Off the beaten path … Papua New Guinea part 1

The response to my travel plans to Papua New Guinea (PNG) ranged from shock to concern, but never any positive reactions. This is the result of the reputation that has been built about PNG by the media. While some of this is deserved and caution should be utilised when visiting some regions of PNG, there are regions of beauty and peace that are suffering as a result of general judgements. I visited the Milne Bay Province of PNG in January and found the region to be full of friendly and happy people and absent of any other foreigner.

Despite how wonderful it was to be the only foreigner around and have the place to myself, the people of PNG and Milne Bay could really use a bump in tourism and want to share the beauty of their piece of the world. As I found it difficult to find information online about accommodation, attractions and practicalities, I want to share my experience. 

Milne Bay includes the eastern most part of main land PNG and the immediate surrounding islands. You must fly to Alotau, the main town of Milne Bay, as all information available states that it is not possible to drive from Port Moresby. Alotau itself is a small, one main road type of town. There are “resorts” and “hotels” in Alotau and these are generally the only ones for all of Milne Bay listed on TripAdvisor and other such sites. However, there isn’t much to do in Alotau and there are no white sandy beaches nearby. I highly recommend getting straight out of Alotau and going to one of the many remote, authentic and stunningly located guesthouses on an island. Visiting Moda at the Tourism Office in Alotau or contacting him in advance (email: mkunuyobu86@gmail.com) can help with that. They know where the guesthouses are located and how to get you there.

Nuakata Island

Nuakata was the first island visited, which has two guesthouses, Gadoa and Bomatu. To get to Nuakata Island, you catch a Public Motor Vehicle (PMV) from the main stop in Alotau to East Cape (10 Kina). Someone from the tourist office or a guide or the owner from the guesthouse will accompany you. The trip in an overstuffed, oversized Ute takes 2 hours after an hour of driving around Alotau picking up everyone’s shopping and fuel. Upon arrival in East Cape, a 45 minute dingy ride (30 Kina) will get you across to Nuakata. Gadoa guesthouse, owned by Levi, is on the beach facing East Cape, while Bomatu, owned by Beli, is on a beach further east. Accommodation costs ~60 Kina a night plus meals (10 Kina breakfast; 15 Kina lunch; 20 Kina dinner). Bomatu is in a nicer location with a better beach, but the snorkelling at Gadoa is better. 

Gadoa guesthouse

Gadoa offers a day trip to Grace Island (200 Kina + BYO 20 L fuel) which is a must do. Grace Island is a picture perfect deserted island with white sandy beaches, crystal clear water and palms trees. A freshly caught fish is cooked for your lunch.

Local boy from Gadoa guesthouse taking us to Grace Island

Grace Island

Bomatu offers a traditional boat ride to Daiwali Island (20 Kina) where there is great snorkelling (10 Kina to the locals) and a beautiful beach.

 

Daiwali Island

Local boy on Daiwali Island

Staying in the guesthouses provide a local authentic experience. The accommodation is rough and the food is locally grown, but will be the best the family can provide. There is no electricity or running water and the days are spent resting in the shade or in the water. Day to day life runs on “island time” and is slower. There is no need to bring a watch, the roosters will make sure you are awake at sunrise and when the sun goes down, you are exhausted from the heat and snorkelling and swimming. The guesthouses will provide boiled water, but a water bottle is required and buying extra water in Alotau is recommended (along with some snacks).

Local transport between islands

Kids of Bomatu guesthouse

Along with water and snack, BYO snorkelling gear including rash vest and pants (stingers may be present and the sun is strong), towel, toilet paper, books/kindle, torch and patience.

Sunset from Gadoa guesthouse

Information about all the activities at these guesthouses and a few others in Milne Bay can be found here: http://www.flinders.edu.au/science_engineering/research/caab/events.cfm

Dubai: The land of extravagance

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Dubai was a last minute stop over addition. It's a strange mix of opulence and desert grit. Visiting in the summer months was unwise, the heat was 40-45 °C, the humidity was high and the constant haze allowed you to look directly at the sun. The ubiquitous air-conditioning provided some relief, but it was almost worth staying outside to avoid having to re-adjust to the heat.

Visiting the shopping mall, as much to get out of the heat, was also a tourist experience. There is no limit to what can be put in a mall in Dubai such as an aquarium with sharks and a T-rex skeleton. If that didn't shock me, the price tags in the shops did.

Of course, I had to visit the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, and watch the tallest fountain in the Burj Khalifa Lake.  The actual visit to the obervation deck is tedious and it's only two thirds up the building and very small, but now I can say I've been up the tallest building in the world.

Going on a desert safari rounded out the tourist experience. Sand duning, falconry, camel rides, henna tattoos, Bedouin camp, dinner and belly dancer. I didn't expect it to be authentic, but having a convoy of 53 4WDs was a little unpleasant. Luckily, our 4WD purposely got stuck on top of a sand dune, so we could watch the sun set with quiet, isolated from the 52 other 4WDs.

“Travel makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world.”  - Gustave Flaubert

The Fall of the Wall

Today is the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. While not the actual day of unification between East and West Germany, it was the day of liberation for those who had been trapped on the grey side of the wall on November 9th 1989. Although the wall was only erected in 1961, the division of Germany and its capital Berlin came about at the end of World War II in 1945 but it wasn't until the wall came down that the last dregs of the war were over.

 

The fall of the Wall has been used as a metaphor for freedom, including by Barack Obama when he was elected President. The Wall came down with bulldozers and hammers and used as relics and reminders, with less of the Wall in Berlin than the rest of the world. 

 Visiting the Brandenburg Gate not long after it was opened as a crossing

"Study the past if you would define the future." - Confucious

The pleasures and promises of Paris

There is a familiarity to Paris, whether you are a fist time visitor of the waiters know your name at La Rotonde. As one of the most photographed cities in the world, everyone has seen the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Musee de Louvre hundreds of times over. However, when you see them in person and take the time to absorb the atmosphere, you can feel the draw they have had on the millions of people who have stood in the very same spot throughout time. The goal then becomes how to experience them in a unique way.

With only a weekend to explore the city, it was tempting to act like all the other hot and hassled tourists. But rather than turn up with the crowds at each icon, pose for the cheesy snapshot and leave, we were rewarded for our patience. Taking in the atmosphere (and ignoring the illegal vendors) and sun during the day, then watching the sunset and the twinkling lights revealed the multiple sights within the one scene.

However, when the crowds were inescapable, following the locals to their favourite summer spots was the best way to go. Pulling up a chair and dozing in the sun at the Jardin du Luxembourg (below left), walking the gardens of Rodin's museum (below centre) and admiring the antiques at the weekend markets (below right) made for a lovely summer in Paris.

Avoiding the crowds and visiting the sites at dawn provided a quieter and lesser seen side of Paris. With only a weekend in Paris during the summer, there was no way we were going to attempt to get inside the Louvre. Watching the sunrise through the glass pyramid and from the reflection in the pools and then have a freshly baked croissant from a just opened bakery was likely a better experience than any other visitor to the Louvre had that day.

To cap off a wonderful weekend in Paris, there was one photo that I wanted to get. With my travel tripod, sitting in the middle of the Champs-Elysees, being sworn at in French, I got it.

"The French know the intrinsic value of holding on the the past, its pleasures, its promises, and its tender mercies." - Peggy Kopman-Owens

 Weekend markets along the Seine

 'The Thinker' by Rodin

 Rodin's Museum

 Sailing boats at the Jardin du Luxembourg

 Sunset at the Arc de Triomphe

 

Notre Dame