Driving in Papua New Guinea is an interesting task. I think I’ve mentioned this before. A driver (me) has to be very alert to many things. Potholes in the road cause constant braking and swerving. It is a tad unnerving to see a truck coming at you in your “lane” or side of the road, but you are hopeful that it is because he too is avoiding a pothole on his side of the road and will soon swerve back.
Obstacles include potholes, people walking on the roads, goats, pigs, dogs, bridges, missing parts of bridges (top metal disappears from bridges from time to time), roadblocks (police safety checks and other causes), and weather. To name a few. And remember, opposite side of the car, opposite lane for those readers in the United States (and the other 90% of the world).
We were driving home from Lae on the weekend when the rain began to pour. No worries I was raised in the hills, I know how to drive through hazards, I let off the gas a little, hit the headlights, and drive that much slower.
“honey, I think we need new wipers” says my lovely wife, echoing my exact sentiments.
Soon ahead of us there is a van full of nationals with one white skin in the back seat. Normally I would pass a van going much slower in front of me, but not being able to make out who this whiteskin man is, I assume the possibility that he is a neighbor of mine somewhere living on center.
It is in the midst of my thinking I should follow this van, that this man waves at us as if he knows us.
“honey, who is that?” asks my wife.
“I don’t know, does it look like Phil?” I reply.
“I’m not sure, but whoever it is, he is sure happy to see us” This she says because of his constant double handed palm out, waving at us and big smile.
I put two and two together and realize that either this is another SIL member who was out for a walk about 30 minutes off center, and got caught in the rain. He’s probably hoping we pull over and give him a ride.
I constantly drive looking for people in need, especially people I know. Before passing a car I try to recognize it or the driver, and now, this attentiveness was about to pay off for “Phil”. I wasn’t sure it was Phil but it looked like Phil through our windshield, the rain, and their rear windshield.
“Honey what is Phil doing way out here?”
So I follow this van, when suddenly it pulls over. So I pull up along side, Phil begins waving madly. So I stop. The driver, a national. Looks at me rather angrily and waves me on. Perhaps he doesn’t know Phil wants out? I wait until I can wait no longer then pass him.
Well… apparently Phil doesn’t know Tok Pisin or the driver isn’t listening and so now I assume Phil is stuck inside this van and still needs a ride. So I figure,
“okay, he’s probably paid for a ride to kainantu, which is on the way, so we’ll stop there and give him a lift the rest of the way”.
Yes following this van was very slow, and would cost us about ten extra minutes on our journey, but what is ten minutes when it comes to helping a friend?
I go slow enough so the van can keep up. Soon though, the van pulls past me, again another nasty look from the driver.
Now I’m stuck following again. I give him room so I can see the potholes, and we arrive in Kainantu after a while. We’re both looking forward to having the mystery solved of how Phil got stuck in this van.
The van slows,… is he pulling over? Yes, into a gas station. I follow.
The van stops, and out of it pile about 15 nationals. No white skins. NONE.
“honey, where’s phil?”
“that’s not Phil. That’s not even a whiteskin.”
“OOPS!”
We drive on towards Ukarumpa for a few minutes in silence until I mutter, “yup I guess you’re right, we really could use a new set of wipers.”
