October 29, 2025 • 48 mins
Four kilometres from Australia, Papua New Guinea is our closest, and also our least explored neighbour. As PNG celebrates the 50th anniversary of independence from Australia, Australian musician and composer David Bridie talks about his connection with PNG, which spans four decades.
A founding member of Not Drowning, Waving, David first visited PNG in 1986; he is now an initiated Tolai man, returning more than 40 times, for work and to visit friends who've become family in Rabaul, Bougainville and Manus Island, as documented in the film Abebe; see davidbridie.com
Come for the fishing, diving and birdwatching, stay for the incredible, varied cultures, some only first touched by contact with the outside world in our lifetimes.
Also, the places you need to be going in 2026, thanks to trendsetters Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel in 2026 and for our tip this week, how to stop hackers targeting you on holiday, thanks to Saily SIM cards. See lonelyplanet.com/best-in-travel and saily.com
Finally, Kirstie checks into the Hotel Indigo Melbourne Little Collins, and we're both hoovering up Hong Kong classics at Atlas Dining in South Yarra. See https://ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels/ and atlasdining.com.au
David's recommendations include:
Baia Sportfishing baiafishingpng.com
Walindi dive resort, Kimba walindiresort.com
Kumal Lodge (birdwatching) facebook.com/kumullodge989/
Visit us at https://theworldawaits.au
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:02):
Welcome to the World Awaits.
Travel tales to inspire yourwonder mask.
Welcome back to the Wilderwaits.
How are you?
Oh, how has your week been,Kirsty?
SPEAKER_00 (00:12):
Oh my god, such a good week.
I was fortunate to stay at thenewly opened Hotel Indigo
Melbourne Little Collins.
So the hotel has such a greatvibe and it's in an amazing
location, right near thegorgeous block place with its
European-style cafes.
And it's part of this new JewelHotel project that took eight
years to come to life.
(00:33):
And it's now home to HotelIndigo and also the Holiday Inn.
So you go in via Little Collinsand it's it's just very
discreet, um, you know, to getin there and you go up a little
lift and it opens up to just asea of vibrant blue, which is
was uh designed that way as anod to Melbourne's blue street
size.
SPEAKER_01 (00:52):
Yeah, super cute.
It but it's all part of thelarger Melbourne walk
development right beside Mecca.
So um, which I which I think isjust fascinating because it's
actually created a new laneway.
What did you think of it,Kirsty?
SPEAKER_00 (01:04):
Yeah, loved the location.
It's such a great location andit has a really luxurious feel
to it.
So, but it's just really supercool, so not sort of stuffy.
So this is the thing about whenyou go and stay in hotels, you
just get the vibe, right?
It's just such a great way tokind of get a sense of it.
And I I just loved it.
I felt it felt reallycomfortable, but really
luxurious.
We stayed in a suite that hadthis huge terrace.
(01:26):
So uh you could easily fit like20 people on it.
That's how big it was.
Um, and um, so you go into theroom, and then um it's it's such
a beautiful room, massive umbathroom with um uh walk and
wardrobe, and you can sort ofit's got a doors that you can
sort of slide it off because youknow who wants to have an open
toilet in their in their suite,and then you walk in through
(01:48):
past past the bed, and there's alittle sitting area with a
beautiful luxurious sort ofarmchair, and then you go
outside to this terrace, and youcan just sit out there and you
know, have a vino and watch theuh the beautiful lights come on
on the city skyscrapers, and itwas it's so pretty and so
(02:09):
lovely.
Uh so yeah, you got everythingin there that you need, you
know, all your amenities andeverything.
And um then we had dinner at therestaurant called Fern.
It's led by Daryl Hand, and it'sa modern Melbourne dining
concept, and the food was just,I have to say, the food was
really exceptional.
Uh I had and a really nicefeeling in there too.
(02:32):
Again, all the blues everywhere,um, beautiful design, very
luxury feel to it.
I had uh black and white sesameprawn toast with Yara Valley
caviar to die for.
And then I had, as a main, I hadbarramundi with cauliflower
cream and skull island prawns.
(02:53):
And for breakfast, the greatthing about breakfast is they do
have a beautiful little buffet,but you don't have to just have
the buffet.
There's a la carte available aswell.
So um, and and of course, lotsof amazing places to dine around
there.
So, yeah, I loved the hotel.
I would absolutely go back againin the heartbeat, and I would
recommend it.
Um, and also this week I hadanother exceptional dining
(03:14):
experience.
So um, yeah, in in Melbourne.
So that was Atlas Dining inSouth Yara.
So we were both there, Belle andI, and this one's run by head
chef and owner CharlieCarrington.
And the concept here's alwaysbeen that he has a changing menu
every few months.
It's kind of what he's famedfor.
So we but when we were there, wehad a taste of Hong Kong and um
(03:35):
Belle was there too.
And oh my god, how good was thatfood, Belle?
SPEAKER_01 (03:39):
It was so delicious.
Um, yeah, I thought that wasinteresting.
Charlie said that you know, theconcept of the food is like so
if he goes traveling in, I don'tknow, uh, Kyrgyzstan, he's gonna
cook a Kyrgyzstan menu.
But he hadn't, um, he's actuallybeen to Hong Kong about nine
times, and he said he hadn'tdone a Hong Kong menu yet, but
he he said it was one of hiseasiest because Hong Kong food
(04:00):
is is one of his favorites.
And I have to say, he brought itall the tea smoked duck, yum,
the wagyu beef, oh my goodness,was that clay pot rice?
We were like animals.
We kept saying, I'm so full, I'mso full.
What in between?
Absolutely stuffing our faces.
We were just hoovering it up,and I absolutely loved the
(04:23):
frozen mango that was pressedinto the shape of a moon cake
because honestly, when by thetime dessert came round, I was
like, Oh, I'm so full.
I can't eat a whole, you know,very solid moon cake, but it was
a it was a frozen mango and itwas just delicious.
So we absolutely hooveredeverything.
I think Atlas is a reallyinteresting Atlas dining is a
really interesting place to goto.
SPEAKER_00 (04:44):
Yeah, totally, absolutely was.
