PNG as I Remember It! (Session 2: Getting Around)

As part of the series, I wanted to give everyone a taste of what life is like in a developing nation, specifically in the arena of travel. The photos are coming from various sources, missionaries' web pages and blogs, almanacs, etc. and most of them are recent. They are accurate depictions of how I remember my time there!

This is a good map to orient you to PNG. Some enterprising Organization person has added Ukarumpa to this "official" map.

So how do we get there? The travel time (via the Pacific route) is about 30 hrs of airport hopping. At current prices, it's about $3500.00 one way. Most likely route is Raleigh to LA, LA to Brisbane (about 16 hrs in the air), then Brisbane to PNG. When we enter the country, we will fly into Port Moresby, the capital. From there, we'll catch a flight from an Organization plane up to Ukarumpa. Most of our belongings will be shipped via container boat. The boat will arrive in Lae, the crate will be loaded onto a truck and driven 3 hrs up into the highlands. We will do without many things while we wait for our crate to show up in Ukarumpa. If I remember correctly, you have to ship the crate about 3 months ahead of your arrival so you and your stuff gets there "about" the same time.

Once the getting there is done, we will get to experience getting around! SEE BELOW:

This is a great photo!!! Do you think if he drove through the middle of the "puddle", he might have gotten swallowed up? The roads can and do get to this condition. The ones around Ukarumpa are maintained by The Organization's grader and so they usually look better, like the one below.
Public Motor Vehicles (PMV's) are the taxi service for the nationals. You can see that there is not much room for anything else! Also take note that they are on a paved road! It's also left-side driving because PNG has close ties to the British Crown.
PMV's operate under the little known physics principle that the more mass (people, animals, bags) you sqeeze into a given limited space, the less likely that mass (people, animals, bags) will be ejected in the event of a collision or rollover. Aircraft are the lifeblood of what The Organization does in PNG. The translation teams are in some very remote places that have no roads. In many cases, teams go in ahead of the translators and cut an air strip out of the jungle for the planes. Much manpower, time, and money go into this aspect of the mission.
The above Cessna is the most common plane The Organization uses. I don't know much about planes, but I think it carries 3 people and a pilot. It has a very short take off and landing capability which makes it ideal for the environment in which it operates.
For heavier loads, longer trips, and more people, the Islander gets the job done.

The King Air is the long-distance carrier for The Organization. It is capable of carrying passengers directly to Austrailia. Our friends Paul and Kelly Stewart already tested this very useful feature! They had a medical emergency and Kelly had to be taken Down Under, but all is well now. Apparently it is a very nice ride!
Some places are just not practical for fixed wing aircraft. So, they use the helicopter! It has a limited range and load capacity, but when you need to fit it in a tight spot, it will go! I have never had a chance to ride in one. Maybe next time... ... and the 'ol standby: the bike! It's not just for fun anymore! (Paul Stewart is the goofy one on the left)

As for us, we will wait to see what sort of vehicles become available when we get there. I am hoping to get something with a cab (car, truck, van... whatever) as soon as possible to cart the family around. Until then, we'll beat feet! Stay tuned for Session 3: The people and culture!