Goroka to Madang

Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Goroka, Papua New Guinea
The Bird of Paradise Hotel is old run down and ugly. The hot water is intermittent and the bookings process totally failed. The pool out the back looks rundown and the rooms were barely lit. Mine had a stuffed crocodile on the floor. I had a two room self contained flat with broken chair etc. But from what I am told it is the best in the area. And most importantly it is pretty clean and safe.

Outside the entry is a handcraft market where I bought a fantastic painting of a PMV . They started at 200 kina and after some negotiating we settled on 50 kina. This was substantially cheaper I found out later than Madang or Port Moresby so I should have purchased more of this art in Goroka.

When we left we had a 7 hour drive to Madang. Our driver Tony was a fast driver. The drive through the highlands was really interesting and rough, but not as rough as the day prior. We arrived at Yonki Dam just as it started spitting and fogging in so we had our lunch in the bus. I tried a bit of betel nut there which Georg bought me.

We then drove to Kainantu to an arts and crafts centre where I bought Hudson a real bow and arrow - kids size and then to the Kassam Pass lookout above the Markham Valley for a photo before we descended. The locals really have no idea of time as I knew the drive was 7 hours before left and Tony said it would be 4 which is not possible, even though he had driven it twice a month according to him .


We then drove at about 120km an hour a long the river valley through sugar cane fields and palm sugar and palm oil plantations. We also went past a palm sugar and oil processing plant.

After the Markham Valley we had to drive on a dirt road for a while then back to bitumen. 45 minutes out of Madang we had to go over the mountains on a mainly dirt but sometimes bitumen road where we were told that we could not stop. Tony was also concerned that we could run out of fuel, so he drove very quickly up and down wet dirt roads, over taking trucks and chewing beetle nut all along the way. He also was drinking coke, all to help stimulate him and make him a better driver. He was definitely buzzing the whole time.

We arrived safely into Madang and Tony dropped us to the Madang Resort Hotel. He told us that he had no where to stay in town and that he and the guide were going to drive back to Mt Hagen that night! No wonder the roads are dangerous at night.

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