And that food was justexceptional.
And um, the French champagnewasn't too bad either.
SPEAKER_01 (04:52):
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, it you know, it justreminded me about how good Hong
Kong is.
We're going to travel there allthe time, either staying, either
going to Hong Kong itself in itsown right or as a transit
stop-off.
And um, it really is the mostexceptional city for eating.
Did you know, Kirsty?
Fun fact, that there are 79restaurants in Hong Kong with
(05:13):
Michelin star ratings.
And that's going, that's goingfrom literally on the street
eating, because the streeteating is phenomenal, right up
to those stratospheric absolutewallet busters.
It is an exceptional food scene.
And hopefully we're going tohave a bit more on it and give
you a where to eat list in thecoming weeks.
SPEAKER_00 (05:33):
Yeah, and I love that how you you find these um
Michelin-starred uh restaurantsas um just street food eateries,
because how how cool is that?
I mean, you don't have to havepay an absolute fortune to have
that sort of experience.
Right.
Well, this week we are actuallychatting about Lonely Planet's
best place to travel in 2026.
So every year, Lonely Planet'steam of writers and editors come
(05:55):
up with the 25 must-visitdestinations and 25 essential
experiences around the globe.
This is so cool.
So it's um expert predictions ofwhat you should be doing for the
year ahead.
SPEAKER_01 (06:09):
I do love this list.
Um, it's always fascinatingbecause you see, if you have
been traveling to those placesor you know, it suddenly opens
up new areas.
Um, some of them are feel likefavourites though for 2026, at
least for Australians, becauseSouth Australia's Ikara Flinders
Rangers are named in the TopPlaces Hot list.
And also you've got Melbourne'sfood scenes on there, yay, as
(06:32):
we've just been saying.
And Victoria's Bathing Trail isalso included in the 2026 Top
Experiences Hot list.
So, as you might have noticed,you can barely turn around
without heating a bathhouse.
But the jewels really arecentered around, like Victoria's
very lucky in this sense becauseof its geothermal waters that
are uh subterranean, so andthey're heated below the crust.
(06:55):
And then so when they come up,we've got this delicious, really
healthful water.
And it was all really kickedoff, I think, by the OG, which
just happened springs in centralVictoria.
And then the minute thepeninsula hot springs on the
Mornington Peninsula refined it.
So I did add Albert to thatlist, which is right across the
road, and that taps into thatsame aquifer that the peninsula
hot springs shares.
(07:16):
And if you're on the Great OceanRoad, the Deep Blue Hotel in
Wardenbull, which has hotsprings on its property.
SPEAKER_00 (07:22):
Yeah, and keep an eye out for the Phillip Island
um new hot springs that areopening soon, apparently.
They the the date does keepmoving a little bit.
Um, I'm also not surprised thatthe Flinders is there because um
I was there a while back and wedid the Arkaboo walk where you
walk about 24,000-ish steps orabout 10 to 15 Ks a day, and um,
(07:43):
which doesn't sound like a lot,but oh my gosh, you know, it's
hilly and really steep to thepoint where, you know, so in
some of it, we were literallycrawling up um cliffs, uh, the
side of cliffs on our hands andum with our hands.
Um and but the highlight has tobe, of course, that view of the
17 kilometer Wolpina Pound,which is just remarkable.
(08:04):
And the sheer scale of it, youjust it's one of those things in
life that you just have to seeto really believe.
So others on the list of the 25best destinations where Flinders
came in fourth were Botswana,which topped the list, and that
was followed by Peru.
SPEAKER_01 (08:21):
Oh, you know, I love Peru.
Um, I I travelled through thereon train and not just any train,
I was on uh the Hirin Bingham,which is Belmont's luxury train
that takes you from Cushco up toMachu Picchu.
Um, I remember the bar on theway down, like every on the way
up, everyone was reallystressing about the altitude.
On the way down, the band wasplaying in the bar car and
(08:43):
everybody danced all the wayback to Cushco.
It was fantastic.
And then, and also the AndeanExplorer, which goes from the
white city of Arequipa,absolutely, like it is the most
beautiful city in Peru, to umacross to Lake Titicaca and then
to Cushco, which is when you youknow then jump off to go to
Machu Picchu.
On that list as well is Jeju onthe um in South Korea, beloved
(09:07):
by honeymooners.
And fifth on the list is anotherplace very close to my heart,
which is Cadiz in southernSpain, um, which is there with
uh Liberdad in Sao Paulo inBrazil.
Look, if you have haven't beento Cadiz, it is just the most
magnificent Andalusian city onthe southerly tip of Spain.
Literally, throw a pebble andyou'll just about hit Morocco.
(09:28):
So, unlike its neighbourSeville, which so many of us
have been to, it's not really onthe trail for international
tourists.
But the Spaniards love Cadiz.
They love it and they love ithard.
And with really good reasonbecause it's a beautiful coastal
city.
It's got a fantastic ice creamscene, which I have to say,
Spanish ice cream, yum yum.
(09:49):
Um this the tapa there is thetapas is fabulous seafood tapas,
and there's loads and loads ofhistory.
Possibly the most famous site isthe Cape of Trafalgar, which is
where the bound what we know asthe Battle of Trafalgar actually
took place offshore here in1805.
It's funny that it's alwaysassociated, I think in my head
(10:10):
anyway, with London andTrafalgar Square and Horatio
Nelson, who defeated the Frenchand the Spanish fleets, naval
fleets, actually here insouthern Spain.
So Cadiz, put it in the world.
SPEAKER_00 (10:20):
I need to go, yes, I need to go there.
Um and sixth on the list wasSardinia.
So anyone who's listened to thepodcast would know that my love
of Sardinia.
So we cycled for about 210kilometres around the south um a
year ago, and it was so quiet.
And uh it's actually thelocation of uh one of the newest
blue zones, which is a placecalled Toluda, which we cycled
(10:43):
through as well.
And that's blue zones are theplaces where people live the
longest and healthiest lives.
And you can see why, becausethis the way they live is just
really back to basics.
Everything's grown on the land.
Uh, it's a really slow pace oflife, good, strong sense of
community.
