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In April 2006-2008, with our wedding fast approaching, our thoughts turned to the honeymoon - where to go and what to do? Having travelled pretty intrepidly in our time, we knew we wanted a trip that wouldn't traditionally fall into the category of 'honeymoon'. Knowing this, we made the decision that we wanted to go and explore Papua New Guinea. No-one we knew had been and none of the usual UK-based bespoke travel company's we've used in the past proved able to cater for this destination request.
After a quick electronic search we came across Remote Lands and a brief email to Catherine determined they could accommodate our demands. A few transatlantic phone calls narrowed down the choices of what we did, and did not, want to do and suddenly, our trip was planned. I must just say, it is quite something, entrusting such a special occasion to people (and a company) you've never used before. It shows the extent of faith Catherine and her partner Jay inspire with both their knowledge and attitude. The planning was an extraordinarily enjoyable, and remarkably quick, process. At each stage of the trips development, Catherine and Jay left us with a feeling of reassured calm; we just didn't need to worry about anything, they knew exactly what they were doing. And, as it turned out, they did, perfectly.
The first three days in PNG were spent canoeing up the Sepik River, a beautiful and lush region on the northern coast of the country. It is, make no mistake, remote. We stayed with local tribes in their villages and in their huts (the normal occupants having been booted out for the night!), hunted crocodiles late one evening from our canoe, walked through the rainforest to find the beautiful and diverse Birds of Paradise and started to learn how the local people live; their homes, spirit houses, schools and 'gardens' Ð the latter being farms to you and me.
From the Sepik we went inland, flying to Goroka, home of the Asaro Mudman tribal people who we were incredibly fortunate to spend a day with. They took us where no tourists had been before, down through their lands to the source of the clay they use to make their tribal masks. It was a breathtaking spot. The day we spent with these amazing people culminated in two of the members of the tribe dancing for us (see the photo). As a result of the dance, we now completely understand why the masks were used in tribal fighting - close up and in situ, these men are scary!
Before I go further with the synopsis of our trip I just want to say that, for us, this was the type of experience that summed up the way in which Remote Lands operate - encounters you wouldn't have heard about, you wouldn't know how to arrange it if you had and no-one else (and by that I mean tourists) has ever done it before. How incredible, unique and special.
From Goroka we carried on through the Highlands to Mount Hagan (an exhilarating and stunning hour long flight by helicopter with an epiphany of a pilot!) and then on to the wilds of Tari. At each place we stopped and stayed at, a unique experience awaited us. My husband and I both love trekking and Catherine and Jay managed to find for us some of the best that we have yet to encounter in the world. We climbed un-chartered mountains, hacking out way through the virgin rainforest; up stunning waterfalls which, at times, were the only option if you fancied a shower and across huge tree-less plateaus, affording us views for miles around of this 'green and pleasant land'.
Tari, the penultimate stop on our trip, was always going to be the pinnacle in terms of location and experience. If PNG has a wild west, it is Tari, and, being in the middle of country's elections at the time we went, we knew it could become really wild at any moment!
Talking of wild, now seems to be a good time to say a quick word about accommodation: Every guest house or lodge that we stayed in during the trip was either a) the best PNG had to offer - do bear in mind this is relative, or b) splendidly atmospheric and indigenous to the local people and their way of life. We were off to the Maldives for the final leg of our honeymoon so we had informed Catherine and Jay that, predominantly, we wanted option b. We got it and though not affording you the perfect nights sleep on every occasion, you couldn't have found accommodation that allowed you greater in-depth access and visibility to the country and the people.
In Tari, Catherine and Jay had again prepared us well and we knew 'basic' was going to mean really basic here. Not that it was a surprise by now but once again they were spot on in their knowledge of what we should expect. The guest-house we stayed in, which was part of a Huli village, hadn't had a guest in ten years. Whether or not this previous point had anything to do with it I don't know but the welcome we received was enchanting. Many of the local people in this region still wear the tribal dress on a day-to-dy basis and they welcomed us dressed as such and with a Day Spirit dance (as opposed to a Night Spirit dance which we would also get a rendition of, unsurprisingly, at night!).
In our honour, the Huli tribe prepared a traditional barbeque for us one evening. I don't know what you're imagining but I didn't expect to see a pig that had been happily sniffing around in the dirt all day, picked up under its front legs, killed with a blow to the head and placed in a pit of hot stones and flaming branches! A few hours later, cut into portions only a giant could accommodate, the aforementioned pig appeared on a plate at our table along with sweet potato, rice and cabbage. It is not a barbeque we'll ever forget!
Now, I've mentioned accommodation, so let's have a quick word about food, as we're on the subject. Catherine and Jay asked, as they prepared this trip, whether we wanted a chef to accompany us. We're audacious travellers, we thought. On previous trips we've roughed it (this is again relative!) and eaten food we wouldn't contemplate at home. This was an adventure and we knew we would be seeing the 'real' country so, we thought, let's make the experience as authentic as possible. No chef, we decided. Mistake, we concluded! PNG is not like the majority of other countries in Asia, where you can grab a meal ranging from ok and amazing from a pan on the side of the road. And yes, I do realise PNG isn't in Asia but I expect you get the parallels! There are no places on the road in PNG to eat or to stop and get a snack. Even in towns, an excursion into a supermarket left us reeling with the incongruity of it. The staple food is sweet potato which, in itself, is lovely but it is basic. The meat, at times, and especially when staying with local tribes, we chose not to eat (it was occasionally unidentifiable!) and, as such, after two weeks, we were really ready for western food again. PNG, in the majority, is a country that hasn't been 'tourist-ified'. They do not know what we westerners want and expect, which in itself is part of the beauty and charm of it but, to those planning on going, and I can't recommend it more highly, take the advice of the experts. If you like your food, take a chef!
The final stop on the PNG part of our honeymoon took us to the island of New Britain. We landed at Rabaul on the north-eastern tip and then took a sedate drive fifteen minutes down the coast to our lodge. New Britain feels very different from the mainland. It feels slower, more established. It feels like it's on holiday. Think Caribbean in the 1940's. Our lodge was gorgeous. Strategically placed just a few metres above the beach, the rooms were individual bungalows with a sublimely comfortable bed, complete bathrooms and terraces with uninterrupted views along the unspoilt sandy beach and out, over the bay to the Volcano's which are numerous in the region.
We were meant to go and trek up the volcano but, the day we arrived, the volcano erupted. Nothing huge or frightening and we were far enough away so that it was only hauntingly beautiful to watch, billowing smoke and sulphur. Instead of climbing we took the lodge's deep sea fishing boat around the bay in the company of the brother of the lodge owner and went in as close to the volcano as we dared. It was an amazing site. Later we were dropped with a picnic on a deserted island where we lazed, snorkelled in some of the warmest waters I've ever encountered and watched as an enormous shoal of about 300 dolphins did a swim-by. As if by magic, our boat appeared and the captain took us off to follow the dolphins. Considering the effortless competence of the boats crew, it was no surprise we found and spent a glorious fifteen minutes with the dolphins as they played and jumped alongside the boat. It felt like the dolphins knew it was the end of our stay and were providing us with a virtuoso finale. Magnifico!
Mark & Katherine - London, UK