Over endless jungles

Text Alexander Pototskiy
Photo Mark Barlog

- Have you ever hitch-hike* an airplane?
- Yes, we have.

Sounds silly, right? Or maybe unbelievable? Anyway, the thing is I am not trying to say that there is something extraordinary or anyone never done it before. What I am saying is it is quite possible to do such things.
If it is on a right place, a right time and you have a right reason – you really can hitch-hike even a plane!

I will show you how...

* Hitch-hike – use of any kinds of transportation without need to pay for it in the end. Both sides should be mutually agreed with it.
Transportation - car, train, ship, airplane; even cow if she like the idea or maybe your pal if you can travel on his back; anything what can bring you from one point to another.


Black hole on the map

I look at a map. What I see is a huge piece of land lost in Pacific, second biggest island in the world look like a bird. Until now there are areas which have not explored yet. Few years back a group from USA found there “Garden of Eden” - the territory which was isolated for centuries with animals not afraid of human beings.
Long before this island was colonial property of Dutch, British and Germans. When World War II hit Pacific, Japanese was there too. Island was occupied, but after the war ended, part of it was given to Australia. Later Australia claimed their independence. Another part belongs to Indonesia.

Now in 21st century you can see there in cities, people of modern era buy foods at supermarket to put it in refrigerator. From another side you can find in jungles, people of Stone Age went to hunt for some foods to survive. Some people use steel knives in daily life in kitchen, but others just does not have it, neither knives nor kitchen. Someone sleeps in his apartment, but someone else sleeps in crone of tree or in his cave.

Michael Rockefeller, a son of mayor of New York, disappeared on this island in 1961. Perhaps, he was eaten by local tribes or by alligators, but it does not proven true yet. Anyway, his body was not found. Long before this, Miklukho-Maklai, a great Russian ethnologist and a Citizen of the World, spend two years living with other tribes and become good friend of them.

There are tribes wars have place to be and conflicts between government and rebels sometimes happened. There are people fight for power and justice. Other people there fight just because it is tradition of their ancestors. There Asmats, headhunters in past, making unique wood carvings. There are Dani growing sweet potato. There is white man paying amount of green dollars for seeing something he never will see in his freak modern world where he came from.


There is population over 5 millions of people. There are over 500 kinds of birds and around 100 kinds of mammals. There few hundreds of beautiful butterflies. There are around 300 languages and dialects.

If you still does not get what this place is, I will tell you more.

Black small “Africans” inhabit this place. Actually, they are not real Africans, but history once made unforgivable mistake. Spanish gave name of New Guinea to the island, because coast of the island reminds them coast of Guinea which is in Africa. Perhaps, people of New Guinea looks like Africans from first sight too, but if you observe clearly you will spot the differences.

This is New Guinea – the island. This is Papua-New Guinea – independent country. This is Papua – province of Indonesia where we fly whole over it inside small craft which one we ever hitch-hiked.


The reason good enough

‘Where does all roads gone?’ – this is the question a lot of tourists have while staying in middle of nowhere(actually in Papua) with large backpacks and neither large maps. Yes, yes, this we are.



So, where is the road in Papua? Well, It is depends on map you holding in your hands. There can be road from Marauke to Jayapura or from Sorong to Manokwari or even from Nabire to Wamena. Sounds good huh? Forget about it! Really, just forget now! Brand expensive maps have such roads. Cheap Indonesian maps have such roads too. Reality does not have such roads.
Remember: there are NO roads in Papua. I mean the road which is more than 100 km. Papua does not have one.
Remember this and always keep in your mind!
By the way, do not forget to throw away your map. Your map is a joke which nobody like. You can buy new one and put it on the wall when you will come back from Papua.

So, if there are no roads, how to travel around Papua then?
You have few ways:

First, travel by walking. I think you will not like it because territory of Papua have a lots of deep jungles, mountains and swamps with alligators.

Second, travel by passenger ship. You can use ships of Pelni company. Good thing – it is cheap and simple. Problem – the schedules changes all the time, you can go only around coast, long time aboard.

Third, travel by airplane. Good thing – very fast. Problem – very expensive (ticket cost over USD100) and the place where you going must have airport.

Fourth, travel by hitch – hike. I mean to travel with any other kind of plane, without commercial lines. Good things – free and very exciting. Problem – success depends on how you do it.

Fifth, mixture of all ways. Good thing – it is most rational.

Anyway, I want to talk about fourth way – hitch-hike a plane. I mentioned before that you need three important elements to do it: a right place, a right time and a right reason.