And when you cycle throughthere, there's just, you know,
stunning everything fromstunning Mediterranean beaches
(11:04):
to medieval villages andvineyards and gorgeous, quaint
little towns.
And we ended at the town ofPula, which is my favourite,
favorite um little town in, Ithink, at the moment in Italy.
I mean, oh my gosh, this this umgorgeous little, quaint little
town with um beautifulrestaurants and um really easily
(11:25):
walkable and and cycle, you cancycle around there too.
So I am I'm just dying to goback there.
I might have to um yeah, makeanother make another plan to go
back there.
Maybe I'll go to Spain first andthen Sardinia.
SPEAKER_01 (11:37):
You can absolutely do that.
I would thoroughly recommendSouthern Spain.
It's um yeah, just phenomenal.
So uh also on the top 10 list,Dunisia.
I am super pleased to report tosee it there because I think
it's one of those places thatjust you know is constantly
overlooked.
And I do love North Africa.
I was there in March, so Iconsider myself ahead of the
trend.
(11:57):
And look, I think it's totallyworth it for the Mediterranean
beaches.
But for me, it was the oases inthe Sahara and the cave hotels.
If you had to stay in one place,I would make it Doriat Jeep,
which is in Tatooine.
If you skip back to episode 96,you can hear all about um my
adventures through this littlegorgeous country, which I invest
which I visited with in traffictravel.
(12:19):
And the top experiences in thatin the experiences, the top two
were hiking and wild camping inTajikistan and going on a
cultural food tour through oldDubai.
I'm um I'm actually a bit bummedthat when I was in Central Asia
in um uh in Turkmenistan and uhKazakhstan and Uzbekistan, of
(12:40):
course, Tajikistan is probablythe least loved little sister of
the five stands.
So it's really it's reallyinteresting.
It's one of those, you know,Lonely Planet likes to put some
wild cards in there, and I thinkthat that is one of it as well.
Um and the cultural food tourthrough old Dubai is is great
because it blows the myth thatDubai is just all about glitz.
(13:01):
You know, it's a it's a citythat has a fascinating history
and traditions from people thatwere until recently nomadic.
And I mean, uh uh Dubai and AbuDhabi have amazing international
food scenes, but this lets yougo, you know, you don't have to
be eating at all of the Michelinstar restaurants.
You do actually eat on thestreet.
And the street food in Dubai isfantastic and it's super varied.
(13:23):
So what do you think?
What do you think of Dubai,Kirsty?
SPEAKER_00 (13:26):
Yeah, I love it.
It's great.
It's uh yeah, I absolutely lovedit.
I love Dubai and I love the umold town wandering through there
and yeah, the juxtaposition ofof the old and the new obviously
is just what makes it um reallyfascinating.
So yeah, no, I loved it.
Also stay in a train carriage atKruger National Park, South
Africa, and spend the night in arear cun in Japan.
(13:48):
I've done that last one.
Oh my god, amazing experience.
We stayed in one at the top ofthe Ear Valley, which is uh in
Shikoku Island.
So it was amazing.
It felt like we were on the topof a mountain, which we probably
weren't, but um it is verymountainous, obviously, that
valley, and so pretty, juststunning.
Um, and it's such a great way tofeel connected to the culture in
(14:09):
a really genuine way.
So we yeah, that I loved it.
SPEAKER_01 (14:12):
And also on that list of experiences, you could
track desert elephants inNamibia.
I'm so here for that.
Look for Jaguars in the wetlandsof Iberia in Argentina, or watch
a Flying Cholitas match, whichis between um professional
female wrestlers in Bolivia.
So we will put a link to thefull list in the show notes.
(14:44):
This week, my guest is musicianDavid Brighty, who is the
founder of uh the world musicgroup Not Drowning Waving.
He first went to Papua NewGuinea as a 24-year-old, and he
has returned more than 40 times.
SPEAKER_00 (14:57):
Amazing.
He sounds fascinating, Del.
So, um, I mean, obviously you'dwant to interview him, but what
uh what specifically made youwant to have a chat now?
SPEAKER_01 (15:06):
Well, I was actually interviewing him for Paradise,
which is Air New Guinea'sInflight magazine, because it's
the 50th anniversary of theindependence of PG from
Australia.
So when David first went to PG,he met a musician called George
Telec.
And in 1990, they collaboratedon the on their first album,
Tabaran.
So, fast forward to today, heand Telec, now Sir George, were
(15:29):
asked to perform that their thatalbum for the 50th anniversary
celebrations.
And when they startedrehearsing, everybody started
adding their own bits and piecesand basically created a whole
new album which they havereleased called Malira.
So David's talking to us aboutum, you know, those those times
that he has experienced in PNGrecording with local musicians,
(15:50):
and he's actually been uhinitiated into a tribe in PNG.
It's absolutely fascinating totake a listen.
David, welcome to the show.
We're so excited to have you onthe world away.
SPEAKER_02 (16:02):
Wonderful to be here.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (16:04):
Now I have to start off right at the top with your
connections with PG.
When most Australian kids weregoing to London or the US in the
eighties for their year abroad,you went to Papua New Guinea,
and I'm wondering what made youchoose our closest neighbour,
but also in the other sense, ourmost remote?
SPEAKER_02 (16:24):
I think, yeah, look, because it was our closest
neighbour, but so different frommy life in the suburbs of
Melbourne.
It was a sort of so played inband Not Drowning Waving.
Mark Wirth was a filmmaker whosefather was in the Navy in Manis
Island, uh the naval base upthere.
So Mark spent the first 15 yearsof his there in Papua New
Guinea.
He would regale me with talesabout adventures in Papua New
(16:46):
Guinea, and that enthralled me.
I thought that sounds like sucha fantastic place.
I even remember as a kid havinga Jacarand or Atlas, and at the
back it had this section offlora and fauna from Papua New
Guinea, and it just grabbed myattention as being, wow, this
would be an amazing place to go.
I was aware of the connectionthat Australia had both with the
war and colonial history andwith the Kieps.
(17:09):
So I thought, well, let's overthere England and America can
wait until later.
SPEAKER_01 (17:15):
And how old were you when you first started
travelling there?
