Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea - general fun stuff!

[lochness]

Hi all, as a 3 year resident of Port Moresby (POM) I thought I might give a quick general insight into getting into the country (and out) and some information about Jackson's Airport (POM's equivalent to Kingsford Smith, Sydney) and other bits and pieces.

1. Air Niugini's (PX) recently updated website airniugini.com.pg do not give a huge amount of information that is helpful unless you know how to decipher it, nor at last check (about 5 minutes ago to be precise) to they have seat mapping.
2. Once Qantas began flying POM - CNS I have not flown PX again (personal choice, just had to much drama over 3 years) but I can help with who, why and how if anyone has any main questions about the.
3. Coming into the country. Don't dally! There are still only three lines, 1. POM residents/flightcrew/diplomats 2. Permanent resident/work permit holders/have visa (my queue) and 3. Need your visa. Each is normally only staffed by 1 officer (liberal term) and they are NOT in any hurry. (So far my longest stint is 68 minutes in line) There is a bathroom on this side of customs but they are generally locked and no one ever has a key so do yourself a favour and make the WC the last stop before your plane lands.

There is one duty free store, but if you missed out in OZ or such, don't bother, trust me. If you don't have any kina (local money) don't fret there is an ATM in the baggage claim area now and if that is not working, customs will lovingly allow you out of arrivals into the waiting area to get cash from that ATM (ANZ by memory, but not linked with OZ) and come back inside to pay them. Once through customs and onto baggage, if for some ungodly reason they have 'lost' (usually akin to 'stollen') your bag do not leave until they have absolutely all your details AND do not let them talk you into going to Domestic (more on that later) stand there and just keep saying the same thing about you being in International blah blah blah.

Now having said that if you were on the QF side of the PX flight (they codeshare remember) do all that and when you get to where you are going IMMEDIATELY ring QF baggage (or in my case I got onto QFF and they normally dealt with it) and explain that the guys at Jacksons have no idea what they are on about and get QF to follow up from OZ. Simple yet effective.

Once through customs and bag check (they now have an actual scanning machine and love to use it, the rest of the time it is still by hand), you are into the smelly freedom of the arrivals area - don't get excited she ain't pretty! If you are a first timer DO NOT leave unless there is someone there to pick you up (there are really no taxi's in town any expat would use and no public transport for expats. I do know of two sanctioned taxi companies but you will need to pre order and they normally only work via invoicing, no cash and no cards). If you have to go to domestic, find a guard and make them physically walk you down to the domestic terminal unless you are in a group of three or more. Sounds stupid but I can assure you many an unsuspecting expat has found themselves in trouble on that short, flat, straight walk.

And you're off! Well done you made it into the paradise that is PNG, land of the lost, home of over 800 languages, fab coffee, stinky nationals, corrupt Pollies, potholes, trade winds and a load more fab stuff.

You're in town, now what?

1. Depends how long you are here and what you are doing, one would hope that you have either work connections or family/friends to guide you around, Moresby isn't the sort of place to 'la-de-dah' or 'amble' around without a bloody good reason and even then I wouldn't do it. NO WALKING, it's just not worth it. Nine times out of ten you will 'probably' be fine, BUT in this joint when ya ain't, ya ain't! In car's, doors locked, windows up. It is just the way it is. Car jackings are a normal everyday, all day, occurence, at round abouts, sitting in traffic, stuck in traffic in town, driving up the highway and being stopped by fake police, everywhere. Factory made weaponery has become the norm along with their home made jobs (more danergous due to the nature of making 'firing' instruments from trees) the only good thing about the factory jobs is once the little buggers have bought the black market gun they normally can't afford the bullets but I am not stopping to check that little requirement, are you!
2. There are some great restaurants in town, some of which look like you would die of salmonella just entering, but they are normally the best ones to eat in (let me know if you want some tips)
3. Local travel (via PX or APNG) is always such an exciting times in PNG, it's kind of like the lottery but you're not sure whether you are about to be conscripted or win cash, both have their pro's and con's I might add. Domestic travel is to put it bluntly spiggin hopeless. The majority of times (to date for me at least 89%) the flights can be either,

A) late/delayed for no reason and good luck finding someone to tell you why or if you are actually going and if so when
B) Rescheduled and you won't be told, I have arrived at regional airports twice, one time over an hour early to be told the flight has gone, yes MY FLIGHT, or the complete opposite, arrived on time and checked in with ticket to then work out (because there was no plane) that they had 'rescheduled' that day and I would be going 4 or 5 hours later, cheers for the warning (note to selves, the concept of 'exec' lounges in PNG is NOT what you think) and most regional airports don't have one.
C) or finally. Just not show up.

