Alotau is the capital of Milne Bay Province in the southeastern part of the island nation. Papua New Guinea is the third largest island country in the world, encompassing almost 180,000 square miles and home to almost 9 million people. With over 1000 cultural groups, 800 languages, and the home of still undocumented species of plants and animals, this nation is diverse in every possible way. Nearly 40% of the population live in rural areas, in ‘traditional” or “customary” social groupings and don’t necessarily participate in the cash economy. Those who become skilled at hunting, farming and fishing garner a great deal of respect. The people of Papua New Guinea are considered melanesian which comes from the Greek melas (black) and nesoi (Islands). In Malay, the word Papua means frizzy haired. For all their diversity, Papuans are still described by their physical traits. In Alotau, they jokingly call themselves “size 28” because they are small in stature.
Madeleine is a youth core volunteer and we spent the morning together. Alotau is a docking port, and primarily a working port. Alotau is not a tourist Mecca. When you exit your ship, you’re in town and it’s a 30 minute walk to the market. There is a grocery store, a coconut processing plant, a bank, and two market areas. The craft market is set out for tourists when the cruise ships are in town, and the covered market is for locals. There are good swimming beaches 20 km outside of town that are reachable by taxi, and diving and snorkeling are popular activities.There are oral traditions involving dance, storytelling, music, costume and art. The kundu drum sets the beat of the nation and dance expresses everything from historic reenactments to celebrations and ceremonies. It is really hot. Bring water, and wear sunscreen. Locals are so interested in the tourists and are eager to engage. They are not begging, though they do need money. English is widely spoken and they were as interested in us as we were in them. On our walk, we stopped at the Milne Bay War Memorial commemorating the first defeat on land of the Japanese which turned the tide in the Pacific theater during World War II. The poem about Fuzzy Fuzzy Angels Day is a tribute by an Australian to the many indigenous people who helped the allies along the Kokoda Trail during the war.
Roger, a minister of culture was so eager to share his people’s dance tradition. I felt very fortunate to sit with them, hear about their costumes and their dances.
Combined with mustard fruit and lime powder (coral dust), the betel nut is chewed to provide a mild high. The calcium in the lime when combined with saliva, turns the mouth bright red and you’ll see red “buai” spit on the streets. Chewing the nut used to be reserved for elders during traditional ceremonies, but it is now eaten by almost everyone, including children. Because of this, the nation has the highest incidence of oral cancer in the world.
We were in Alotau on a Thursday and I was amazed by how many children I saw. Education is not compulsory Elementary school is tuition free, but students must pass tests and pay tuition to attend more than 8 years of school. Illiteracy is a problem - predominantly for women. While we found Papua New Guinea to be one of the economically poorest nations we’ve visited, it is also one of the richest culturally. I hope that as we visit the most foreign of countries, we remember why we’re there. We want to see, learn and understand. In order to do that, we must engage. We can’t look through a window and see how people live, buy Chinese imports and think we’ve connected with a culture, or walk past people and understand their plight. Though Madeleine is a volunteer, I was grateful for her friendship, and paid her for spending her morning with me. I also gave friendship bracelets to many of the kids who caught my attention, and hope that as we go to the most remote parts of the earth, we make friends of the new people we meet, leave behind something of ourselves so that we are ambassadors for the next visitor and take something away that shows that we value their humanity and culture.
Milne Bay Paradise Experiences is a registered Tour Operator in Alotau and specializes in cultural experiences. For a deeply discounted offer on a day tour ($80 (instead of the normal rate of $140 - that's a deal) send an email to milnebayparadiseexperience@gmail.com and tell them Well Travelled Life sent you! :
DONAWALO WATERFALL PICNIC and CULTURAL VILLAGE EXPERIENCES .
Quick tour of Alotau, craft market and Gurney Airport.
✓Waterfall picnic
Bush rainforest walk and Birdwatching
✓Traditional Cultural performance
✓Local Cuisine and stories.
✓String band music plus many more.
Or
BEACH SIDE PICNIC.
$80 adults and $30 kids
Activities Includes
✓Kayaking
✓Swimming, snorkeling and diving at the reef
✓Mangrove walking/observation.
✓Food organically grown cooked on fire with fish.
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