And when you got off that plane,what was your first impressions
of PNG?
SPEAKER_02 (17:23):
It was 24 when I first went to PNG, and we
arrived in Port Moresby and hadthis wild first night drinking
duty-free gin on Ella Beach.
Uh, and we also were stayingright near.
There was a rugby league game.
Football ground was in Barocco,so we stayed there and we that
was all happening.
It was a Sunday afternoon, Ithink.
The next morning we flew up toWewac and went and stayed at
(17:45):
this guest house run by thiseccentric German man named Ralph
Stuttgart, and then we went downto the Seapik River the next
morning.
So I was 24, this is 1986.
And so, you know, with my firsttrip overseas, I was in this
village on the Seapik Riverwithin a day and a half.
I was just fantastic.
Lots of mosquitoes.
But the river, I mean, theSeapik's this mighty, you know,
(18:06):
it's like the Nile or the Amazonor the Mississippi.
It's this big Aqua Highway, andso many villages along there,
and the artwork was astonishingin these big house tamarans.
I was there with a few friends,and all of us were just gorking
at everything because everythingwas new, every smell, every
sound, every visual, both anactual world and the people and
(18:29):
the dwellings.
I was in a constant state ofamazement.
SPEAKER_01 (18:33):
And it's also a really remote so much of it is
really inaccessible now.
But in the 80s as well,especially places like the
Seepik River, are almostinaccessible even today.
How did people receive you whenyou first started travelling in
PNG?
SPEAKER_02 (18:48):
Oh, they were like Papua New Guinean people,
Melanesian people in general,are really hospitable.
And we were just young kids, sopeople were really nice.
Sometimes people think it'sweird.
We were sleeping in these oldnuns rooms on wooden slats or on
a concrete floor.
It was pretty spartan and wewere making it up as we went
along.
But I think what we found is ifyou stayed in a place for a
(19:10):
little bit longer and you got toknow people, the hospitality
really came out.
People were quite going anywherefor one night, it's kind of oh,
one day or something,everything's new and you're not
sure what's going on and theydon't know what to make of you.
We were young, so and of course,you know, later on, after many,
many trips, sometimes, you know,when you had more money you can
stay.
There's some wonderful hotelaccommodation and and resorts
(19:33):
and uh which is kind of aneasier way of doing it.
But I I that first trip, we wentto the Seapick, caught a boat
from Wewak to Medang, woke up inthe morning, and Manham Island
was kind of it was the volcanicvolcano so that was smoking, and
then we're in Madang for awhile, then went up to Manus and
started Ponham Island there.
Heard Garamot drumming anddancing, then went to Kviang and
(19:57):
caught a track on the back of acopra truck down the Bulaminsky
Highway to Nam Namat and I wentover to Rabao.
That's where I met GeorgeTelleck, the singer, at Pacific
God Studios.
Hung out with him for a few daysand the studio for a bit, and
that cemented the reason whyI've kept going back to this
day, 40 years later.
But even then I'd fallen in lovewith the place.
Some bits were so gobsmackinglybeautiful, and other bits were
(20:20):
hard.
It was a very different world,but I found it really opened my
awareness about the world andthinking about things
differently.
And inspiring.
So I yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (20:30):
Yeah, a 40-year relationship with the country,
and so in depth.
I mean, since that time, you'vecreated incredible musical
connections with George Talak,who you just played with in
Melbourne recently for the 50thanniversary, because also you
were travelling in PG, what itwas only 10 years or so after it
had become a country that wasindependent from Australia at
that time.
SPEAKER_02 (20:51):
There it was quite interesting.
I've been doing some music for acouple of the documentaries that
were about the 50th, the amazingcelebration that was the 50th
year.
We were there just 10 yearsafter those black and white
shots of Michael Samari andGough Whitlam and those amazing
scenes around that time.
He's changed a lot since thatfirst time we were there.
(21:12):
It's been an incredibletrajectory for such a young
country.
SPEAKER_01 (21:16):
Well, I wanted to ask you how many times have you
returned in that last 40 years?
And what is it that keepsdrawing you back?
Is it the food?
Is it the scenery?
Uh clearly music is integral toit.
So do you go back every gear?
SPEAKER_02 (21:30):
Yeah, I've gone back pretty much I reckon I've been
there 40 45 times or somethingsince that first time.
So once or twice a year.
And sometimes I'm going becauseI've got some really interesting
work stuff, whether, you know,be recording with George, some
film soundtrack work, producingthings we're doing with the
OneTook Music Foundation.
Sometimes I go up because I'vegot friends there, friends that
have become almost like family,especially in Rabaul, but also
(21:54):
in Bougainville and Manis.
And some of the people I metwhen I was there the first time.
Some of them may have passed on,but their kids I'm really close
with because you just thatconstant relationship with so I
feel really blessed to uh andthat's part of the uh uh
attraction to go back.
But I think Papua New Guinea andalso the Solomons of Benamwatu
(22:17):
have this natural beauty aboutthem.
Village life, grassroots life inPapua New Guinea, I find quite
amazing.
It's resilient.
People are eating food from thesame gardens that their
ancestors going back howevermany thousand years still eat
from.
So if you're into diving orbushwalking or butterflies, or
(22:41):
if you're a volcanologist, or ifyou're into music, or if you're
into carvings, if you're intostorytelling, if you're into
history, Papua New Guinea, uh ththese parts of the world have
such fascination and suchmagnetism about them.
It's not for everyone, but Ialways try to encourage young
(23:02):
Australian people to go there,whether on a holiday or if to do
some work, uh volunteer, or ifyou're a lawyer, if you're a
person who works in health, ifyou work in sports, you know,
whatever.
Australian Papua New Guinea havethis amazing link, and I um I've
there might be a couple whoregret it, but out of 198, we go
(23:25):
out.
SPEAKER_01 (23:25):
Wouldn't it be great to revisit those emotions as as
a young person and think, whatam I doing here?
How did I end up here?
And hopefully, how did I get solucky that first place that you
travel?
What a great experience thatwould be.
Hindsight would be lovely.
So you've said that PNG'schanged a lot.
