Houses for Headhunters
In and around Papua New Guinea
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In the summer of 1998, three friends and I headed out to Papua New Guinea, a remote and rainforested half-island (the other half is Indonesia) just above Australia. Our honourable intention was to build houses for the poor hut-dwelling people, but on arrival we discovered their huts were way better than anything we could (or did) build. But they loved having us and we loved being there, so who's complaining? And I've never felt more like I was on another planet. Read on for more...
Route taken and entries by Real Traveler SuzieQ
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1
Fear and barbed wire
Port Moresby was our first stop in Papua New Guinea. We'd flown from Brisbane Airport, where a security guard had told us we were insane to be goin... Continue reading »
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2
Manic Street Preachers
Goroka was yet another stopping point before we got to our final destination, but we still had time for a look around. It's a friendly mountain tow... Continue reading »
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3
Another world
Stowing ourselves and our stuff in the back of a friend's pickup truck, we were whisked from Goroka to the village we were staying in a couple of m... Continue reading »
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4
Take me to the river
We were in the village for a week before a massive group of Americans came out and joined us, so the four of us got to see a lot more than they did... Continue reading »
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5
Enter the West
My first impression of the village was, in a naive, Rudyard Kipling kind of way, one of a beautiful paradise lost full of wide eyed innocence and u... Continue reading »
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6
A good time for all (except the cow)
Our last few days in the village, or 'K2' as many of the villagers called it, were some of the most entertaining. No-one wanted to let us go withou... Continue reading »
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7
Adieu to K2
A day or two later and it was time for us to leave. The pastor's wife, Eve, hugged me and cried as we said goodbye (she adopted me as her daughter... Continue reading »
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8
Tsunami
In mid-August 1998, the inhabitants of Aitape on the north coast of Papua New Guinea felt a mild tremor underneath their feet. Thinking nothing mor... Continue reading »
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