2010 And We Are Going Downhill!!!

We are now trying to kill our own 'WatchDog' the person who is responsible for 'pulling up short' politicians, high public office holders etc...................I will bet K500.00 those behind the scenes trying to pull this off are some 'high office holders' and politicians and although relevant law & order agencies will get some very good information and evidence - those found to be even a little involved will never be brought to justice or if they do .....the cases will go through all sorts of loopohles, adjournements, etc and die out.
http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/3963
Even our mentor 'father- figure' Australia is giving us 'the finger' in some departments because our elites are all good-for-nothing, pot-bellied, double chin flopping, money mongering, corrupt idiots.
http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/3923

It is becoming more and more obvious that the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (never mind the laughable titles as Chief/ Sir/ Turakikil or whatever it is that the Tolai's have bestowed him with) is loosing it.......................I strongly suggest someone close to him (maybe his daughter Bertha for what she's worth??) tell him in confidential terms that it is high time he should walk out now and walk out while he still has some respectability left from the fast dwindling number of Papua New Guinean support. You can get the feeling that he is starting to get on some very seriously raw nerves when you hear some unemployed, illiterate, drunk, youth who is a known criminal playing a game of pool at 2 mile hillside tuckerbox say very knowledgeable things like how he sets up some Commission of Inquiries and not allow it to conclude by replacing Chairmans or suspends the inquiries, the purchase of the Falcon Jet, what happenned to the Maladina/ NPF case, the Speaker let loose on gagging debates and when the drunk youth mentioned about the early adjournement of the parliment thereby breaking the 'mama law' it took me by surprise and really hit me that Michael Somare is really starting to get on some very very 'roots fella's' nerve. And this is only one fellow speaking his mind; multiply that by 'how many thousands' of unemployed youths. Never mind the employed youths and those that can read the newspaper or at least has the time to watch the 6pm EMTV newspaper.



We talking those street youths that has no reason to watch news, read newspapers etc; but look for opportunities to make some rich, moneyman, businessmen, politician's life miserable.







I can read all this and do my best to make informed judgements/ conclusions and decisions, not so for the person I am exempling here - he and his friends knows that there is money to made (and big money that is) in making personal lives of this politicians miserable; and to hell with their own personal lives, they dont have anything loose and nothng to gain for that matter. If they come out with a little, they know its only for a short while: its the 'Livin On The Edge' feeling that they want in this vacation.







Read on the misery............................................



http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/3896



http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/3570


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And this are the moneyman (landowners) that will be targets also by their own kinsfolk (if its not happening already)

http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/3837

http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/3740

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The LNG project can take care of their medical/ health services plus staff - let 'em work on their own land....................let them do the surgeries,, doctoring and what have you by themselves!!!

Sheesh, there are places like Woodlark, The Engineer Group of Islands, the North Coast Rabaraba in the Milne Bay Province that would deserve this service - and its more paradasic here.

What idiotic idea to go there in the first place anyways???????

http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/4105



And we still carry around the attitude and mentality that only expatriates can do this...............sigh!!!

http://www.thenational.com.pg/?q=node/3986



Anyway, I'll keep building more shit house as more 'shit people' will be coming...................someones got to do it (and get paid do it!!!!!)

Merry New Year celebs and catch on the flipside.











DaDog!!!!!

AIRLINES PNG (formely Milne Bay Air)

I have to say this and say it out aloud I should.........................."AIRLINES PNG" DOES NOT CARE ABOUT THE LOCAL PAPUA NEW GUINEAN. It just wants its hard earned money.

I am an avid traveller (both business & pleasure) within PNG and I choose to fly with APNG everytime when and if there is that choice available. You see there are sectors that APNG do not fly so I have no choice but to fly with the politicised 'toilet tissue' airline 'Air Niugini'.

The reason is simply that APNG before it changed its name was the Milne Bay Air (MBA) and I am a hard core Milne Bay fan. Second, I am a shareholder (not big for its standards but huge from the view of my pocket!!) so would like to think I am contributing to my own company!!!?? In contributing thus far, I would justly appreciate a good service (they do a good job the pilots) by the people who stand out front and face the paying customers - especially towards their own kind - the local Papua New Guineans.

I'll tell you my recent experience before I conclude with what I assume is happening between the check in counter and the ticketing reservations staff (especially at Port Moresby's Jacksons Domestic Terminal).

