Mr Beem's Asian Journal
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from Lae to Madang (Papua New Guinea) |
January 17th 2003
I’m finally on my way. This trip from conception to execution has taken nearly a year to organise. Admittedly most of that time was spent waiting on things to fall into place, buy the bike, sell the car, buy the units, put up the website, organise some sponsors, do the shake down trips, learn to type, things like that.
But here I am, riding along the Okuk highway with my whole new world around me, everything that I will need for the next couple of years. The bike feels a little light in the front end, but nothing to worry about. On the back I have the two BMW panniers slightly modified, the right-hand one has a medical kit, a tent, a stove, and the cooking utensil. The left has tools; a 12 volt air compressor, spare inner tubes, a can of that spray in tyre repair stuff, chain lube, spark plugs, spare globes and the complete range of cable ties. In the top box directly behind me is a sleeping bag and siting on top of that is my Toshiba laptop and on top of that some sweat shirts and a jumper, packed in on every side of that is a pair of thongs (for the feet not the beach) a pair of boat shoes and all kinds of knick-knacks documents and manual. Then on the seat behind me is a rucksack with my cloths and toiletries. On top of that is a sleeping mat and a multi-purpose tarp which acts as a bike cover, a ground sheet, or an extra fly sheet. In front of me on top of the tank-looking thing is a tank bag, in that are a couple of passports, a couple of cameras, a leatherman, a Swiss army knife, some sun block and my wet weather gear….. with this I propose to take on the world and win.
So there I am riding along I have already stopped in to say some final good byes to some old friends and I start to think ‘this is it I am finally doing it' after talking about it and explaining it to friends and complete strangers alike. I am now doing it (Nikki would be proud) and as I ride further out past the airport I start to think about Lae and all the things and people that I will miss and I realise that I never really liked Lae, it has no real heart, its character has been overwhelmed with barbed wire and security grills. I did a bumper sticker campaign a couple of years back ‘I love (heart) Lae’ it was hugely successful I sold thousands, there was one on the car in front of me at that moment. But the bottom line is that very few people love Lae and me probably least of all. However I couldn’t say the same about the people that I had meet during my four years there. I had acquired a wonderfully diverse group of individuals that I have the privilege to call friends, and those I no doubt would miss dearly. But this trip was what I had set my heart on and it has, at last, begun.
The first part of the Highway as it meanders up the Markham valley is fairly unremarkable, mostly open grassland studded with Rain trees (do you know why they are called Rain trees, because when it rains, or is about to rain the leafs turn perpendicular and allow the rain to fall right next to the trunk, that’s interesting isn’t it), well apart from the grass and the rain trees there is not too much to see and what’s more the highway is in reasonably good condition apart from the odd pothole so you can concentrate on a good riding style and a bit of defensive driving. Which is a good thing to do because once you leave the valley floor and start to head over the mountains your life may depend on these things. Millions have been spent on this road over the past three years, which is hard to believe when you see the condition and lack of maintenance; whole sections of the road have taken off down the side off the various hills. That’s hard to believe when you think about what has been spent but the criminal negligence of not put up signs to alert motorist is nothing short of lunacy. You come around a bend and your whole side of the road has disappeared and there’s a ten-foot drop. Let me tell you that will focus you concentration in a hurry. This isn’t just one or two places; this is five or six, none with so much as a stick in the ground to alert the driver.
Anyway against all the odds I made it as far as Madang that first day. I only had one little mishap along the way where I got bogged up to the engine pan in mud. I went across a river ford, the water was moving fairly fast but that was no real drama, there was a big muddy hole on the far side of the crossing which was full of dirty water, so I thought I’ll just nip around the outside edge and keep the bike clean, needless to say that didn’t work. I get on the ferry tomorrow and head up to Vanimo and then over the border to Indonesia, I hope I can get in. The Consul at the Embassy gave me a letter to tell everyone that I am a really good bloke and they should take good care of me, at least that what the English version says. I don't read Indonesian so I have no idea what their copy is all about but I hope that it is roughly the same.
Below is a picture of the bike stuck in the mud on the MAIN road from Lae to Madang, it took eight people to get it out - lots of puffing and panting. I am overjoyed that the trip has actually started and that I am actually doing it, it's been a long time coming.
