PAPUA NEW GUINEA
EXPEDITION
AN UNMOTORISED CROSSING
6th May 2014
Week 8/9: Tabubil to Kiunga
Other than the surreal and spectacular location of Papua New Guinea, there is little to say about this stretch of road navigation. Whilst a world away from the North Circular, we often found ourselves sighing at the banality of seven days on a road, itching and impatient to reach Kiunga and commence Stage 3. Still, we did have one bizarre trip down the rabbit hole while walking this stretch, which came about in the form of our time in the only prison in the Western Province.
Having been offered shelter for the night in a police compound, we gratefully accepted, completely unaware of the prison located within its bounds. Our hosts enthusiastically invited us to look around, arranging a parade of inmates and ‘Q&A’ session between us and the group. The inmates’ crimes ranged from assault, to murder, and just about everything else- sorcery included. After a light grilling from the Commanding Officer, we were asked to give an impromptu speech to the waiting offenders. Completely unprepared, it cannot have been the most articulate of our performances, but those in charge seemed pleased with our descriptions of the country, the people and the journey we have taken so far. On our part, giving a speech in a PNG prison just left us thinking ‘How on earth did that happen?’ It was certainly never on the plan!
The plan from here on in is a bit more… sketchy. We have ruthlessly dedicated the past two years of our time and effort to planning Stage One and Two of the Exped, giving Stage Three far less thought or attention. Quite simply, we were calmly hopeful that we may reach the end of Stage One, contemplating Stage Two with passive fear, and quietly overjoyed at the thought that we may ever even reach Stage Three. Compared to the tangle of unknowns in Stage One and Two, the meandering, mapped, route of the Fly River seemed relatively ‘straight forwards’.
Looking back over the past eight weeks and recognising how far we have come both physically and mentally, is at times surreal.
To be able to say that we are now preparing for Stage Three is unbelievable, and as we source canoes and craft a boat to take us along the Fly River, it feels as though we have a whole new adventure ahead of us.
My brief trip back to Vanimo to pick up kit was a success, hitching a hair raising propeller flight with the aid of Diwai Pharma and returned twenty Kg heavier. Back in Tabubil, things were not so good- we both felt pretty ill from the ‘fine dining’ which we treated ourselves to, to celebrate our final supper in the town. Determined not to let this bout of sickness deal a blow to our consistent progress, we left the town anyway, and for the first time so far, we did so without the support of a local translator.
Our decision was partly due to the nature of the route to Kiunga, the monotonous stretch of dirt road is a long way from the earlier patchwork, speculative routes through the jungle, but is also testament to how much more confident we have become in our own abilities to navigate. The gradual trudge from Tabubil to Kiunga gave us the opportunity to reflect on just how well our bodies had adapted and strengthened over the past eight weeks; developing from fledging relics of the Famous Five, as we struggled to walk further than twenty minutes at a time, to stronger, determined, more-knowledgeable ‘adventurers’ tabbing confidently for over eight hours each day; albeit significantly leaner and ‘beardier’ than at our start point.
Nevertheless, one thing the tedious and seemingly infinite road trek highlighted was how much we missed the adventure of the jungle. The river crossings, mountain climbs and overgrown paths of the past few weeks were mentally and physically taxing, but rewarded us with gratifying adrenaline, and spectacular stories. To us, jungle days pass much more quickly than relentless, yet faster paced, plodding on roads.
Before we can get anywhere, our first priority has been to commission a vessel. As I write, we have completed most of the preparation and had a productive few rest days in which we have secured two canoes, and a translator to accompany us as we paddle down river. The final leg of the journey will take us through the Middle and South Fly districts- boasting the lowest population density of the expedition and taking us through the core of the communities who live and depend on the Fly River. We plan to depart on Saturday 10th May, and the transition from covering kms on land to kms on water will be an interesting one.
While we take a few more opportunities to celebrate our completion of the walking stages, it is also important that we take another opportunity to say thank you for all your support, both through Child Fund and through the messages we receive on the Sat phone / Twitter- they really do make a huge difference to morale in the evenings. Other than that there is not much left to report, which must mean only one thing- time to get paddling!
Richard Johnson
[blog called in via AST Satellite Comms]