Final Posting

My last week at PMGH was very nice. I spent a day in the outpatient clinic- antenatal in the AM and gynecology in the afternoon. Similar to the labor ward, the clinics are extremely busy providing care to well over 100 patients per day. For the remainder of the week I split my time between the labor ward and the operating theatre. I was able to see an obstetric fistula repair, do another term breech delivery, and several routine deliveries. Prior to leaving I was able to thank the faculty and registrars for their assistance during the stay and exchange contact information with several of them.

Arranging travel in PNG can be a bit difficult but Maureen and I really lucked out!! While there are several private tour groups in PNG they are outrageously expensive for a developing country and were out of the question for us. Due to safety concerns, just showing up to a new city, using public transport, and traveling like backpackers is not advised (especially for two women). Fortunately, I was able to make contact with an Australian, Jane, who is teaching midwifery at the University of Goroka through one of the midwives at PMGH (Florence who I mentioned earlier). Jane got us connected with Samuel, a local who arranges tours and is based in Goroka (much more reasonably priced). Jane also offered us a place to stay on the university campus… free of charge.

Maureen and I flew to Goroka (in the Highlands) last Friday with the hope of a cooler climate, beautiful scenery, and a climb up Mt Wilhelm (the highest peak in Oceania- 4,509 meters). We were not disappointed… just required a sense of adventure. Samuel met us at the airport and accompanied us on the PMVs (public motorized vehicle) to Jane’s house on the university campus. Jane lives in a beautiful 4 bedroom home by herself so often hosts travelers or expats new to Goroka (while they make arrangements). Aaron, an Australian documentary film maker is currently living with her.
We dropped our luggage there, finalized plans for our trip up Mt Wilhelm, and made arrangements to see the Asaro Mud Men that afternoon. PNG is home to hundreds of tribes/clans many which still live/celebrate traditional village life. The Asaro Mud Men are one such group. Asaro village is northwest of Goroka and is famous for its mud men- warriors who covered themselves with mud and wore mud masks before heading off on raids. The village people now recreate this for tourists… a bit of a tourist trap but still interesting to see and the pictures are pretty priceless (Maureen and I even modeled the mud masks). We also had the village people teach us how to chew betel nut- a seed which is chewed with mustard and lime powder to obtain a stimulant effect. We weren’t much good at it and spit it out before any real effect. It was a good laugh though.
Friday evening Jane, Aaron, Maureen, and I went to dinner at 1 of the 4 restaurants in Goroka… we were joined by what must be most of the Goroka expat community. There were about 20 of us in total… people from all over the world who have been in PNG for varying lengths of time working for many different organizations. Dinner conversation was spirited to say the least. Saturday morning we met Samuel downtown to begin our trip up Mt Wilhelm. We traveled first by bus (PMV) for several hours along the Highlands Highway (another pot hole ridden road) through beautiful mountains to Kundiawa. In Kundiawa, we loaded into the back of a Toyota 4WD pick-up truck with locals (men, women, children, and 1 baby) and headed to the guest house in Kegsugl. The poor condition of the road was quite unbelievable but luckily was matched by breath taking scenery. Maureen and I bounced around together for several hours and ended at the East Kegsugl Guesthouse with sore bottoms.

The East Kegsugl Guesthouse is owned by Josephine and Arnold and is just down the road from the trail head. We slept there Saturday night after enjoying a home cooked meal (Josephine prepared over a fire) of veggies, rice, sweet potato, and fresh strawberries. Sunday morning with our packs on our backs we met our guides (Michael and John- two locals) and headed for base camp. Along the way we admired incredible gardens (the climate in the highlands provides plenty of rain and spring like conditions year round), purchased the veggies we would eat while hiking, and headed into what looked like a jungle with occasional pine trees. We hiked for about 5-6 hours (though the jungle and grasslands, passing waterfalls and interesting plant life) reaching base camp (called the A-frame) mid afternoon. We dried out our socks/shoes (Maureen and I only had running shoes…) and enjoyed the weather/scenery. The base camp is just next to one of two lakes found part way up Mt Wilhelm.
Sunday evening we ate dinner by candle light (veggies, rice, and potatoes) and went to bed early as the plan is to wake up at 1 AM, begin hiking at 2 AM, in order to summit early morning and be off the mountain by midday. After about 3-4 hours of sleep we were up, dressed, and ready to go. From 2 AM till sunrise we hiked with flashlights… a bit eerie as I had the feeling we were going straight up and was apprehensive about the trek back down. However, after a bit of reassurance and the assistance of our amazing guides (could not have done it without them) Maureen and I made it to the top!! We saw the most amazing star filled sky, the moon rise, the sun rise, the southern coast line of PNG, cities and rivers in the distance, several mountain ranges, rainbows through the mountain mist, the site of a WWII plane crash, and several mountain lakes. The trip was 6 hours of hiking up and about 5 back down to base camp. We both agree it was worth every bit of effort, wet feet, cold hands, bruised shins, and sore muscles. We rested at base camp for an hour or so, packed up our stuff, ate some lunch, and then walked the rest of the way down to the Guest House. After 15 hours of hiking we had dinner with Josephine, a cold shower, and went to sleep.
Tuesday morning, around 6 AM, we loaded into the back of a truck for the trip from Kegsugl to Kundiawa to Goroka (and the hope of a hot shower). As we traveled down out of the mountains the truck, which started with Maureen, Samuel, and I, slowly filled up. We stopped frequently picking up people and produce as they were headed to Kundiawa (they were headed for the market). Eventually, Maureen and I, deemed as taking up too much space in the truck bed, were told to sit in the cab of the truck. Although this afforded much less fresh air my sore body welcomed the padded seat. Once in Kundiawa, we boarded a bus to Goroka and arrived at Jane’s house by noon. After hot showers, laundry, and lunch we enjoyed an afternoon on reading on Jane’s deck overlooking the mountains we had just come from.
Tuesday evening we treated Jane to dinner at a second of the four restaurants in Goroka to thank her for her hospitality. As I said before Jane is currently teaching midwifery at the University of Goroka. She is a fascinating woman who has spent her entire life traveling. She has done 9 missions with Doctors Without Borders (MSF)- taking her to several parts of Africa, China, and the Middle East. I think both Maureen and I were in awe of her experiences. On Wednesday morning, Jane took us to the airport for our return flight to Port Moresby (it took us a bit to get checked in for a flight as the ticketing counter was basically in a shed and was not clearly marked).
As I type now, we are on Loloata Island just off the southern coast on Port Moresby. The idea being Highlands to Islands as Maureen has dubbed it. Loloata Island is located in Bootless Bay and is home to a small resort- currently we are 2 of 6 total guests. We will spend two nights here admiring our ocean view. The plan is to relax, read, reflect, and catch some rays before the return to reality. Maureen plans to do some scuba diving as well. Both of our flights leave early Friday AM.
Overall, my trip to PNG was not what I expected (I suppose this is the trend when traveling to a developing country). I greatly enjoyed my time in the hospital, the people I met there, and am thankful for the experience. Hope you have enjoyed reading/following along. All for now.