outback to jungle

Musings on experiences of volunteering in Papua New Guinea with some gratuitous domestic social and public comment

Thursday, June 08, 2006

my mate R tells the story

of his being approached recently by a shady character who shuffled stealthily up to him all the while looking nervously over his shoulder as though on the lookout for mafia, rascols, or police. "Psst, he tells R, I've got some gold. Good quality. I can let you have it for a fair price." Robert's riposte was a beauty - "Psst, he tells him. Don't tell anyone he says as he leans even further in to the man. Yeah the man says as R grabbed his attention. "You're looking at the poorest wait man in Lae. I'm a volunteer. Got liklik money." Blokes like R and myself travel around Lae on the PMVs because it is part of the experience we came here for. Besides we can't afford to buy a car but why would we want to? I've got a car back in Australia. If I wanted to travel by car and not meet anyone I could do that back home. There are times when it would be convenient to have a car just as there are times when it would be convenient for the nationals to have a car but we don't have one so we learn to live without. The PMVs stop running at sundown so that more or less traps us within the confines of the Uni but we've got friends who take us to Rotary or the yoti or occasional shopping. Mostly I do my shopping after Church on a Sunday. PS. Rascols here are not good natured cheeky layabouts. They are serious criminals.

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