Morobe Show 2005…

After booking a bus and inviting some of my PNG friends along, we headed down to the “Morobe Show 2005″ last Saturday.

I have never been one for crowds. Since moving to PNG I have had to learn to tolerate crowds quick smart. There are people everywhere (well almost everywhere). In built up areas such as towns, villages or shops people gather. “Hanging around” seems to be a bit of a national past-time, especially for those folks that have migrated from the rural areas into town and are not able to find work.

Morobe Show 2005 had more than it's share of “crowds”. I was therefore a little nervous on the day and after some mix up with the bus we headed into town at around 10:30am. There were around 24 of us. A few grown ups and plenty of kids, lots of kids.

As with many things in PNG…  the Unexpected is just around the corner. When the crowds gather, the odds of something unexpected happening seems to increase exponentially. Saturday was no exception. After leaving the show at around 2pm and whilst wandering back to our rendezvous, I noticed a large number of people all running towards the river. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the crowds can mobilse in PNG. Everyone was yelling : “Fight, fight….!!!” and running towards the source of “action” (I have come to refer to these events or disturbances in public places as : “Free entertainment”), this apprentice photographer automatically reached out for his camera and tried to capture some of the action. The best I could do was:

I suggest you have a look at all the photos I took on the day. These photos are in the Morobe Show 2005 photo album. As with many of my photos, if you view the photos in order, perhaps using the slideshow facility, you will be in a better position to share with me parts of my “journey” here in PNG.

The crowds in PNG can, at times, be overwhelming. I hope that some of the photos that I took on the day were able to capture an “agoraphobic's worst nightmare”. One of the consequences of large crowds and unemployment is the flourishing trade of the “pick-pocket”. These raskols tend to work in teams. Bus stops are a popular place for these kids to finetune their “magic”. I had the opportunity to run into one such “team” at the show. They thought they had me….   I just smiled at them. My body has slowed down over the years….   but my senses are finely tuned and I am learning to respond to these “intrusions” very fast. I like to smile at these boys… when I catch them in the act, it seems to dissipate any possibilities of a 2nd attempt. After one such incident at the show, a PNG national (Daniel) I met up at Goroka 3 months ago, came over to me to check if I was OK (he saw what happened). Interaction with PNG nationals is well worth it !!!

One of the many contradictions I have found living in PNG : The crowds are a source of danger and they are also a source of safety. As a visitor to PNG, to remain isolated from the PNG people has the potential to increases one's risk of being the recipient of a nasty unexpected !!

And on the way back home…  a quick stopover at the beach for wash, swim and a cool down. The kids loved it!! So did some of the adults, especially this one !!  My 1st ocean swim since leaving the shores of downunder.

Miss that white sand…