pleased to receive (apart from a "thank you" and smile) was an umbrella - shade from the sun and protection from the rain.

In the towns of Port Moresby and Mount Hagen it was noticeable that the majority of people were in town to trade.   They were at the market with vegetables either grown for sale or foraged in wild areas; or live chickens which were seen emerging from the boot of cars, carried in huge sacks and flapping around in minibuses.   On one occasion there were several lined up in the boot of a bus, looking for all they were worth like a row of ornaments.   The other, more low-key trading was carried out at the side of the road.   Ladies and gentlemen sat on the roadside with upturned boxes on which were displayed their wares.   Some, selling clothes, had taken up a stretch of wire fencing and had their goods displayed on clothes hangers along the fence - just like racks of clothes in M&S at home.

Wreck at the roadside

Out of the towns it was down to the road-side gatherings, mainly at junctions, to provide a trading opportunities.   Even in Karawari there were set places for markets which the local villagers attended by catching a river bus.

The one rather startling impression is the speed with which the interior of the Country is being explored.   The richness of the environment in terms of the forest is being plundered at a rapid rate.    Forest trails which were used by a birding group four years ago have been totally destroyed, with the trees removed to provide timber for housing or commercial building.   One such walk was near the regular displaying perch of the King of Saxony Bird of Paradise, how much longer will he have his perch I wonder?  

Forest clearance along the road

Papua New Guinea has a huge mineral and gas wealth which is being exploited by conglomerates employing many people.   When we were at Ambua, convoys of up to eight fuel tankers were thundering along the road with security escorts at front and back, the ground shook with their weight and due to their impact the road was constantly being upgraded, re-surfaced and widened to cope with the traffic.   Whilst no-one can blame the local people for wanting to take advantage of this great opportunity, the improved road seems to have encouraged more folk to cut down the forest, given the ease of access.   Sadly, the area will be completely devoid of birds in a few years if this development continues.

I feel very lucky to have experienced Papua New Guinea and its people - a special experience indeed, and one which will stay with me for a long time to come.