We hit the safety jackpot in Papua New Guinea

Parliament detail

PNG Parliament House

We’ve always known that Port Moresby is a tough town, but we had no idea how extremely dangerous it is until we got there.

For many ex-patriot employees, a condition of service is that they agree NEVER to take a taxi or other public transport. If they get caught doing so, they will be sent home.

Walking anywhere is also discouraged, and many even have to agree NEVER to drive in certain parts of town. Their cars are fitted with tracking devices that let an employer know if they have violated the agreement.

If people are wary of their surroundings when driving, they can call for an escort vehicle. In fact, they are expected to call for an escort at night, regardless of whether they feel concerned. That happened when we stayed several nights with Tam at the end of our trip.

Rascals (criminals) don’t care if you’re a foreigner or Papau New Guinean. They want your money, your car, your mobile phone, your shoes, even your life if you don’t cooperate. The week before we arrived in PNG, a local teenager was stabbed to death in the market because he refused to give up his mobile phone.

The guide breaks the rules and takes a picture of us inside Parliament House’s main chmaber

So there we were in Port Moresby and other parts of Papua New Guinea for almost three weeks.

When you have no car and are discouraged from walking or taking any form of public transport, your immediate thought is ‘we’re stranded’, but Poor John is a lateral thinker and tackled the problem with flair.

He asked Jo, with whom we stayed for the first few nights, what was the biggest tourist hotel in town. Surely, he said, they must have a taxi driver they trust and rely on.

So Jo called the Ela Beach Hotel and, without hesitation, the staff recommended Mr Lucas and passed on his phone number. We called and arranged to meet him the next day in the hotel’s carpark.

Jo’s nanny walked us down to the hotel. It was a less than two kilometres away and the walk is considered ‘safe enough’ if done in daytime and with an escort. We made it just fine.

When we arrived, another limo driver tried to pass himself off as Mr Lucas, but I asked a couple of questions that confirmed he was an impostor. Nice try, but fail.

And then came Mr Lucas, who was perfect—big, burly, honest, knowledgeable, calm, cheerful, friendly, a good driver and a victim himself of three car attacks.

Over the next several days, Mr Lucas drove us to all the touristic sights. He came and went as required (keeping in touch by mobile phone), and filled us in about his city and his native highlands.

Totems in the PNG museum

Thanks to Mr Lucas we saw Parliament House, the botanic gardens, an orchid garden, a nature park, the war cemetery and the national museum. I’ll write about most of these separately, but here’s an interior shot—taken clandestinely because photos aren’t allowed—from the museum. The displays are old but fascinating.

The amazing Mr Lucas

So here’s our call, for any transport requirements in Port Moresby, we can wholeheartedly recommend Mr Lucas. Once you are there, his direct phone number is 71 468 488. If it’s changed—unlikely unless his phone has been stolen—call the Ela Beach Hotel and ask for his number.

Jo’s nanny and her husband also escorted us through a small market, but they aren’t available for tourism. 🙂

Port Moresby market

PNG jewellery

Clothing with PNG’s symbols and colours

Safety beyond Port Moresby

While Port Moresby is probably the roughest town in Papua New Guinea, plenty of other towns are considered unsafe. Whether you’re a local or a visitor, you need to stay aware of your surroundings.

Safety was a prime concern in the highlands where we attended the Goroka Show. I’ve already written lots about the show, but I haven’t yet gone into detail on the safety precautions.

We stayed at the National Institute of Sport and the security was top-notch. The show was on the grounds attached to the institute and the whole compound was fully fenced with guards at the gates.

A large group of us walked into town on the first afternoon, stopping in a local supermarket to buy drinks and snacks on the way. We chatted with some locals and, although we were constantly on alert, we never felt in danger.

Many people walked back and forth to town and many took the free, on-demand van-service offered by the institute. For example, if we wanted to go for dinner at the Chinese restaurant, the van would drop us there and collect us at a time we nominated. On the return trip, the van had to park across the road, and the restaurant’s guard would escort us to it.

I was constantly struck by how hard the locals tried to keep us safe and, indeed, we never had any issues. Once when we planned to walk to an outside destination, the guards said they thought the crowd was too restless outside and recommended we take the van instead.

I read that one of Australia’s media correspondents was pick-pocketed while in Goroka, but none of us—we were a group of around 20—lost a thing. No doubt, other villages with local shows have similar safety systems in place.

Our other stops on the trip were at an Asaro village and three coastal villages near Tufi. I’ve already written several items about the Asaro village, and the wonderful time we had there. The mock wedding was a special event.

Tufi was equally rewarding and totally safe. In fact, there was no hint of safety issues and we walked around Tufi itself and the three villages without concerns. I’ll post more about them soon.

But for now if you are thinking of travelling to PNG, be sure to stay aware of your surroundings and follow safety advice, but don’t spend the whole time terrified and fearing for your life.

PNG canoe at the museum

PNG museum entrance