Merry Christmas !!

Management & Satff of PNG Explorers Internatioanl express Big "Thank You !!" for your support in 2009 and we wish you all a Happy Christmas &
a prosperious New Year 2010.

New Restaurant Open at Gateway Hotel

After a long construction period, work is almost completed at Gateway Hotel.
One of the latest features is the new "Wild Orchid Restaurant", which replaces the old "Ani Ani Brassiere". The new Restaurant is much spacious, brighter and comfortable.
If you come to Port Moresby, please try a Wild Orchid Restaurant.

Season for Flower

Port Moresby is starting to rain these days, and becoming greener and greener.
Colourful flowers have good contract with the green back ground and decorate the town with Red & Yellow. This is the start of flower season in Papua New Guinea.

Home-grown Aibika for Dinner

Yesterday, we have harvested the Aibika leaves from our home garden.

Some of you have never heard "Aibika". It is a green leafy vegetable common in South Pacific countries. It goes very well with chicken & other meat and a "Must" ingredients for coastal people of Papua New Guinea.
I did not know that Aibika flower looks like Hibiscus, because nobody awaits here until the plant is flowering - harvest and eat before the flower blossoms.

We cooked the Aibika with pumpkin & chicken for a Dinner.

If you are next time in Papua New Guinea, don't forget to eat Aibika.

Visit Team Eastern Highlands

Yesterday we have visited Team Eastern Highlands at Taurama Primary School outside Port Moresby and donated Rice Bags, Chicken & other food stuff on behalf of Goroka Trek & Tours.
They are here to participate in the 4th PNG National Games and are cooking their own food while staying at school dormitory.
The donation was a big surprise but much appreciated by the team members. - Hope it has filled up everybody's stomach.
Team Eastern Highlands are currently at 3rd Place after NCD & Morobe Province.

Highlands Highway Overland Tour

Highlands Highway, or Okuk Highway is definitely the nation's lifeline.
Main Export products like Gold, Tea, Coffee are transported to coastal town of Lae & Madang for export, and imported consumer goods go up the Highway.
Here is the virtual tour of Highlands Highway from Mt Hagen to Lae.

Mt Hagen at altitude of 1600m is a commercial centre in the Highlands Region.
Outside the Mt Hagen, you can see a large Tea plantation on the road side.
You will then pass the limestone country of Chimbu Province and arrive Goroka, Coffee capital of Papua New Guinea.

The Road will wind down the valley to lowland, through grassland country of Eastern Highlands.

On the way, you will encounter a breathtaking view of Yonki Hydro Dam. The Dam supplies most of the electricity in Highlands, Madang & Lae.

Further going down the mountain, you will reach Markham Valley outside of Lae.
The temperature dramatically changes from freezing 10 degree to "sweating" 30+ degree .

Travelling the Highland Highway is not as comfortable as you drive the highway in other countries. However, if you have a bit of adventurous mind, it is worth taking as you can enjoy different scenery, plants, people and culture.

If you next visit Papua New Guinea, don't miss this exiting part of the country.

Tree Kangaroo

One of the most unique, and cutest animals in Papua New Guinea is Tree Kangaroo.
As the name tells itself, it is a family member of Kangaroo, Wallaby & Koala in Australia - Marsupials. It doesn't hop much as Kangaroo & Wallaby, but is a very good tree climber.

Local people hunt the animal and eat the meat for thousand of years - many say the meat is "sweet" but I have never tried it yet...
There was sound population of Tree Kangaroo across the country, however, dramatic increase of human population and cutting down of the forest has been a great threat to the tree kangaroo these days. Thanks to the American-based NGO, first-of-its-kind Nature Conservatory was started in the remote mountains of Huon Peninsula to protect the bio-diversity in the area and particularly the Tree Kangaroo.
We also would like to support any positive action to protect the Tree Kangaroo.