Traveling to Papua New Guinea was a unique experience. The purpose of the travel was business; unfortunately, we were not allowed to explore the city of Port Moresby, the capital, due to safety issues in the region. So we were always escorted and not allowed to leave the car. Some of the pictures were taken in a moving car, and officials gave others to post here.
About Papua New Guinea
PNG is a country with extraordinary characteristics. It is located in the southwestern Pacific and encompasses the eastern half of New Guinea and its offshore islands. The island is shared with Indonesia. Indonesia has West Papau, as you can see on the map above Papua New Guinea.
The PNG economy is enormously underdeveloped, with the vast majority of the population living below the poverty line. However, after reading the newspaper, I realized the economy is expected to grow by around 4.6% in 2023. At the capital, we can see tall buildings, and it seems like any other city on the island of the Pacific, but poverty can be easily spotted driving a bit outside.
As I mentioned earlier, PNG has spectacular characteristics. Did you know that PNG has 852 distinct languages spoken? I know, right? It’s pretty incredible. PNG is the third largest island in the Pacific but still not large enough, so 852 languages on one island are phenomenal. English is the primary language for official matters and commerce. Tok Pisin, also called Melanesian Pidgin, is the most widely spoken. This language combines English, German, Portuguese, and Malay.
Watch the video para, and have some language samples. I hope you have as much fun as I had.
There are two major cities with more than 100,000 residents: Port Moresby, the capital, and Lae, located more north.
Food
The food was tasty. The PNG diet has a lot of fish and seafood, and pork is often eaten on special occasions. They also eat sago, kaukau (sweet Papatoes), taro, cassava, coconut, and fruits, to name a few. The national dish is called Mumu, composed of pork, kaukau, rice, and vegetables.
Social life tradition.
PNG has a vast diversity and fascinating culture, meaning that the group living there have their own celebration and traditions. For example, the Hui cohort, who lives in the south, uses colorful clay for body decoration. However, those living in the Sepik culture (river area) cut the skin on their back, imitating the crocodile skin, symbolizing strength and power.
This trip was short, and unfortunately, discovering the city was impossible. It was, without a doubt, a unique experience, and I think traveling and learning about other places is an investment in yourself. I open your heart and mind and fill you with memories. Like the trip, we did at Mason Bay on Stewart Island.
. It was magical. The goal here is to gain memories that fill your life with stories to tell.
Mary Anne Radmacher
“I am not the same, having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world”