http://www.gimpel.tv/ftp/charlieborman_png.m4v
(be kind this is my website, try to download it only once)
This is a 1 hour documentary airing on BBC and I think Discovery called “By Any Means”
This episode is very much a typical PNG experience. Several of the things Charlie experiences, we've experienced or know folks who have. To his credit, he's not a dummy, and picks up on things quickly. I'm hesitant to share it for fear you might get the wrong idea, but they do such a good job accurately presenting the country, that it's worthy of showing.
Warning: partial nudity and some swearing.
2:56 Lae is about 2.5 hour drive from where I live. Charlie goes right passed where we live and even picks up two high schoolers from here for his trip.
3:31 Goroka is 2 hours the other way from me.
4:36 one of the best stretches of road anywhere in the country
5:51 the peanuts are good, but all they are is garden fresh and boiled.
6:14 people only throw stones if you do something to anger them, which truck drivers often do.
11:25 This man gives an insight to the culture you don't normally hear from men regarding men vs women roles.
20:10 Tourist attraction... hehe not a lot of tourism here, but when these guys come at you (mudmen) they come pointing spears and arrows, and it's a bit awkward if you're trying to eat lunch.
14:25 we've been to a few mumus.
17:40 Daniel is a cool guy. A friend of a friend. The expat blonde kids here are friends. Luke and Brett.
18:24 I don't know where they got all this nice CLEAN new equipment, you almost NEVER see a bike that that in the highlands.
19:35 The crowd around the bikes, is common. Often times they try to high five you or throw flowers..which don't feel great passing at 60kmph.
20:00 This road is typical, however the route they're taking to Madang is not the route we typically take. We take a much more safe road when we go.
25:50 Typical of highlands culture. These men didn't do any work on the road but they own the road and want payment. I was actually surprised that they were able to negotiate not paying anything. Bribes DO cause problems for locals.
29:13 Remember all that news about our bridge out. I'm glad they included this, because the other bridge they crossed was too nice. This is more the typical bridge here in country.
33:00 We're down on the coast now. PMV's are popular everywhere, but the culture on the coast is a bit more friendly in most places. Most PMV's put english names on but they almost never make much sense. My favorite so far is "I'll be back".
34:00 This man shows us how the men view the women. The woman is telling you one of the many differences between the highlanders (where we live) and the coastal culture.
43:35 This stuff is HARD to digest. It's very thick and heavy, and sits in your stomach for a while. Much of their food is this way, but it helps you to understand the difference between food for survival and food for enjoyment.
56:48 You NEVER know when going to a village or on a trip if you're going to have to wait, if the road is washed out, if the bridge is out. Often times you have to wait or make a decision to turn back.
57:40 Don't let this concern you. Compensation is a VERY large part of the culture. This man is saying "i want you to pay me because I built a bridge over my land 30 years ago. The government needs to make a new bridge, and pay me for the right to build on my property." This is why the road infrastructure here is so sketchy, this concept of compensation. The heat building up, we ex-pats know these signs and often get out of there in case anything ocurrs. Often times though it is simply men yelling and talking and turns into nothing. Don't let this concern you.
Thanks for watching it. Charlie's experience might be very similiar to yours if you came to visit!
