Seasons
Monday, October20th
I just took a bucket bath for the second day in a row and the view of my tiled ceiling was no where as spectacular as the star filled Zambian sky. Can it even be called a bucket bath if you don’t have enough water to fill the bucket? The rainwater tanks at my compound have run dry. I thought we were in the rainy season, but obviously I was mistaken. PNG has two seasons, rainy and dry, but with global warming it is getting harder to distinguish the two. Seasons are more evident in the market. The avocadoes are sparse and the mangos dangle teasingly from the trees.
The watermelons are too big to carry and the tomato fruit, which was my market experiment of the week this week, will be passed on to my neighbors, possibly in exchange for water! I was mistakenly eager for the rainy season in hopes for cooler weather, but apparently rain comes with humidity. What’s the point of a bath? I am covered in sweat before I have the chance to dry.
In the Highlands it is definitely the rainy season, and much cooler. Last week, Marleen and I hitched a ride with the education team to Kundiawa in Simbu Province. “Chimbu” as it is commonly pronounced, is 2 hours drive west of Goroka, where I went for the Goroka show last month. Simbu Province is known for PNGs tallest mountains, including Mt. Wilhelm at 4509 meters. It is also known for its pigs, coffee, strawberries, and highly temperamental emotions that lead to notorious tribal warfares. With that being said, what would be the point of going to Chimbu if you don’t experience them all?!?! Kate, the Dutch VSO volunteer living in Kundiawa, helped Marleen and I have a true Chimbu experience!
Me, Marleen and Kate...post Mt. Wilhelm!!!! Road Trip…Kundiawa or Bust!
Saturday, October 11th
5 VSO volunteers, 1 driver, 1 guard, 1 education program manager and one 10 seater land cruiser. Cargo pressed against the windows, our knees in our chests. 8 coconuts, 3 watermelons and 300 kms ahead of us.
We left the sweltering humidity of Madang behind us as we passed New Town up the South Coast road past Gum Primary and Smelly Water. Up hills and across one lane bridges. Through pot holes so big you wonder if you can even call them potholes. Dense rainforests, traditional stilt houses, banana trees. Nickel pipelines and logging trucks. Landslides and half roads. 8 bobble heads. One changed tire.
At the turnoff, left to Lae, right to the Highlands, women sit under colorful umbrellas selling mangos. Across the road is a billboard sponsored by the Provincial AIDS council reading, The Beauty of AIDS….100% Avoidable.
As we continued driving inland we enter the Ramu Valley. The Ramu is one of PNG’s great rivers and the broad valley is filled with cattle and sugar cane and is home of the Ramu Sugar Refinery and Coconut Oil Plantation. It is also a major fault zone prone to earthquakes. Also in Ramu is the dam and source of hydro-electric power for Lae, Madang and the Highlands.
The rolling hills beyond the valley appear to be covered in turf, something like a putting green. They reminded me of the Telitubbie hills; I could imagine Tinky Winky and Po skipping along holding hands and singing Eh-Oh! I have been told these mountains are the world’s fast growing mountains as they are along the fault line.
The engine roared in low gear as we inched up the mountain. Winding roads. Cooling air. Amazing lookout over the Ramu Valley. We stopped for diesel in Kainantu (pronounced K-9-2) that is stretched along the highway. This little town has a Wild West feel about it. Close by is the PNG headquarters of SIL, Summer Institute of Linguistics. SIL is an American-founded missionary organization that translates the Bible into PNGs 800+ languages. The Lonely Planet says it’s worth visiting to see “little America” in the midst of PNG! Plus, another volunteer told me about a store there that sells all the favorite American snacks like Snickers and Hershey bars!
We stopped long enough in Goroka to enjoy lunch at the Bird of Paradise Hotel and to empty our bank accounts at the last working ATM before Mt. Wilhelm. I couldn’t resist a stroll through the bilum market. Minus 1 program manager, 1 guard, and 1 driver, we volunteers made the final 2 hour stretch to Kundiawa.
