Blogs from Alotau, Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea, Oceania

SERENDIPITY IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA I had a very pleasant one day lay-over in Manila between Palau and Papua New Guinea. My hotel, M Suites, was first rate; modern, clean, quiet, and inexpensive. After a restorative good night’s sleep, I saw an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist in Makati Medical Center and still had time to go to the local mall and buy a small rolling suitcase to carry my underwater camera, and I didn’t even feel rushed. I arrived at the clinic a little early and had a bagel and tea before finding my way to the room noted on my hospital form. I sat patiently as people arrived and entered adjacent doors. I might still be sitting there if not for a very nice man in a Security uniform who finally asked, “Who are ... read more

To even think about taking a holiday to Papua New Guinea you’d have to be out of your tiny mind. At least that was the word on the street before we left. In terms of potential for violence, the place is hardcore. Just last year, a group of foreign tourists were horrified when their party was ambushed and their guides hacked to death with machetes in front of their very eyes. And it’s not as if this is a new problem. Even the earliest explorers returned with tales of an exotic land stocked with Birds of Paradise, but inhabited by a bunch of warring cannibals and head-hunters who seldom gave a warm welcome. Back in the day round these parts, a man’s status was determined not by his bank balance or his choice of car, but ... read more

There is something, shall we say, unnerving about being completely defenseless in a city more known for its violence, than its colorful mixture of native cultures. I guess that if you think about it, if you open the blender that is the city of Port Moresby, and you throw in a few thousand immigrants from some 800 distinctly different cultures, add a heaping portion of poverty, a good amount of disillusionment about jobs that dont exist, and top it all off with a tiny sprinkle of available land, its really no wonder that this city seems like a breeding ground for fear and violence. 3 weeks ago, knowing all this, my attorney and I were as game as ever to jump right in with both feet...and hopefully pull ourselves back out as soon as we possibly ... read more