Well, Barlog and I have a right reason while sitting in Nabire as we should be in Jayapura to extend our almost expired visas. From time to time our insanity and stupidity make us feel that we on the edge where nowhere to go else. Strange, but it is another ordinary day of our lives. Honestly, when it is nowhere else to go, this is the easiest moment to find a way out. Problem was we do not have enough money to buy ticket for passenger plane and we do not have enough of time to use Pelni. Soon after we realize that, such situation forced us to think about hitch-hike a plane.

If there is no choice – this is the reason good enough to try, the right reason to try. You may believe in success or you may not believe in it, but you still will go ahead with it because you do not have any other way out.

But what is about the right place and the right time?


Missioners


Long before, missioners are quite tough guys who came to Papua with their religion. They made their way through deep jungles and high mountains. Their trips definitely were not easy. Some of these folks just lost there or died of starvation. Other folks were killed or eaten by aborigines who simply do not want to accept white man’s religion. Now things are different: missioners sit in their office and not dare to enter jungles even for awhile. They do not have such courage anymore. No one have and no one needs, because man can use airplane in Papua to reach places they want.

Johan the teacher from Jesuit school where we have been staying in Nabire, was one of the missioners. He takes care of guys, the papuans who came far away from mountains holding prehistoric weapons in their hands. Those guys never seen rice before, didn’t use any close besides traditional one and they thought that it is normal to grab woman and bring them to their village. Now they wear jeans and know how to speak English. Johan teaches them. He making his own research and writing book about how local tribes adopt to modern world. It was interesting to listen to Johan, but unfortunately it did not last long. He infected with malaria and need to fly to Timika (a big city in Papua) to get some medical help. This is how things go here. If you are sick, you need hospital which can be miles and miles away. Also if you suddenly need extreme help, you can have one if you can have a flight. That is what missioners do. They provide domestic flight, because Jakarta does not do much here except war conflicts, mining business, huge gap between Muslim and Christian communities. Missioners do not do any business.

So this is the thing: if there are a lot of flights except commercial flight, this is the right place I am talking about. People there can simply accept the idea of hitch-hike. One of those places is definitely Papua. That is why we try.

So, what is it about the right time then?


Smooth things

Small aircraft stay in front of MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) office. Perhaps, airplane does not seem to fly soon: engine section is open and there is still some work to be done.
Matt, American guy who worked there, listen to our story carefully and wished to help us. Why? Because to make things work, we explain to him everything without any lie. Only the truth about why we ask MAF to help us. You should do the same.

They do have planes, but too bad they do not have enough pilots. Not many people want to handle aircraft over those mountains in Papua.

'What are you doing here?' – we ask him
'I really love planes. I know how to fly, but I prefer to repair it than be in a skies. And of course Jesus want me to be here,' – that was what Matt said.

You should be ready for such things to happen. You try one craft or office – can be failure. Then you go to try another…and another…and another, until you find one. There can be a lot of reasons why you failed except people do not want to help you. What you should do is to keep trying. Finally, you will be success if you have good patience.

So, we check MAF. Later on we check some other offices and in the end of the day left only one organization – AMA.

We came to airfield where their plane just landed. We talked directly to the pilot, then to manager and then to the pilot again. Our patience gave us some results. They said we must come tomorrow and we are able to fly with them to Jayapura!

Again, what is the right time? The right time is when you have good luck. That is all.

The plane what we took have two free places inside. If we not take it, no one else will take it. This is reason why AMA allows us to fly with them. Things go smoothly for us.
That is how we hitch a plane and first plane is same like first woman – never can be forgotten. Of course I am not talking about big passengers Boeings, I am talking about little crafts which is shaking like in hell.

It was Pilatus Porter.
It was few hours flight over Papua, over endless jungles, over something we ever dream to see…

Pilatus Porter on background.

Picture was taken right after we arrived at airport of Sentani.

Author's note

A lot of people done it before, a lot of people wrote about it too.
Question is WHAT FOR?

I wrote it not because I want to show you how to save your travel money or how to stay in a budget.
I wrote it because I want to share my experience with you and I hope you will use it when you really need it.

By the way, please, don not try to hitch-hike Boeing in international airport. It will be silly, believe me. Some people tried...


See also...

Flying Machines H.O.B. GALLERY


Links

www.mkh1.ya.ru Barlog's photo collection
www.maf.org MAF in Papua
www.wikipedia.org Miklukho-Maklay in Wikipedia