We bought a ring of everlasting flowers to place on our mirror as bilus (decoration) at the Daulo Pass. At 2489 meters, the Daulo Pass has spectacular views, but the road is dangerous. Remains of vehicles can be seen down the mountain side. Pigs roam the road. Rain covers the windshield. 4-wheel drive. Rocky edges, round huts, spirit antennas. Landslides and donated tents as makeshift homes. Fresh, crisp mountain air.
Kundiawa at last! We spilled out of the Cruiser. Stretched our arms through sweatshirts and stuffed our toes into shoes for the first time in months! 360 degrees of rugged mountains!
WaraKalap
Sunday, October 12th
While acclimatizing to the altitude for a day before our attempt at Wilhelm, we trekked to a waterfall just outside Kundiawa. Wara Kalap translates literally to “water jump.” Three white women roaming through small villages attracted quite a bit of attention and before we knew it we had an entourage of at least 15 children. These girls turned out to be very good guides. They knew the mountains and were quite nimble on their bare feet. We climbed to a lookout over where the Wara Chimbu (Simbu River) and Wahgi River meet. Although the rapids are intense, you find Nationals rafting down the rivers. It was a memorable afternoon.
Getting there……..
Monday, October 13th
After searching the blue tarp market for gloves and enjoying real coffee at a proper coffee shop, we found ourselves piled into the back of a truck. Along with 12 other people, we headed up the mountain to Kegsugl, the last village before Mt. Wilhelm. During the wet season (which we were in) the road to Kegsugl closes at times due to dangerous conditions. It’s 57 km along a razorback road that has to be seen to believe. The 4-hour, tedious and body jarring drive is along the edges of the mountains and through high-altitude villages. These people are literally ‘livin’ on the edge!” The views are fantastic and the landscapes dramatic. The people have transformed their steep, rugged countryside into a patchwork of gardens. Up every possible hillside the Chimbu have turned impossible terrain into beautiful vegetable and flower gardens. I was simply amazed by their strength and agility.
This wouldn’t be a proper PNG story if it didn’t include a tale of our truck breaking down. Not exactly sure what happened, my Pisin isn’t exactly fluent, but I believe the driver mistakenly put wiper fluid in the engine! Noken wori, liklik sumting! An hour later we continued our slow climb up the seemingly endless saw-tooth mountains. We passed limestone caves which were used as burial places, roaring rapids, impressive waterfalls and countless pigs. Roofs and fence posts are topped with “spirit anteneas” as Maarten, a Dutch VSO vol called them. These decorative tufts or clumps of dirt and plants are placed around homes for the spirits to talk to each other and hear the village secrets.
Just before dusk we passed the no longer used Kugsugl airstrip and made our way to Camp J.J. We ate a dinner of fresh trout and huddled near the stove to warm our bodies before we crawled into our sleeping bags.
The Summit…..
Tuesday, October 14th
With our bags packed with food and gear and the morning sun warming our faces, we met our guides outside the camp. As we crossed the bridge, our journey to Papua New Guinea’s tallest mountain began! For many, climbing to the summit of Mt Wilhelm is the highlight of their experience in PNG. From the top you can see both coasts. The climb is hard work and most stop over at the Pindaunde Lakes before making the final ascent. Like most, we planned to arrive at the Lakes, camp and start off in the black of early morning to see the sunrise and coasts before the clouds roll in. From the beginning I was a bit skeptical of this plan. I am not a fan of climbing on tracks that are not visible, especially when you add the element of rain. However, I was motivated by the thought of seeing both coasts ….that and overcoming the skeptics who thought I couldn’t make the 4 hour climb to the Lakes, which sit at 3500 meters.