How has it changed?
SPEAKER_02 (23:44):
When I first went there, some parts of the
Highlands had only real youknow, maybe 30 years that
they've been exposed to theoutside world.
So they've gone through thewhole of the Industrial
Revolution in that.
I remember meeting twoHighlanders who were selling
some beads and some carvingsoutside a hotel where I was
staying.
I got talking with them, andwhen they were born, when they
(24:06):
were there was this old man, andwhen he he lived the first 25
years of his life before firstcontact, that was an astonishing
conversation.
It just blew my mind.
This man and his wife, what theyhad seen and what they had lived
to was astonishing.
I laughed about it because thatwas their thing.
So the Highlands was, you know,was and still is this
(24:27):
fascinating part of the worldthat has only had that first
quite a recent contact, which isless, you know, in the towns,
the towns are all established.
Hagen Goroka and uh Warburg.
But phones have had a bigdifference there.
Papua Nigeri's become moreconfident all the time.
In phones, I'm saying and phoneshave got a good thing.
Communication works really wellwith the one-took system.
(24:50):
Sometimes it means that somelanguages are diluting because
of the phone, the influence of,as we all know, the internet
exposing some of the best andthe worst things in the world.
And it does tend to homogenisethings.
One thing I find fascinatingabout Papua New Guinea is the
uniqueness of the number oflanguages, a number of different
cultural groups.
Moresby Moresby is like this bigmodern city with all this wealth
(25:12):
and the Stanley Hotel and thehighways and everything was
quite this metropolis.
But the gap between rich andpoor is quite strong.
There's a dissonance there.
So that's not the good side ofit, but but the good side is
look at the confidence in thearea that I'm OF with.
The m music scene is creatingits own sound, it's getting
(25:33):
really confident.
Access to equipment and gear isa lot better now.
And I think that confidence insound, that confidence is
something that applies to somany aspects of Papua New Guinea
life.
The intelligence and the abilityof the best doctors, lawyers,
and writers in Papua New Guineahas grown much larger than what
(25:54):
it was at first because theopportunity wasn't there.
I mean, it's a longconversation, Belinda, about the
changes in that 50 years.
And it's a fascinatingconversation to have with Papua
New Guineans themselves.
I mean, they're alwaysfascinating to talk about,
talking to an older person aboutwhat changes they've seen in
(26:14):
their lifetime.
SPEAKER_01 (26:15):
Absolutely.
And then when you travel around,do you find that it's more
accessible?
I mean, you know, clearly I meanit's had its own airline for
those 50 years, always flyingline of sight, and that's a
whole different story.
But just their access would havedifferent parts of PNG opened up
or have they actually closeddown since your ship travelling.
SPEAKER_02 (26:37):
I do know that as of two months ago, the road from
the Highlands down to Moresbyconnected through.
And that was always somethingthat was fascinating that the
capital was separated from theHighlands and the North Coast.
SPEAKER_01 (26:50):
Long driving road trips are out then for the
Wells.
SPEAKER_02 (26:54):
I mean, because of the Owen Stanley Rangers being
so, you know, and the amountscome out of nowhere.
That's why the Kokoda Trail isso phenomenal, because it's like
going up and then down and it'squite rugged.
And that spine goes all throughthe centre of uh Papua New
Guinea and over into West Papuaas well.
Transport I think is uh Yeah,no, I don't it's not necessarily
that there are roads, I know theroad from Rabao to Kimby is
(27:17):
there that used to never be.
But even still, the road and theamount of rain, and of course
it's a young countrygeologically, all the earth
trimmers kind of wreck the road,so it's sometimes still easier
to go by boat.
SPEAKER_01 (27:30):
Is that how you travel around?
Do you fly between yourdestinations or do you find
yourself doing boat trips?
SPEAKER_02 (27:36):
On boat trips for some smaller things.
If you're in Lorangau and Manisand going out to BP on the west
coast, the only way to do it isby boat.
That's fantastic.
I love being on boats.
I love being on the back of acoconut truck or in the back of
a ute.
You can sit in the back of a uteon a country road around Rabaul,
and Australia'd be against thelaw, but that's the wind in you.
(27:57):
You gotta be you know pale skin,you gotta be careful you don't
get sunburned.
Because with the volcaniceruptions, you end up getting
covered in dust and everything.
But uh it's great sitting on theback of a ute with a eight
people and everyone's talking.
It's a nice community thing.
The wind in your hair, andyou're seeing all the natural
beauty in villages because ofthe climate, obviously.
Everyone's out it's an outdoorlife, but villages on the roads
(28:21):
or on the Seapik River andstuff, there are people
everywhere.
There's villages everywhere, andyou're just watching life go by
as people are outside a lot.
Yeah, I mean New Guinea's neverhad an accident.
And it flies in some of the mostdifficult terrain.
If you ever get a chance to goon some of the smaller
aeroplanes that go to moreremote destinations, they're
(28:44):
fantastic air trips as well.
SPEAKER_01 (28:47):
I I do love a small aircraft.
I think there's something soexciting about them.
PG, you know, it's never reallytaken off as a destination for
Australians, but every country'sgot certain things that appeal
to certain people.
I mean, what sort of travellerwould p PNG appeal to most?
SPEAKER_02 (29:03):
If you're into fishing, you'd go, if you'd go,
because it's got the best of,you know, world's best practice
for those two things.
And there are a number of, youknow, what's the place about is
it biologs in West New Britain?
It's great for fishing, and uhKimbe dive resort there in West
New Britain's fantastic.
Bird watchers would love it,yeah.
So that you know, in that what'sthe place up in Enger?
(29:26):
I think it's called CummelLodge, or where you get to see
Bird of Birds of Paradise.
And there's a little place I'vespin off New Island, just a
little island called theListenung Resort.
So people go there for surfingor for uh diving.
I mean, I I'm not a diver, but Ilove snorkeling.
And uh snorkeling is my place.
I actually my partner and I justcame back from the Solomon
(29:47):
Islands where we went tosnorkeling and it did.
But yes, in PNG there's lots ofplaces like that.
So there's that kind of marketfor it.