Coming off from Tabubil (APNG Dash 7), I checked-in the next day to fly to a Western Port on the twin ottter. My access luggage was K675.00 (alot of money compared to the size & weight of the cargo if you really physically look at it but anyways). Having paid this in company signed check I proceeded to the departure lounge for the scheduled 6.30am - mind you, to catch this flight I had to be up at 4am!!!

By 9.00am we were still waiting without any information of what was happening - in the meantime out in the tarmac I could not see any twin-otter planes standing by.
By 10.00am we were informed (in a hurdled group as if in a basketball team peptalk session) to check back at the ticketing counter for further information; and this was not until one of us had to actually front up to the ticketing officer.

Anyhow, having got to the ticketing counter, we were told that we would depart at 2.45pm, that is after the twin otter that was doing another sector returns.

We did eventually boarded and headed for our destination. After 1hr 30mins and only 20 mins out of our first port of call, the 2 x pilots had to turn the plane back as there was an electrical problem and would affect the night flying (since they would be returning in the dark if they were to complete the schedules) - thus we flew another 1hr30mins back to POM. We were told that our flight would be rescheduled to 9.00am the next day.

Rightly so, I was provided accomodation at the Lamana Hotel as I was a transiting pax.

The next day, come the time to depart at 9.00am, we found out that some half of the pax will share another sector flight whilst we shared with the other sector! - and I thought we had a plane dedicated for our selves!! This is where all the 'fuckups' happened I suppose.

When I got to my destination, I had only the laptop bag I had as hand carry BUT ALL MY LUGGAGE WORTH K675.00 REMAINED BACK IN POM!!!! The reasoning was that because we had to share another sectors flight/plane their luggage got priority over ours. We were told that our luggage would be brought in dribs & drabs depending on the weight etc; etc.

Its been a week now and as I write/ post this article I am still waiting for my luggage. I have also heard that 3 out of the 7 pieces of luggage I have has gone missing (and right in that APNG Domestic Traffic Office - you note in APNG website that the traffic/operations and cargo section staff work together!!!) they are really in cohorts to rip you off!!.

Now get this...................when you check with your lugggage, the check in clerk will check in everything you got plus alll those other passenggers cargoes too (do you wonder if he has already a limit on the weight he should be working on??). You hhave paid for you access luggage and everythings checked in so rightly so everything should GET ON THE PLANE - YEAH!!!! Not so. By the time come time for loading - THEY FIND OUT THEY HAVE OVER CHECKED IN PAX CARGOES/LUGGAGE.
Now pay attention here....................if you are assumed a non threat and have paid too much already - they will not inform you that they will offload your cargo (the money is split between the ticketing officer & the reservations clerk at the paying desk).
Otherwise, you will be informed that you will have to take off some of your cargo/luggage (which they will say will come in later which will either be very very later [after you have spent an untold expenses chasing iit up] or will get lost and never turn up - in which case they still split the money!!!).

This is the typical experience that many rural semi-literate Papua New Guinean APNG traveller is living with. It is made the more complicated (aside from being semi-literate) by the lack of communications, the distant to travel between the closest agent/airstrip and the village, the APNG Agent being uninfluential with the airline managements and the desolation of some of the communities the airline service.

I am fortunate that I will get back to Port Moresby at some stage even if my luggage dont get here and as any typical PNG would do to vent his frustration will manhandle the ticketing person.

Now don't get smart with me and tell me to be patient so on and so forth because if some of my luggages have gone missing, there is no way I will be compensated - all they will do is push all kinds of paper in my face to fill in and hope that this will tire me out and finally give it up - a good manhandling, broken noses and bodily abuse is compensation enough..

Infact I've got my bail-out money (plus police bribes) ready, so I can walk in and walk out.

Bush Tucker

My mate (whose just arrived from Brissy) and I went bush with some locals and tried living of the land, the way they do it - although I have not made any attempt to get pics of our eating the bush tucker for various excuses you would give no never mind, but we did enjoy ourselves.....................

The tractor ride (because the roads only accessible by tractor and not a 4WD landcruiser [who said that!!]):


On the way we saw a big group of local men pulling three canoes down 5km to the main Aramia river (thats quite a distance to cover, come to think of it)



















On this day our local boys were lucky to have a Papuan Black snake which was 1.5m long and very very dead:

















Then they came across a goanna, not so huge they said but would provide substantial protein for lunch,......... yeah right!!!

Everything eventually got cooked (sago and rice included) and layed out -

Then everyone went straight into eat.........................................hungry we all were! who says no...........