The uneven tree planks placed across the path were wet and slippery. After ten minutes of steady, uphill climbing, we had stripped off our hats and top 3 layers of clothes. The first half of the trek was through dense forest with moss cover trees and singing birds of paradise. Marleen, who always has a song in her head, kept us motivated by singing “Take Your Time, Do It Right” by the SOS Band. When our breathing became heavy and our steps slower I could hear her singing, “You can do baby, do it tonight.” It made me laugh and continue to put one foot in front of the other.
We all appreciated the rest stops along the way. We filled our bottles with fresh mountain water and Kate tossed us candy. Our first lookout point was over the Kegsugl airstrip. The second half of the trek was through a less dense area that reminded me of a Jurassic Park movie. I expected T-Rex to tower over the mountains at any given moment. The fern trees and topography emitted a pre-historic scene.
The last leg of the trek to the Lakes was the steepest and most rugged terrain along a waterfall. By this point my legs were getting tired. My thighs ached each time I lifted them. John, the guide “pulling up the rear,” kept repeating “Wokabut isi” (Walk slowly). I knew the Lakes were the source of the waterfall, not much further to climb.
The view from the top was breathtaking…or was it the altitude, or maybe the climb!?! Either way, I made it to 3500 meters! And then I collapsed and enjoyed the beauty of the lakes with a panoramic view of white waterfalls contrasted against black mountains.
As we sat near the edge of the lake and watched the clouds roll in, Kate shared stories of her first two attempts up Mt. Wilhelm. During her first attempt, she did not make it due to altitude sickness. Less than half way to the summit she began vomiting. She trained for several months before her second attempt. Shit! Maybe I should have thought about training…too late now! She made it to the summit on her second attempt, but several others in her group weren’t as successful. One decided to remain at the Lakes and another nearly fell to his death during the descent. Shit! Maybe I should have taken this a bit more seriously…it’s not too late!
With the clouds came rain and it did not cease. It was very cold, wet, foggy and windy. That night while shivering in my sleeping bag listening to the rain pound the tin roof of the board hut, I made my decision. I decided I had accomplished a big goal by reaching the Lakes and that it would be best if I trained properly before making the final ascent to Mt Wilhelm at 4509 meters. And let’s be honest, the thought of climbing 5 hours in the dark, through the rain with weak, untrained legs was a bit frightening. Mi bai wokabut long Mt Wilhelm narapela taim.
Marleen and Kate made the ascent to the top at sunrise and saw the Lae Coast!
The descent….
October 15th
The bush path was soggy and covered in pine needles; my boots sank with each step. Our ponchos swishing rhythmically with our strides. We returned to Camp JJ in 2 hours. With a bribe of 20kina, the driver agreed to take us down the mountain despite the road conditions. Along the way we stopped to pick fresh strawberries. Marleen was singing the Beatle hit Strawberry Fields Forever.
I felt like I was in a royal parade, waving to the people. At one point we slowed to a rolling stop. People begin running toward the truck. Marleen and I continued waving to our crowd. Things happened fast and I was a bit confused. I thought we were stopping at the village market. The driver started fish tailing. Were we stuck? Were the people running to help push the truck carrying the white women? We continued to wave. The driver sped away slinging mud in their faces. It was then that I realized those weren’t the faces of people who were running to help; they were the faces of tribal warfare carrying bush knives shouting “Fight, Fight!”
At the next village we picked up a woman and two pigs. Pigs are one of the most important things in Highland life. I have heard stories of Highland women nursing piglets, but I had never seen it myself. This woman was interesting. Not only did she keep two piglets in her shirt, she also spoke to the clouds. As we rode along in the back of the truck with our ponchos wrapped around us protecting our half mashed strawberries, this pig woman was throwing her arms in the air pushing the clouds away (similar to the ‘raise the roof’ move). She was spitting some chant in her local dialect which made seem even more magical.
The entire week was spectacular if not magical. I felt like I had a true experience of Chimbu culture complete with mountains, waterfalls, pigs, coffee, strawberries and tribal customs.
1 comment:
Thank you, Charley, for the lovely story of your mountain adventures. And yes, please keep on blogging more regularly. You are such a great writer!!
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