Skip Loc: SF Bay Area CA.

Thanks for the advise I had to give up money before so I usually split my cash in different pockets. Thanks for the reminder!!Yes its all about the singsing and staying with villagers.

Skip Loc: SF Bay Area CA.

Thanks . I hope it will be as interesting as I think it will be. Thanks for the advise!

TonyP Loc: New Zealand

Going by the replies you've already got, mostly obviously from people who have never visited, I wouldnt go.

Its a few years since I last visited Papua New Guinea, but I think most of what I'm about to tell you probably still applies.
Over a period of about 3-4 years I visited about every 2 months on 10-12 day Sales trips. I was alone during my travels, in a rental car and occasionally carried quite a bit of cash (kina).
All 9 stone of me, with specs and natty tropical shirt and shorts. I was healthily frightened for much of the time but only once got held up for a 'toll' by a tribe of villagers on the main highway up to Mt Hagen. Another time, a nutter sleeping under my car tried to slice my feet off with a parang when I inadvertently woke him in the morning as I set out on my rounds. But he missed, I lived to tell the tale.
Ive a few other stories that I might include in my memoirs one day but thats enough for now.

My trips usually included the main centres like Port Moresby, Hanuabada, Mt Hagen, Goroka, Lae, Madang, Mende, Arawa, Rabaul, Kimbe, Bougainville but also some of the smaller towns that had big Trade Stores (who were our customers).
In most big cities and towns your accommodation and food at the hotels will be excellent. (for instance the Bird of Paradise in POM was built for a Royal visit of the Queen of England I recall). Lae Lodge was a favourite. Service great and comfy beds. (will depend of course on the price you've paid and the 'standard' of hotel your tour provides. Check out each on the web before parting with your dosh.)

Your first visit will be an eye opener. There are over 600 languages spoken in PNG. Called Place Talk. Most speak Pigin English (this is a language with its own dictionary by the way) and many speak English (or American ). When I was last there, the Summer Institute of Linguistics (an American crowd), was still translating all 600+ languages into English. Nice people and their 'shop' was a customer of mine
At any one time there are 'village wars' going on all over the country due to a village tradition called 'payback'. Some of these 'wars' are so old they cant remember why they are fighting. I can almost guarantee you wont see one, tho you might be lucky. )

PNG people, in the main, are a fantastic race of people and you are very fortunate to be able to be able to plan a trip. Think of a primitive South Africa. The expats (white people), who live in PNG are referenced by category: One of the 'M's'.. Mysteries, Mercenaries or Misfits. I will leave it to your judgement of what I was.

The best advice I can give you:
Is make sure you are well dosed up with anti malarial tablets (that's the only precaution I ever took and never caught any disease).
As a 'newbie' to PNG, stay with your group. You will be as safe in PNG as in any other 3rd world country.
There are no criminals in PNG, the bad guys, and there are some really bad guys, are called..Rascals. Cute.
Never, never, ever look into the eyes of a PNG born person. Regardless of temptation. Just dont! It may be taken as a challenge if you do and you will be unlikely to win. If challenged for any reason: walk away, dont look back. He or she will have friends nearby, more than you have.
Never ever try and surreptitiously photograph a local with red eyes, red gums who is spitting red stuff (buai). I speak with experience.
Hopefully your guide is well experienced in PNG customs. Follow his (hopefully, not a her), lead without question.
On that matter, always get permission to photograph locals (unless you are a great street photographer and you are 100% unlikely to be seen, even if you are with a group).
Temps can be very hot and humid but cold at night in the Highlands.
I carried my own mosquito net for use at night in bed.
I always drank bottled water or boiled the water in my room and didnt use the ice in the room fridge. Never had a tummy upset.
If you take gifts (I always had them handy when on the road, but not in cities) I would suggest, something like a USA pin or similar. NOT cigarettes (they can cause more trouble than good). By the way, as already mentioned, this is a wealthy country, dont assume the guy or woman in ass grass is destitute, he might be worth more than you, financially speaking. I used to deal with store owners who had shares listed on the NYC stock exchange who looked like they couldnt afford their next meal.

All the other be careful conditions apply, like; dont look both naive and rich. Take a small camera that doesnt have a 15 inch lens etc, though the chance of a one off attack on your gear is reasonably small.
PNG police are quick, armed and ready to shoot bad guys so get out of the road if you sense anything amiss.
Dont be surprised if you see 2 burly policemen with shotguns holding hands. And dont stare, its a village thing.
PNG is a fairly wealthy country and the contradictions will amaze you. You might see a village person in a grass skirt, strange hairstyle and a bone through his nose with the latest iphone. Many will speak at least 3 languages that I mentioned before but some will also speak a few other Place Talks. (Pigin = plice tik from memory).