SPEAKER_01 (29:55):
And on events as well, because a lot of those
tours uh that you go Uh, builtaround PG's festival scene.
So you've got that whole singsing across the highlands, which
I understand was a construct.
It was a way to createrelationships between tribes
that otherwise might not be onthe best of terms.
So they could showcase theirmusic, their costumes, their
(30:16):
customs.
Uh have you, I mean, you know,as a as somebody who's been
embedded in the PG music scene,have you spent much time going
to festivals or sing scenes?
SPEAKER_02 (30:27):
I've been to the festival, which I think happens
every year in August.
I thoroughly recommend that.
The one in Hagen and Garoka, thebig Highlands festivals, they're
quite big.
Anger's a bit smaller, butamazing.
Similar kind of thing, just awhole lot of groups coming and
there's a little bit ofcompetition and trying to outdo
each other.
Face paint and the beads and thedecoration and these haunting,
(30:49):
haunting songs.
That's quite something.
In Rabao, they have the MaskFestival, which the Tolo
Wawagira, which is that's kindthat's got Uno activities,
ancestral activities like danceand music, but it also has bands
playing at night.
It goes until 11 o'clock atnight.
I played there once with Telek,and that's a really
family-friendly great festivalthat happens there.
(31:10):
That's in July, I think.
With all these festivals, it'sworth checking out because they
sometimes shift from uh year toyear.
The Hiri Mawali Festival inMooresby.
There's apparently a good myfavourite musicians in Papua New
Guinea, Richard Moggle, has beeninvolved in festival in Millen
Bay, and it was his place.
That was a couple of months ago.
So that's just started thisyear.
(31:30):
The Bougainville ChocolateFestival in October is
fantastic.
That's got music and a lot ofthose cow bands.
I think there's a crocodile artsfestival that happens all the
time.
These festivals for eachprovince or each marketplace,
they're becoming a bigger thing,and everyone's dreaming of
wanting them to be a place tobring in people to give
opportunity for their artists.
But they all try to set it up asmuch as they can to be friendly
(31:54):
to outsiders.
They're worth heading to forsure.
SPEAKER_01 (31:57):
I had recently spoken to a new shark calling
festival, which was happening inNew Britain, which just sounded
incredible.
It's got ancestor connections.
It's the capture in sharks, theyfast beforehand and believe and
the shark comes to the personand basically sacrifices itself
to the village.
I just thought this is soundocumented when you look for
(32:19):
it.
So many things have gotthousands of years of history,
but then they're also writtenabout for the past thousands of
years, and with so littledocumentation outside it.
And I think you've got a passionabout that as well, haven't you?
About documenting music rhythms,instruments from PG.
SPEAKER_02 (32:34):
Yeah, no, the shark for I think New Island was where
it is on the west coast there,yes.
SPEAKER_01 (32:38):
Sorry, you're right, New Island.
SPEAKER_02 (32:39):
They've got these fire dances.
When people ask me as amusician, because you get asked
this all the time in interviews,what's the best rock concert
you've ever seen?
And I always say bindings firedance because those rhythms were
as guttural and loud, and thevisuals and went from six
o'clock until six in themorning, and the light show of
the fire and these people.
(33:00):
I mean, the bindings masks areincredible.
And they're running through thisfire.
It was just like and there's noone of the things you just keep
your ear and eye out for andthis practice is so vital and
unique.
And maybe that this conversationgets back to how things are
changing.
Some of the songs being sung bythe old people, the younger ones
are not necessarily learningthem.
(33:23):
So there's a big push to try torecord these songs.
But these people are gettingolder, and even in the space of
40 years, the language haschanged quickly.
I'm sure some things that werepracticed in 1880 or 1890 at
first contact times, many ofthose songs will have been lost,
some of those instruments willhave been lost.
Papua Guinea has culturallythose songs like diamonds, you
(33:46):
know, those songs, those masksand those dances, is still a lot
there, but as the worldmodernizes, that they're the
things that are in danger ofbeing lost.
So I'm I'm quite passionate, asare a lot of Papua New Guinean
sound engineers and artists, torecord these songs, archive
them, and make sure all theinformation about them is
documented, even to record themand perform them and stuff,
(34:08):
because that keeps them alive.
SPEAKER_01 (34:10):
Are tourists then helping or hindering this
process when we come in to a youknow an almost pristine
environment?
Are we protecting it or are webringing in our own influences
to their detriment?
SPEAKER_02 (34:25):
Oh, I don't think tourism is a level in PNG, and
it probably won't ever be atthat level where that's in
danger of wiping things out likeit is in some other countries
where there's this massiveinflux.
SPEAKER_01 (34:40):
Not even like that reggae scene that's happening
down in Port Moresvie at themoment, which is very different
to what some of the traditional.
SPEAKER_02 (34:48):
Yeah, the reggae and hip-hop stuff that's happening
there.
It's at the black culture, so II kind of get why that's
attractive to Papua New Guineanmusicians and some of the better
exponents I've alreadyintroducing some of their
traditional elements into thismusic, into the reggae or the
hip-hop, but talk about thingsthat are endangering traditional
practices, a lot of other stuffbrought in by Australians and
(35:12):
British and German people backin the 1870s that have far
exceed the kind of musicalcorruption that might have
occurred.
There are still some musicalpractices that exist that in PNG
quite a lot that have theselinks back hundreds of thousands
of years.
I mean, many parts of Papua NewGuinea have what the rest of the
world's lost and is yearningfor.
(35:33):
That connection to itsenvironment, the knowledge and
the artistic practice that theirancestors had is something that
the West has lost.
Hopefully, there are some goodpeople in Papua New Guinea who
are fighting to retain thesethings.
But there's also, you know, theappeal of the dollar and
unscrupulous practice by somepeople's kind of but that's a
(35:57):
fight that goes on everywhere.
But I look at I hope they do winthat fight because Peace still
has things that I know you know,sometimes you're up there and
you're sitting on an island andyou're going, This is the best
that the world has to offer.
And that's what Peace still has,many of those places in the
highlands, on the coral reefs,on the islands.
SPEAKER_01 (36:19):
Oh, that's a beautiful way to wrap up a
gorgeous country.