After that we all packed on the tractor and rode down to camp, shower, real food and sleeeeeep.



















That's when I started feeling funny and thought I was going colour blind and checked, but it was no joke - I was colour blind (you seeing the same????)

AAaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...............................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Balimo, Western Province

Recently I went down river to Balimo to pick up some friends coming in from Port Moresby on the regular Airlines PNG flight. As always in this part of the country, rain - although the locals say is seasonal, is like a forever thing for a non local like me. To me rain just doesnt stop...................

Balimo airstrip like most third level airstrip (what does that rating mean, I have no idea) does not have a terminal so [passenger arriving or departing (with their luggage/ belongings) can be either dry or wet - whichever the case at the time maybe.

Since the parking bay is about 50 meters over to the other side from the road that leads to town - one has to walk across the airstrip itself (from the road) to meet the plane and its passengers. Imagine doing this whilst it is raining.

Good thing it was not raining at the time my mates came in so although they looked a bit sheepishly shivery it was not at all bad and they did smile!!!!

It was a good thing we already had a good relationship with the Local Government Administration so we got get a ride to Balimo town which is 5km from the airstrip; like driving down river but by vehicle and along the way you do get to have a lot of curious onlookers always wanting to get the first glimps of the new faces in town; tsh, tsh -

Pollies do the 'musical chair dance' and I had a SNAKE!!!!

While the National Alliance led coalition Government goes into 'standby mode' coughing up to - what a friend in the media industry says - close to 'K200,000' as 'buy back payments' (better still bribes)..............this is whats happening with some of its said to be priority facilities:
1. Kwikila High School is closed because foods run out;
2. A college dormitory outside Port Moresby, is burnt to ashes and 60 odd students will spend the night outside
3. Kerevat National High School which passed out students in the likes of the current Governor General maybe suspended because of facilities condemned in 1994 not updated yet - http://asopa.typepad.com/asopa_people/2009/07/dangerous-keravat-school-faces-closure.html

And on a more personal scenario I had my own woes and crises - we had a SNAKE in camp right over the table where we have our breaky, lunch, dinner and daily conversational get togethers. Some pics of it should liven this misery:

The first peep and first sighting -

Then speared first (to prevent it recoiling) and quickly arrowed asit sticked it's head out:

Speared and arrowed in various places it was quickly pulledout of the ceiling (it still resisted strongly):

Speared and arrowed its still coiling on the floor:

Tumu Timbers Development Limited

Tumu Timbers Development Limited
Landowners of Kamula Doso, I mean the real on the ground illieterate grass roots have 'no effing' idea what this is all about.
All they care about is how much money they can get from the trees on their land - be it logging or 'money long sky' (as Ilya puts it). Now Ilya has been put off track by his AAP people I believe for bringing this to light (because some people might/ could be sued!! what travesty for telling the truth!!)
I am not from Western Province and I dont really gve a rats ass about the province to be quite honest; but I work here and live close to the area of Kamula Doso and talking to the people here; they have no idea about what all this Carbon Trade thing is or how it works.
All they know is that they will get money for all the trees that are curently standing in the forest (literally each one of them).
They are ignorant of the fact that Mr Kirk as the 'elite landowners in POM' endorsed is a conman with a shifty back ground and that the Director for Carbon Trade Office (or whatever it is called) has now been sidelined because he has made deals that is not legislated and that their is NO LEGISLATION or ACT of PARLIMENT as yet regards the Carbon Trade process.

STOP EFFING WITH THE PEOLPLE'S RESOURCES you money mongering leaching assholes and come down here on the ground.

Oil & Gas Explorations

Recently our local company assisted a major JV exploration company to scout for and locate its first wellsite here in PNG. Prior to the JV delegation visiting the site, we went out and marked out the actual site itself and made the pathway bearable to walk - well at least.

The delegation's visit was to confirm the drill location and its associated facilities i.e: barge landing site, service camp accomodations and its facilities etc.
Our camp was built earlier on in mid 2008 to cater for the Awapa seismic survey (for the same JV) so a service camp was already in place with communications network setup - internet and telephone.