If you do have a little spare time, PNG is an absolutey magnificent place, the people truly are a wonderful culture to behold and will bend over backwards to accomoodate you when and if they can (POM is different as there is 90% unemployment and the nationals are desperate - I would be too). I've been pretty lucky since being here and seen, Madang, Goroka, Lae, Tari, Kavieng, Tufi, Alotau and various areas of POM and can give you decent enough info on all if you want any knowledge on them. Tufi Dive resort is probably my favorite place as it is easy to get to (45 mins via plane) and incredibly isolated with plane or boat being the only access routes. It sits on top of some of the only troical fjords in the world and it simply breath taking, great fishing, diving, relaxing, drinking, eating, ahhhhhh it's all good.

Leaving, either you regional airport to get to POM or getting out of POM .........

1. Go early and I mean early, check in and go away again if you like. There have been many an occassion that we will go to the airport at 7:30 to check in for a 14:30 flight and if you are there in busy times (normally anything to do with school holidays) when you get onboard (and again DO NOT DALLY) sit in your seat and do not move, I'm serious. This also goes for domestic flights. Then by chance - and it happens regularly - that Mr Smith or Mrs Smith comes to your seat shows his or her ticket and says and I quote "I'm sorry but I think you are in my seat" and you hold up your ticket with the same seat number and letter and answer with "No apologies necessary as this is my seat!!!" I promise you the 'first-in-best-dressed' thing works every time. I know, I have done it once and have had numerous friends who have been on the good end and bad end of that little scenario. POM's not so bad, but when you want to get out of stinky ol' Lae or somewhere whose concept of 'airport' is round open hut with buai spit everywhere, be there first.
2. POM customs is normally fine, takes some time but it is cleaner and newer than arrivals, okay well slightly but everything 'slightly' in POM is fabulous. Now probably the only thing you have to watch (and i just simply find it annoying because it drives me to usless 'but the law states' is) when you get into departure - after customs and such - do not buy any water to take onboard. There is a final bag search as you show your passport and ticket and they take it off you. Yes, yes I know 'but we've been through customs' I hear you cry. Don't matter sucker, we got you good and proper. And no, for heavens sake they don't throw your purchases out, they drink them later. Ahhh PNG where would we be without you.

Right'o'then, there is a heap more I can tell you but I am sure to have bored you silly if you got this far. The bottom line is simply this, go early, take you patience hat (not your water though), a fabulous sense of humour and know this one fact. You are 100% going to know more than most of these guys, so this is one time in your life that you can play the 'hhhhmmmm, that can not possibly be right' card, cause it normally isn't..

Most importantly, have fun, we do.

 

[anzen]

Wow, what an amazing story, I hung onto every word. I may have to visit PNG later this year on business and have been wondering what it is like.

I will probably have to stay in Port Moresby, and I am not sure whether I should be excited or worried!

Where are you based now?

 

[tuapekastar]

Nice detailed and informative post lochness! PNG is not high on my destination list but that is useful info should I end up there.

 

[lochness]

We are still here in Moresby, don't hesitate to contact me if you need anything at all. Moresby is cool, just stay relaxed and have fun.

 

[donellex]

Gee, you make it sound as bad as Los Angeles.

If you can get into J Class then you get through the arrival mess a lot quicker but make sure your bags are tagged with the all important priority tags otherwise you will lose out waiting for your bags.

 

[paul d]

You are so right about your own security in Moresby , having done Kokoda a couple of times and obviously using Moresby as the base i cannot stress the importance of being picked up from the airport and being delivered to a "compound " (Hotel) with armed guards on the entrance .It is that bad .
I really did not find too much to get excited about apart from believe it or not ... the Sailing Club is a great and safe destination , good food good wine , good security , good air con .

 

[rotator101]

Some additional comments for domestic flights:

Option D: flight can and will leave early, if pilot wants to go and they got in early. It does happen, in Lae, about 10% of the time; especially on the early morning flight. If you are in a holding room, like the G4S security room, you will not be able to hear the announcements; so keep checking the general terminal area.

If you are travelling domestic out of POM, then domestic check-in with PX can be frustrating; as there is one check-in agent for each flight, with 1-2 lines of people; and they don't get help from other agents until 30 minutes before the flight goes. You can get there too early and have to wait for them to clear out current flights. Just hover around and keep a watch for someone to come out and hang a paper telling you which line will checkin your flight #. It can and will get worse as it gets closer to the holidays; when they run ads in the newspapers telling you to allow 2-3 hours for checkin. If you are travelling international and transiting to domestic, always make use of transit check-in in the international terminal; then you just have to clear security in domestic terminal. By the way, domestic departure lounge is nicer than you'd expect from seeing the general check in areas in domestic terminal.