Look, the question I have to askyou in super travelly here, the
question that everybody asksabout PNG is is it safe to
travel there?
SPEAKER_02 (36:31):
Precaution is needed in PNG because of the poverty.
I've been to Papua New Guinea alot and I'm my exposure to crime
(36:53):
has been very minuscule.
But I'm male and I'm six foottall.
I know a lot of women who workup in Papua New Guinea now and
they love it.
Locals will look after them.
I think one of the reasons why Ihaven't seen as much crime is
because I'm hanging with myPapua New Guinean friends.
(37:13):
People everywhere when they'redrunk.
Dangerous, that's the same asbeing in King Street in
Melbourne.
I wouldn't go there at twoo'clock in the morning because
it's dangerous.
I don't trust.
To go to a country that has thatgrassroots and that life in the
roar and all the wonderfulthings that PG has, you know,
the flip side of that, there isthat element of risk.
(37:36):
But I feel sad when I hear ofpeople who go to and they just
stay in their hotels the time,or people who are working there
and live in gated communitiesbecause they're missing out on
the best parts.
One of the exchanges now is youfind on Sunday afternoons
families are out everywhere.
They go to church in the morningand they're having a picnic
somewhere or they're down to thebeach swimming.
This community-family vibe isquite strong.
(37:56):
There are a lot more musicconcerts in Port Moresby than
there used to be.
And there people turn up andthey're great, you know.
Again, don't have your wallethanging out of your pocket or
don't, you know, don't leaveyour phone on a table.
It's the same, yeah.
It's the dignity of risk and theslight risk of going to PNG is
bad.
How so many people don't have togo to PD and everybody's warning
(38:18):
them before they go aboutcareful of this, careful of
that.
SPEAKER_01 (38:22):
The final question, which I'll knock down before I
get over elsewhere, is the finalquestion we ask, well, our guest
is what is your most bizarretravel experience?
And it doesn't have to be PNG,it can be anywhere in the world.
SPEAKER_02 (38:35):
Oh no, look, we'll stick to PG because you know the
uh the cliche is the land of theunexpected and it's well earned.
I go to this funeral once thatwas on an island in the Trobian
Islands called Tawema, and itwas a full moon.
And one thing I found in inPapua New Guinea, when you're in
the village, if when you're in aplace that doesn't have
(38:56):
electricity, when there is afull moon, it's a very different
day because people are up allnight, they take advantage of
it, and you've got this light.
And um so this the Paramountsheep had died, and so uh we
were there for this big ceremonyfor his for his passing.
(39:17):
But it was the happiest funeralI've ever been to in my life.
There was music, there wasdancing, there was laughing,
chickens going off, people hadbeen swimming at three o'clock
in the morning.
And it was just wild.
It was just wild.
It was like um it was like itwas a celebration of the old
man's life, but it was all itwas all like he'd passed on all
(39:38):
the knights to those behind him.
They were just reallycelebrating it, and it was it
was just uh and people in theTrobrian Islands are quite
small, and their houses thatthey sleep in are really small.
I think at about three o'clockin the morning, my partner and I
were just they said, Oh, look,you know, do you want to go to
bed and went and lie down?
And my feet are like stickingoutside of the house by about a
(40:01):
foot and a half.
Um people are drinking kind ofthis Yahwa, this sort of
banana-infused kind of liquorthat you had to go kind of
careful on, uh, eating food outof banana leaves.
And um, I got very, very littlesleep that night, but it was
just um it was just quiteamazing.
(40:22):
I was it was quite amazing.
But the the you know, when I sawthat question, there's so many
ways, you know.
I was with a a friend whostarted arguing with these
people who were trying to hitgrease him for a road tax in the
Highlands, and he lost his callwith them.
And I thought, oh, this is notgoing to end well for any of us.
(40:43):
And we ended up having sittingon the side of the road, having
a cup of tea with them, and youknow, people giving each other
hugs and stuff.
It was like, you know, uh the 20minutes before I thought, you
know, what we're gone for here.
But yeah, I love that Tawemastory because I I have pictures
in my head of, you know,moonlight through, you know,
palm trees and um through thecool ale trees and uh and just
(41:06):
and the string band mu thestring band music.
And there was there was thisgirl who's so string bands uh
halfway through the song, thisgirl would come in with these
impossibly high harmonies, likeshe's just belting out, and they
are higher than I've ever heardanyone sing, and it was
something really joyous aboutit.
So that'll be that's my umthat'll be my bizarre, my wild
(41:29):
experience in PNG.
SPEAKER_01 (41:30):
Troband Islands.
So you've wrapped it upbeautifully on bizarre
experiences.
David, thank you so much forjoining us on The World Awakes.
It's been an absolute joy todisappear for a brief moment to
PNG with you.
SPEAKER_02 (41:42):
Thanks, Bunya.
I really appreciate that.
Thanks.
SPEAKER_00 (41:46):
That was musician David Brighty of Not Drowning
Waving, talking about histravels in Papua New Guinea.
And we'll put a link to hiswebsite and those incredible
musical collaborations in theshow notes.
SPEAKER_01 (42:00):
You're listening to The World Awaits.
Subscribe through our website atthewordawaits.au So we've got
five great tips about how toprotect your devices on vacation
from eSIM provider.
Say me about staying smart andtaking precautions so that you
have got secure mobileconnectivity.
(42:21):
And a lot of people don'trealise that their hotel rooms
rooms can be compromised asabsolute hotspots for digital
threats.
So when you are reclining by thepool, your personal data and
device could be at threat.
SPEAKER_00 (42:35):
So uh one of the uh main reasons actually, or main
um, you know, causes of this isactually the hotel Wi-Fi.
So you need to make sure thatyou protect your connection.
So um, while it's convenient,it's not obviously always the
easiest, you know, the safestplace because it's one of the
easiest gateways for hackers.
So they can actually just get inpretty easily and exploit the
(42:56):
network and um and stealwhatever information they want
for your Wi-Fi.
So the tip is always confirmthat, make sure it's the correct
network name with the hotelstaff, and even better avoid
public Wi-Fi.
