Goroka – Day #1

Up at the crack of dawn. Eli had organised a PMV to pick us up from home at 7:00am. Dawn to 7:00am gave us enough time to shower, pack, have some breakfast and for me to sit down and have a 30min meditation. Meditation has saved my arse in PNG (so to speak). I wanted to get into the PMV with a calm mind as memories from the 1st trip up the Highlands Highway were not the best.

The PMV arrived on time with the driver, bos cru and Eli’s Mum with two of Eli’s cousins. Her Mum and two cousins were on there way to the main markets to do some shopping for fresh food. 1st passengers get the pick of the seats. The two best seats in the PMV are : one, next to the driver and two, directly behind the driver. I had the option of either and I chose the seat directly behind the driver. Rule #1 with PMV travel : PMV does not leave until all seats have been filled. So we left campus, headed into town to find others headed in the same direction : Goroka

We probably hung around the Main Markets for around an hour before we had a full contingent : around 15 passengers, plus cargo! Most PNG people when travelling do so with plenty of cargo – fresh food, to give to the relo’s at the other end. Lae bus stops, especally the one from where the Highland’s buses leave from are always packed with street sellers : betelnut, watches, cold drinks and a range of other “goodies”. All hustling to make a living, to make ends meet.

It was around 9:00am when we finally drove out of Lae, full house and certainly not a ride for the claustrophobic or faint-hearted. The trip up the Highlands highway in PMV needs to be experienced to be appreciated. The risks that are taken by the driver, the bends, the overtaking, single laned bridges and yes…. all those locals standing + walking roadside as the PMV speeds past. For some reason, I have this picture of the car rallies they have in Europe, spectators roadside, some not so lucky as the driver underestimates a bend or loses control at unbelievable speeds. The PMV is certainly no european rally car but the experience, I guarantee is similar.

About 40 miles out from Lae is the “40 Mile Market”, a mandatory stop for all PMV’s traveling up and down the Highland’s Highway. This market is located in the Markam Valley and store sellers have an array of food, betelnut, fruit and veg. The betelnut from Markam Valley in my opinion, is the best in PNG and is commonly known as “Markam meat”. I didn’t buy any food or even visit the Pos ofis (toilet) but I did stock up on some buai, as I wanted to have something to share with some of the folks I knew I would bump into once in Goroka.

As we approached Goroka, Eli started to get excited. Eli’s Mum is originally from Goroka and a large number of her relatives reside in the town and outskirts. It was Eli’s 1^st time back to Goroka since 2004. I began to share her excitement, not necessarily to meet any of her relatives, but the fact that the “fast ride” up the mountain was coming to an end!

1^st thing we did after arriving in Goroka was go and see Eden at Save the Children Fund. Eden is a fellow AVI‘er working in Goroka, we flew into PNG together, April 2005. The next thing on the agenda was organising accommodation and for some reason I decided to book into the Bird of Paradise – the local 4 star hotel. Now, I don’t mind a bit of luxury from time to time but staying at The Bird is probably out of my price range. Having stayed there during my 1^st visit, I felt strongly drawn to the “known”. I made a decision this time that in future I will aim to find cheaper accommodation (Lutheran Guest House) or even stay with some of Eli’s relatives. I am hoping to head up to Goroka again in a fortnight’s time.

After we checked in Eli was keen to get some rest and I was eager to go for a walk around town. So after finding our room, Eli crashed and I headed out the door for a stretch and some exercise. Goroka has a cool climate and the fresh air and coolness of the Eastern Highlands town was very welcomed. After buying a couple of rice balls and a can of Milo I headed up town to the Balus Park. This park is located right next to the airport and is right in the middle of town. Just like the first time in Goroka, within 10 mins of arriving in the park, I was surrounded by men and young boys. I shared some ciggies and betelnut and we told many stories. At one stage I think there would have been easy, 60-70 men gathered around me. All curious about the white man that mixes with the locals and chews betelnut.

They say 3 types of white people come to live in PNG : missionaries, mercenaries and misfits. I am proud to share that I fall into the latter category.Long live the misfits !!!

Photos from the weekend can be seen in the Goroka photo album.

To be continued….