Other domestic terminals can be very small or you are checking in at dedicated building/hangar for APNG or PX.

If you are going to Mt Hagen, Banz Kofi (right by the airport but you need a ride) has a wonderful coffee shop now open until 4 pm. Absolutely delicious coffee and snacks; best food in town now.

One last note on early departures for international Air Niugini flights; it's always fun to fly out on Sunday mornings. Depending on how the staff spent Saturday night, we've been know to wait on boarding because all flight attendants have not yet reported to work, or the club room is not able to open because of lack of staff. Access to clear customs and security usually doesn't open until close to 5 am; so you will sit around for a while if you check in at 4 to 4:30 am.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Nice post.

On the intl ATM front, there is now an ATM adjacent to the customs queue (on the left as you face customs: installed about 8 months ago) so if needing visa on demand money there's generally no need to use the ATM by the baggage carousel any more.

Just wondering what dramas you've had between POM intl and dom?. Have not heard of any problems between the two. The car parks, of course, are a different matter but even the international car park has better security since they installed security guards.

On the 767 routes, seat maps are available on expert flyer and its ilk, however seat preselection seemed pretty pointless - all the 767s are mapped differently and PX loves arbitrary last minute changes. In my last 6 months there (jan-jul) I got the seat I preselected thru QF website about 20% of the time. They don't pass this on to QF a lot of the time and often QF and PX will show a different seat map for the same flight. And of course if you're not there early your preselected seat will have been handed to someone's mate/someone important looking or persistent etc. Etc.

Cheers skip

 

[ozimax]

Great read, many thanks.

I have travelled to PNG several times doing missionary work. Indeed, it is a country full of paradoxes. POM is the filthiest airport imaginable, and it is (always) chaotic, but that's the way it is. You have to take the
good with the bad.

I usually ride around PNG with a ute full of nationals, so I always feel safe. If you are traveling on your own though, definitely utilize security.

As for the coffee? World class.

 

[QF WP]

I'm glad that my client (a long term expat) that lives there comes down to BNE from time to time (when he can). I'd probably stay with him and his wife in their compound if I needed to stay over.

They have a boat to go diving & fishing - a good reason to stay.

 

[ozimax]

I've often stated that PNG might be the world's premier tourism destination, if it wasn't for the endemic corruption and crime.
It really is one of the most astonishing places on earth.

Corruption, bribery, theft, murder, payback et al is a way of life up there. Sadly, I can't see it changing.

 

[rotator101]

I haven't heard of any actual incidents between International and Domestic terminals.

We use G4S security and they will not let me walk between the terminals. They actually call a vehicle and drive me between the two. I was planning on walking with them as an escort, but that hasn't happened.

I don't see the problem; it is just the usual people waiting for meeting arrivals outside; and the crowds thin out in the afternoons ...

 

[Sprucegoose]

Thnxs, Great introduction.

There is always a flip side to a place. Embrace the mayhem!!

The rules on security are the same for everywhere.

I bought an SAS handbook on common situations, really handy guide. Hope you can get your hands on one if you travel alot.

 

[yo yo ma]

I haven't heard of any actual incidents between International and Domestic terminals.

We use G4S security and they will not let me walk between the terminals. They actually call a vehicle and drive me between the two. I was planning on walking with them as an escort, but that hasn't happened.

I don't see the problem; it is just the usual people waiting for meeting arrivals outside; and the crowds thin out in the afternoons ...

Agree... I have been walking between terminals on a monthly basis for 6 years and have never had an incident. We used to get the courtsey bus up to the Airways bar but don't have enough time now they increased the flight schedules.

 

[drron]

My experience of POM goes back just over 40 years.After finishing my final medical exams I travelled to the Solomons via POM.November 1969 I stayed at the Salvation army hostel in Koki.I would catch the bus into town.I thought it funny that every time i did one of the locals would have a reason to go into town as well.Even more surprisingly whatever they had to do always saw them catching the same bus as me back to Koki.
I returned from the Solomons in December.I have described the flight before on an FJ HS748.I was the only pax,it was my birthday and an open bar was declared.
On arrival in POM I came down the stairs with an FA on each arm as the band started playing "God save the Queen".They were expecting the Australian GG.Soon realised I was not he.On that occasion I stayed with a friend of my father in the Dept of Works compound on Koki hill.They were horrified when i said I would catch the bus into town.I was sent with a car and driver.The driver(local) was amused as when we walked around town nearly everyone came up and shook my hand and talk to the"boss man who catch im bus"
It was a total contrast to Honiara where then the British were benign dictators and i could walk home from the movies late at night having a talk to the High Commissioner.Unfortunately independence has not made it a better place.