New Guinea is the second largest island after Greenland; West Papua is part of Indonesia and Papua New Guinea in the east has been independent since 1975. Prior to that, they were a protectorate under Australia, but have also been occupied by Germany and the UK in the past. This influence is reflected in the language (Tok Pisin) as occasionally I'll hear what sounds like German words and certainly many English. English and Tok Pisin are the national languages, but the country itself is a cultural wonderland with over 800 languages - many with only a few 100 speakers left. Anthropologists have been traveling to and living in PNG for decades, so many many many of these languages have been significantly documented and preserved with recordings of native speakers and writing (if a written form exists). There is an entire language institute (Summer Institute of Linguistics) in the Western Highlands that has been researching and studying the languages since 1956. Missionaries were also some of the first to arrive in PNG and one of their "most important" tasks has been translating the Bible into all of these languages. I have met missionaries who have been living in the bush in PNG for 20, 30, 40+ years; basically their entire lives for some. There is an 80-something year old Catholic nun from the Netherlands who has been here since the 60's living up in the Highlands, a place where she might look small and sweet, but I'd bet on her vs a charging rhino due to the hardships of the land.

I had an opportunity to visit the Western Highlands Province about a month ago. We traveled to Goroka, the fourth largest city in PNG, to visit with a few health organizations and provincial health officers. The year-round temperate climate in the Highlands is where everything GROWS! The market was filled with avocados the size of a baby's head, huge orange carrots that looked nuclear-reactive, and my favorite, pineapples. When you consider that it takes 18 months for one pineapple to reach maturity and these families are growing just a few at a time (no Dole plantation here), the 3$ cost seems like a steal. The best thing about this market is that it is right next to the airport so for about 25 cents you can buy a huge flour sack, fill it up for about another 8$ (produce is really cheap other than the pineapples-avocados were about 70 toa=30 cents), and airport staff will sew it up for you.

Horticulturally PNG is also a well-known treasure. Many of the plants were use in our backyard are genetic hybrids of common flora. Take, for example, the ubiquitous New Guinea Impatien. Generally a low to the ground border-type flower, I saw these plants grow 4-5 feet tall and look more like bushes. Poinsettias, too. Have you ever seen a 10 foot tall poinsettia bush blooming at 80 degrees? 

The University of Goroka has one of the most picturesque campuses I have ever seen. Just a little different than East Baltimore where I'll be headed back to....

Clown fish defending his anemone!

Alcohol abuse is a major problem here in PNG. Binge drinking is the normal pattern, drink driving is rampant, and violence and sexual assault against women is some of the worst in any developing country and much of it is alcohol fueled. So I may have thought I was going to do some pleasure reading and maybe join up with the sailing club, but yesterday I ended up talking about alcohol and health and experiences in the US at an alcohol conference here in Port Moresby (a couple people didn't show up so they asked if I could fill in for 10-15 minutes! I had 5 minutes to prepare.). Today is all about the problem with alcohol and youth in PNG so I'll be there again all day and I have a number of meetings set up with people such as the head of the mental health section of the Department of Health and the Chief Magistrate of the city. So much for "easing in" to the situation here in PNG!

I have not quite figured out my new camera's panoramic settings, but I didn't want to punish you by not at least posting my first attempt. You can get the gist of what I look out over every day. And that is not even all of it. At some point I'll have a Picasa link for more pictures.

Arrived!!

I arrived in Papua New Guinea finally on Thursday, February 14. Valentines Day. While not traditionally for me a holiday fraught with meaning, I now have a favorable memory of this particular date for the rest of my life. Stepping out of the plane and heading down the steps I was struck by the…how shall I say…oppressive humidity? Glancing over my shoulder at the plane as I walked across the tarmac I realized that I was the only one wearing a sweater, even a thin one appropriate for the atmosphere on a medium sized plane. I had planned to apply for my visa upon arrival in the country and was pleased to be towards the front of the line until I realized that I needed cash to pay for the visa. No credit. Fortunately there was an ATM that proceeded to reject my first attempt with my Citibank card. Not a good sign. Next I tried my Johns Hopkins credit union card and for some reason, this card was agreeable with the money machine. Out popped a pile of brightly colored money with a platic-y kind of coating. I also was given a balance of how much kina I had remaining in my checking account which briefly made me feel like a baller, but one kina equals 50 cents so that was short lived. I was also at the end of the line at this point as everyone else seemed to already know that you need kina. Not being familiar with local or even regional allowances, I didn’t even attempt to get back into my place in line. After about an hour I was finally through the line without a hitch.

Now keep in mind that I am not only wearing a sweater (now wrapped around my luggage handle), but I am also wrapped up in jeans, socks, and my trusty Chucks. I have been promised lunch upon my arrival so at this point I almost don’t notice the weather as my stomach is reminding me that I haven’t eaten anything since around noon the previous day save a bag of chips about 11PM the previous evening. Wayne has met me and we head to Airways, the super high-end restaurant and hotel overlooking the airport. Quite a stunning view, but not something you could have at any airport with more than one plane an hour. Airways to me looks like I’m on a movie set. There are huge woven fans above your head in the bar area that are swinging back and forth from a large arm controlled by a pulley at the end and a swimming pool at one side. Lunch was a curious buffet of rice, beef goulash of some sort, green beans, salads of various sorts, and some really really really good desserts. More about the curious food in PNG in general later.

We live on Ela Beach and have a 50 million dollar view. It’s a good thing the view is so spectacular because I’m fairly contained in this place to some degree. Security and safety in the place is a whole other story. 

I'm behind in writing about my experiences, but they will be coming. I've found myself to be busier than I thought I would be right from the start. And pictures shortly, too.

And just to clarify, yes, I will be doing some serious scuba diving and surfing when I'm there. And sailing. And hanging out at the beach. And visiting Fiji perhaps. Or Vanuatu. Or Singapore. And other fun things....

So I left the US on Monday, February 11 at 3:48PM, traveled through Chicago and San Francisco to finally land in Sydney at 7:45AM on Wednesday the 13th. That is about 24 hours travel time combined with a hop over the international date line. I understand they will give me that day back upon my return.

My day in Sydney was fairly uneventful. I walked around the city for about 3 hours, found some awesome Thai food and then crashed out in my hotel for a few hours. Now it's almost 1AM and I feel like it's time to get up and get moving.

At 7AM I'll be on a plane to Brisbane and then on to PNG. The adventure begins.

Papua New Guinea is one of the most undeveloped countries on earth. I'm hoping to explore some of the public health issues there including any alcohol policies and look at the effects of multinational companies on a developing country. And look at the effects when the transition is swift as in PNG with the discovery of oil and natural gas. At least these are my ideas for now.