When I have a dream, I rarely fail at achieving it. I’ve always been skilled at pulling strings and using that “Chris Farrell magic” to accomplish big goals. Even coming to Papua New Guinea (PNG) involved working some magic. I didn’t know until Air Niugini sent me a text just a few days before arriving that I needed a visa in advance to go to PNG, even though most sources state that you can get a visa on arrival free of charge. I rung the PNG consulate in Brisbane and they said that I need a visa in advance and that it costs $50. It meant I had to act quickly, and I had to fill out a supplementary medical form that required my signature. That meant having to get to a library with a printer and scanner. I got all my paperwork in only two days before arriving, only to find out that it takes about five business days to process. Onno, my CouchSurfing host, tried to call the immigration office in Port Moresby but PNG seems like the kind of place where you’d grow a few grey hairs waiting for anything regarding officialdom. With one day before my flight, I went to the PNG consulate in person with a smile and an impassioned plea to help get my visa approved. Julie at the consulate was extremely helpful and sent two different emails, and then told me to have a seat whilst she waited for a response. It meant she felt they were going to respond quickly, and they did! My visa was approved on the spot. With an enormous weight lifted off my chest, I was all set to go to PNG and walk the Kokoda.
After going to the KTA yesterday, my Kokoda plan was in serious jeopardy. I met a really good guide who has references and reviews, and recently started his own company. He asked me to transfer the money to his account but it was one of those Murphy’s Law moments. I couldn’t pay with a credit card and it would have been very expensive to do a cash advance. Furthermore, it’s not easily possible to withdraw money from an ATM with a credit card. What is most problematic is that today is Saturday, and the KTA is closed on weekends. I’m only in PNG for two weeks and I can’t push back my return ticket due to having planned Greece (I leave for Athens on 13 June) before planning PNG. In a last-ditch effort, I spoke with Lydia, my film director, about the possibility of using film funding to pay to walk the Kokoda. Even if she said yes, I would have had to speak to the guide because the trip would have started tomorrow (Sunday) and there was the possibility of flying to Kokoda and getting turned back due to not having a track permit. All day today I couldn’t reach the guide, and I felt deflated. My dream to walk the Kokoda is shattered…officially shattered. When I have a goal, I very rarely fail at achieving it. All day, I just wanted to cry. It literally feels like how it was before going to Antarctica, when the expedition company was reluctant to allow me to go due to being on the spectrum.
I’m in in PNG for two weeks and I’m not spending all of my time in Port Moresby. Months ago I debated whether to walk the Kokoda or climb Mt. Wilhelm, and after talking with Onno, he said I should tackle Mt. Wilhelm: the highest point in Papua New Guinea. Going to the Highlands with limited time will require flying, and domestic flights are not cheap in PNG. With nothing else I could do I called in at the yacht club for an SP lager. The view looks straight out of Airlie Beach.
As I sat with an expat, he told me that people in Moresby drive their car to travel 300 metres but I've always found that silly. It reminds me of friends I know in LA who drive their car to go to places within the same shopping centre. I was also told that if Kokoda isn't possible, that Mt. Wilhelm is a great Plan B. Just outside I got silly with some traditionally dressed Highlanders.
Despite what a couple of expats told me, I walked from the yacht club to downtown. Moresby looks like just about any other capital from this angle.
Ela Beach is where I strolled along next. There were quite a few locals swimming and relaxing today.
Onno gave me instructions to get home, as I had to take two different PMVs. The driver will normally wait around until the PMV is full but I was the first passenger in the vehicle, and then a big fight started breaking out and it involved knives and broken glass. The driver basically plowed through the crowd and then didn't charge me the one kina fare. I wonder if, because I'm a foreigner, the driver would have felt responsible had I been hurt due to street violence. Safe at home I was ready for a long nap, but there was a big election rally in the field just outside. I had missed it, but a big fight had broken out in the field. Onno told me that fights happen more often during election times.
I tried calling the Kokoda guide one final time this evening, but both of his phones were switched off. It's one of those rare times that I really feel defeated. Sadly, my dream to walk the Kokoda Track is shattered, but I promise to not allow my entire journey to PNG go to waste. I'm on my way to the Highlands.