First a walk through the sago swamp (infested with leaches and mozzies) to the drill site location. On the walk we had an environmentalist who, if I may say, did a whole lot better then her male counterparts (see her looking back at others still coming through)

At the location we had a whole group of men from another village join us as well just out of curiousity.......... and while the visitors rested and quencehd their thirst some brief was in order to water down undue expectations (which always happen anyways) by the Managing Director of Firewall Logistics, Craig McCornaghy:

After locating the proposed drillsite, it was now time to locate sites for use to support and service the drilling operations. Sites for use as barge landing, twin prop helicopter laydowns (Chinooks, Mil 8 and Russian made Kamovs etc), refuel pads, accomodation/ service camps, road feasibility and the like so it was done by motorised dinghy as all of this sites would have to be near the main water way .......................................

Pic from R-L: Jake Marco (Field Operations Manager), Noel Buttler (JV In-Country Manager), David Holmes (AsiaPasific Project Manager), Paul Fendder (Drilling Manager), Don Lewis (Drilling Expediter), Silas (Boat operator).

I suppose another of every explorationist's inner most secret is to make sites for support services as paradisic as it possibility could so it becomes a 'home away from home' during the long haul of the drilling program so one does not get insanely homesick and fall out. And there is no better place to set that over looking the water - especially any kind of flowing water. It just beats the hustle bustle of a long working day and keeps the stress at bay...............................

And so it was down to decision time of picking out the best possible sites to have the civil works contractors to come out and work out their quotations.

Then it was back to each his/her own little office to plan for the whole works to start in a years time, hopefully sooner but then unpredictables like weather pattern, dry/ wet seasons, logistics schedules of the suppliers could throw the whole thing back or forward to uncomfortables levels.

Be back in abit with something more or else............................

To POM With Plenty Of StopOvers!!

I recently left my field camp in Awaba, Balimo District in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea to travel to POM (due east) for a short break and at the same time put my laptop (which is practically my office) in for service (tell you that laptop story on another post).
Departed on Airlines PNG (the only third level airline servicing many rural locations and the pilots are brilliant!!) from Awaba and the first stop was Daru!! (yeah I know we went the wrong direction - further west - but I just enjoyed the ride having negotiated with the pilot).




We spent an hour while the fuel was been sorted out and the agent/ pilots decided whether some pax would be shifted to the Dash 8 (which was in Popondetta - the otherside of the country!!!) and risk the pax waiting forever or do Balimo return Daru and then continue etc; etc.........time was going towards 4.00pm already.

Anyways, we eventually got to Kikori, in the Gulf province (my former stomping ground) - the first Gulf port of call if you travelling in from the West or the last Gulf port if you travelling from the Easterly direction.

In Kikori, I noted the agent was absent and pax from there had to negotiate with the pilot instead. I overheard the pilot telling the pax (who apperantly have tickets bought in POM but have no PTA numbers) to call APNG POM office and confirm their travels as he was unable to raise his office as well though he tried at Daru (which I truthfully confirm he did try). Now that's something rare for pilots to do, especially a very reputable third level airline. I would expect private mision run pilots i.e MAF, North Coast Aviation pilots to do there own ticketing and manifests in remote strips. Anyhow, the pilot did mention to me (we made acquaintance in his previous flights where I provided jet fuel - left overs from ou survey work - when Daru ran dry) that we would stop over at Kikori just to let the four hopeful pax that they will have to travel another time.

Departing Kikori at time 4.40 m, after about half an hour on the ground we headed direct for Port Moresby.

We flew over Kerema along the way and I could just see the effects that global warming is doing to what once was a long point (Ipisi Point). This them Tairu'ma - the exact spot a popular local musician from the area (Robert Oeka) sang about 'mountain wara mix wantain solwara....Kerema yu no save, yu yet kam na lukim.'

50 minutes after Kerema, we were over POM and I took some disinterested pics of the city and the Freeway to my Hotel.

Crazy 'Bout Ma Mobile Phone

It's been fascinating and somewhat childish (when you actually 'step back and let every one go past, actually flying fast passst' in my tiny view) and or roguely maddening how the modern gadget of having a personalised moblie phone has gripped Papua New Guinea. A very short few years back mobile phones was thought to be only for the excutives, working class (those big time ones) and those especially with money (gained either honestly or dishonestly).

Now everyone from a working person to an illiterate subsistent villager can own a mobile phone!!! No qualms there...............it is all well and good that we have made the big leap into the communication world and now can have access to those most isolated spots (although we have many blind spots to cover plus many other issues to sort out i.e costs, etc etc) but at least it's a step forward.

The cynicism starts when people start falling head-over-heels about the latest models and struggles to buy & own one; typically every month (even fortnightly!!).

