Where there's smoke...

I said in an earlier post that we're in the dry season, which also means the windy season, and I mentioned how the wind brought dust with it. Well, it also brings smoke. There are fires burning all the time in Papua New Guinea and you can always smell the smoke. Some days are worse than others.

They are used to clear out the underbrush by the farmers in order to prepare the land for planting. Nothing is growing right now, in fact all the vegetation around Port Moresby is turning brown, so the farmers are getting ready to plant when the rains return.

At first glance, this picture isn't anything special, but when I took a closer look, I noticed something interesting. It shows 3 very different aspects to life in PNG. In the foreground, at the bottom of the picture, you can see Harbour City. This is the newest part of Port Moresby and it's where Lori and I live. Even the ground is new. It's all reclaimed land and there is lots of construction going on. Condos, office buildings, retail and restaurants are all going up. Most of the people living here are ex-pats.

Behind Harbour City, in the middle of the picture is Hanuabada village. It's the largest Motu village in PNG. The Motu are the people who live on the coast. This village is full of regular houses, they are just happen to be built on stilts above the water. It's a very traditional village that's been there for years.

In the top half of the picture are the highlands, with smaller villages and wantoks. Most are subsistence farmers, meaning they only grow what they need to survive. Every village has it's own language, which is why Papua New Guinea is one of the most culturally diverse countries on earth.

Anyway, I was just trying to show the smoke, but I managed to get a little more.

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