Australia 2019 – Day 28 – PNG Day 1. Port Moresby

Well, here I am, in Port Moresby, capital of Papua New Guinea (PNG) and reportedly one of the most unsafe capitals in the world on account of street bandidos and express kidnappings. I landed at 2 pm, went through immigration and customs without a hitch, and came out to a balmy afternoon and a small group of helpful folks who packed me in the Hilton courtesy bus to take me to the Laguna Hotel. The hotel is a bit of a fortress, with two gates with armed guards, and razor wire loops on the walls. It is a luxury hotel, and my suite is ample and super comfortable.

Five minutes later I was out on the street, trying to get a feel for the place. There is a mega-mall about half a mile from the hotel, so I headed there to see what normal folks do here on a Thursday. My first “surprise” was to find out that this is a black country. I understood it to be a part of Melanesia, so I imagined the people would look like Moana. I will need to research this, because the mall reminded me more of Ghana than of Fiji.

PNG is expensive! Or at least, it is as expensive as Australia to judge by the price of milk, vegetables, and meat. But the people do not look that well to do, so what is going on here? I know that, starting 5 years ago, PNG has been selling liquefied natural gas to China, to the tune of one billion US dollars per year. However, I do not see that those earnings have trickled down to the folks making line to take the public buses. In terms of currency, the monetary unit here is the kina (PNGK), and you get a bit over two kinas for one Australian dollar, and a little over three kinas for a US dollar. The delicious bowl of noodles and roast duck I had for dinner at the mall was PNGK 28, or about US$ 10.

Folks here are addicted to chewing the betel nut (a bit like chewing tobacco), which stains their mouth or teeth an orange red color. Just like tobacco, you have to spit the soggy mess once the flavor wears off, so the sidewalks are coated with red dried up spit. The mall and the hotel have clear signs forbidding the chewing of betel in their premises.

My next move is tomorrow at 10 am, when my guide/driver will come to pick me up and take me to more reasonably priced accommodations.