Think of it, the mobile phone companies too come up with the latest model every month (even fortnightly) so poor idiots 'go with the flow'.

I remember reading a study somewhere a long time back by some professor of something (or rather), that the speed & constant shift in personal 'wants' (I want this, that and that and that....)

is a normal process of every growing child (to adolscent to teenager) especially those in the modern society (in PNG this would appropriately be urbanised children or 'town' children). Those who have children knows well the demands of a growing child. As they grow they become more aware of their grooming, of their friends (peer group) and the world around them which is greatly enhanced (and exaggerates) by the advertisements they watch and read. The term he used to tag this behaviour I believe is called a 'Fad' (at one stage I used to relate it as a 'fag').

Suffice to say, we in Papua New Guinea have put ourselves in that category (of growing children) in our rush to have that 'latest mobile phone on the market'.

I remember a best friend of mine (we went to school together and still live as permenant residents on the same island paradise) who once told me the rational he used to decide whether to buy a mobile phone with a camera ( after the seduction by flip-on phones, the camera/ mp3 etc phones did their 'catwalk').

He already had a mobile phone (very basic) and had already a digital camera; why would he want a phone with a camera and mp3 all in one (again)???

he worked it out that as long as he can make a call on the run (mobile) from point A to B that's all is needed!!

That rational goes well with me especially this last few years when mobile phones hit the market of PNG where I have been one of those 'standing outside and looking inside' and to be honest I quite like the view......................

Having said that, I still carry around my 9 year old Nokia (dont know what #) with its Japanese characters hardly worned out, that I fell in love with while transiting through Nagasaki. Mobile phones were a 'high class' thing at the time I had mine. Here's a sneak pic:

The Dead, The Living, The Prison, The Wild

I was looking through pictures I took whilst on my recent R&R back home at Samarai and came across pictures I took of a funeral I attended at Kwato Island. The funeral was for a very nice lady (in my view not supposed to be gone this early anyway) who was also quite popular in the area; undoubtedly her proffession as a registered nurse opting to work in rural health centres her entire life up to her retirement was a big influence in her popularity.
















As her coffin was taken out of her house on the way to the Kwato church for her last service and amidst the wailing of her immediate families and close relatives, I had this familiar thought creep back into my mind (a thought that ALWAYS comes back to me EVERYTIME I witness this funerals).

I know the crying is for someone you will not see, talk to, expect for, love (and every other thing you relate to with every other living human being in every day living) etc, etc etc, in a person. Of course you shed a tear or two even at a funeral for someone you don't know..............but have you thought about yourself?

Think for a moment.................whilst that person (now dead) does not need to worry about the daily burdens of everyday living, toiling and surviving (because of being in the state of being dead), we the living ones have to carry on facing the moments into the future!!!

Things in vain like, "right when I finish with this burial, I wonder if I have enough fuel to go back to Samarai," or "tomorrow will need to complete that project at work as I've taken the day off today," (like my wife did).

Many a times I suppose we should be crying more for ourselves (those living) then for those that are dead!!

Now on a a more serious note, can you swallow this!!!!

PRISIONERS ARE ACTUALLY LOVING IT BEING IN PRISON. SOME SERVE THEIR TIME, GET OUT AND COMMIT ANOTHER SIMPLY TO GET BACK IN!!!! You think they've gone loco??...........they get three meals a day, a toothbrush, soap etc. Never mind the beating they get before they get there!!!

I should also point to you the link of what a consultant had to say about the recent commotions about '50% of AUSAID money paying consultants'..........catch 'Missives from Port Moresby and beyond.'

And just so there is plenty to read and whilst I am at it I should tell you what's doing in my kingdom.
(Ryan! if you seeing this - the maid's left the lead Pilot, Matt's tent and now spends her time with Cathy competing for my attention!!!

In our camp office we have in our employment this admin assistant (just like the one you have that pops up on the screen??) whose last job description includes 'sleep all day' (note the 'time' status, if your sights good).


"O'oohK, (yaawwwwn & strrreetching) no more printing, photocopying, scanning aaand lets see yes no more faxing......I'll just the pull the cover here aaand..................







GONE.........







stiiiilllll gone.......................


For want of a name our Chef calls her 'Tiger'

(I never asked why & am not goig to)

And then we have our security personnel..........quite a smarty fellow always on the lookout whom I call 'Kokofa'. He is always hanging around the long drop toilet.

Hoi, who goes there...........??








BOOOOOSSSSSS!!!!! (Moses Salama)