Having said all that, you are in for an experience of a lifetime. In my opinion PNG is the last true frontier.
If it wasnt for the cost (the exchange rate for NZ$ vs PNG Kina is horrendous and prices in PNG are pretty high) I would have gone back since retiring, just for a visit with my camera.
Here beside me at my home office desk I still have two good luck charms given me on two separate occasions, by chance met locals who thought I was pretty okay. One is a small mask with human hair, the other a small bottle with a special 'something' inside it. Both seemed tostill work for me.
All 9 stone of me, with specs and natty tropical shirt and shorts, back then.
Only had one or two 'near misses' in all the visits I made.

I envy you your opportunity. Cheers..

pacman Loc: Toowoomba, Qld, Australia.

Brilliant post Tony!

Skip Loc: SF Bay Area CA.

What an amazing adventure you had over there. I think your open mindedness made a big difference in how you perceive the place and people. There is a lot of wonderful info hear and I will read it multiple times as it seems I will want to remember more than a few things I read here. Thank you so much for the info and good read. Maybe I will be reading an adventure book you wrote one day?!?
Skip

TonyP Loc: New Zealand

Thanks Skip. It does read like a bit of adventure but at the time it wasnt really. I was basically a sales rep for NZ products. Boring stuff: we supplied everything from sports clothing to dairy products, cheap fish, cheap meat, food that wouldnt have a market in NZ but the kai bars (takeaway shops) went through literally tons of our stuff every month.
I was a partner in the company and my area was SE Asia (Singapore, Brunei, Kuala Lumpur), PNG and Rarotonga. Raro was the bonus for visiting the other areas

So my focus in PNG was money have to admit. (Mercenary!) My last trip put me off and never went back.
I'll share the story (short version if I can) that showed me how stupid I was and signalled Id reached my time.
Was in an idyllic waterside motel restaurant in Madang, watching the sunset, waiting for dinner. It was the weekend so no appointments and had been for a drive and visited a village where I was a bit of a novelty to the villagers. Had a lovely day.

I was sitting right across the restaurant with an open view of the water. About 50 feet I guess from the reception desk with its big antique silver cash register. About 7-8 of us spread throughout the large dining room. I had a glass of wine, a fag and was reading my book when there was a bit of a kerfuffle at the front desk. I looked up and saw half a dozen or so big dirty guys, 1 or 2 in balaclavas, carrying machetes and knives. One had a double barrel shotgun. A further look around and I noticed I was the only one still sitting at a table. Everyone else had got under their tables it turned out. Smart.
I just froze.
Next minute the guy with the shotgun blasted the cash register with a shot and totally blew it away. What cash that was in it was shredded and afterwards I helped pick up the pieces and kept one as a souvenir. After the shot they panicked and ran off.
If it wasnt so dangerous it would have been funny. The look on the shooters face was comic, as if he asked himself why did I do that?

Upshot was there was hardly any money in the cash box as most pay by credit card. But the guys were escaped prisoners from a jail not too far away, most of them murderers already, so the danger was real. They werent caught until they killed again. 2 nuns from memory, both raped before being killed.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported the event in graphic detail (and most likely didnt refer to them as Rascals). I think their reporting resulted in them being expelled from PNG for sometime as the PNG government, back then, tended to frown on Australia reporting this stuff, as they relied a lot on funding from Oz. Plus back then lot of the mining was Australian managed.

A local in the village I visited that day gave me the good luck charm and it was on my table while I waited for dinner. Im not superstitious, but maybe he knew something I didnt.
Ill try and attach a pic of the little bottle that I still have on my wall. SOC so just a snapshot. Well that worked but apologies for the massive size!

The final laugh I got was the restaurant manager came out and praised me for being so cool and calm. (I went around the restaurant and helped a husband and his wife up who were tourists from the US. He'd been to PNG during WW2.) I got a free glass of wine and dinner. Mind you, they didnt have anyway of taking payment as the bad guys killed the cash register.
The laugh was I wasnt cool and calm, I was scared s....less as soon as I saw those guys come in.
I phoned home that night and told my wife it was my last trip. It was.

pacman Loc: Toowoomba, Qld, Australia.

Great story, and well told.