So make sure you're actuallyusing specific hotel Wi-Fi and
that it's got a secure um, youknow, and affordable internet
access.
SPEAKER_01 (43:15):
The next tip, um, which is from Salie, is use uh
is is using USB charging ports.
They suggest sticking to thesocket.
So USB ports in hotel rooms, um,you know, often you'll see them
above the power um the powerareas.
They are fantastic forinternational travelers, but
they aren't always safe.
(43:36):
So um the ports can be modifiedand um so that malware is
actually transferred to yourphone via the USB cable.
So it's allowing hackers to, youknow, get in, check your
passwords, your credit card,your location.
So the way around this is to useyour own charger, plug it
directly into the power socketinstead of using the USB outlet.
(43:56):
And other ways for extraprotection, you could even
travel with USB data blocker orum a portable power blank bank
instead of charging from thewall.
SPEAKER_00 (44:06):
Yeah, and this is one that people might not um
think about too much.
But smart TVs.
So smart TVs in the hot hotelrooms are often equipped with
you know cameras and mics andand the like.
And um, and so therefore they'resometimes poorly secured.
So hackers can actually get intothem.
This is scary.
Hackers getting into them and umare eavesdropping and watching
(44:26):
and capturing your logindetails.
So um, and it always doessurprise me sometimes.
Quite often you go to hotels andyou see someone's login
information still in, still inthe system.
Uh, and I often think, gosh, youknow, I mean, I I personally
don't do that.
And uh not because I didn't, um,not because I thought that
someone was eavesdropping, butum, I don't know, it does just
sort of feel like you are justputting yourself up at risk,
(44:48):
really, particularly becauseobviously with these smart TVs,
like they're saying.
So the way around it is to, likeI said, don't sort of log into
these apps using your ownpersonal accounts and unplug the
TV when it's not in use.
And also they even suggest to goas far as covering the camera.
SPEAKER_01 (45:04):
That's really interesting because I was
watching a um, you know, anAirbnb, uh, uh, an influencer
couple in Perth that had found acamera in their in their Airbnb.
So it was even more brazen thanthat.
It wasn't embedded into the TV,which is what they're talking
about.
Um, but it was just sittingthere, and of course they
checked out and reported it toAirbnb.
I um, you know, I never use thelike, you know, Netflix, I never
(45:27):
put my Netflix details in onlybecause I can never remember my
passwords.
So, but you know, sometimes youkind of you go, oh, I can't
remember my password.
I'll just click on and then Isee that the last person is um
already is still logged in.
So the thing is too, if you goand watch, you know, some little
rom com and and they're allabout crime, you are totally
(45:49):
going to ruin their algorithm aswell.
So that's always a funny one toum to to think of when you're
logging into somebody else'saccount.
Um another word, another thingto keep an eye out for are
automatic connections.
So most smartphones um you knoware set to c to automatically
(46:09):
connect to known Wi-Fi networks,but um devices can reconnect
without you noticing, even whenyou're not in the room.
So what they suggest is turningoff the auto-connect for Wi-Fi
and Bluetooth and making surethat you've got your firewalls
or your or your VPNs up in, youknow, making sure that your
security apps are up to date andthat they are able to launch
(46:30):
automatically if you do connectto public networks.
SPEAKER_00 (46:34):
And the last one is about cyber criminal groups,
like they actually name onecalled Dark Hotel, who've
apparently been known to targethigh-profile travelers at luxury
hotels.
And they have campaigns throughemails where they can um, where
if you click on the link, Imean, this is obvious, right?
We're all we're we're all knownnot to click on suspicious links
on our phones and our in our andour emails.
(46:56):
But they're saying that this isum becoming really advanced with
these cyber groups, that they'reactually um going in and and um
sending emails that are reallyconvincing and highly
personalized, so that you doclick on these things.
So don't don't click on anylinks, obviously, or download
attachments if you don't know,particularly when you're on
holiday and um and make sureyour device is always protected
(47:18):
so that yeah, you don't youdon't get hacked because who
wants to be away on holiday andget uh find out that you know
you've been hacked and you'veand uh you've had you've lost
even more money than the moneyyou've already spent.
So um a couple of um a couple oftips there for and we will put a
link in the show notes.
(47:48):
Next week I'm taking you toTahiti.
I was the only journalistattending Tahiti's first yoga
festival, and I'm going toexplain why you need to plan a
trip to this tropical paradisenext year around the event, and
also what else there is to do onthis beautiful French Polynesian
island.
SPEAKER_01 (48:05):
I don't think you need to convince me, Kirsty, but
we're looking forward to it, andwe would also love it if you
followed us on our socials.
You'll find us at the WorldAwaits Podcast on Instagram,
Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Or drop us a note.
We'd love to hear from ourfriends.
And you can find us at hello atthe world of weights.au if you
are joy enjoying the episode.
Why not give us a rating or areview?
(48:26):
That's a wrap for the World ofWaits this week.
Click to subscribe anywhere youlisten to your favorite pods.
Thanks for listening.
See you next week.
Welcome to the World Awaits.
Travel tales to inspire yourwonder mask.
Welcome back to the Wilderwaits.
How are you?
Oh, how has your week been,Kirsty?
SPEAKER_00 (00:12):
Oh my god, such a good week.
I was fortunate to stay at thenewly opened Hotel Indigo
Melbourne Little Collins.
So the hotel has such a greatvibe and it's in an amazing
location, right near thegorgeous block place with its
European-style cafes.
And it's part of this new JewelHotel project that took eight
years to come to life.
(00:33):
And it's now home to HotelIndigo and also the Holiday Inn.
So you go in via Little Collinsand it's it's just very
discreet, um, you know, to getin there and you go up a little
lift and it opens up to just asea of vibrant blue, which is
was uh designed that way as anod to Melbourne's blue street
size.
SPEAKER_01 (00:52):
Yeah, super cute.
It but it's all part of thelarger Melbourne walk
development right beside Mecca.
So um, which I which I think isjust fascinating because it's
actually created a new laneway.
What did you think of it,Kirsty?
SPEAKER_00 (01:04):
Yeah, loved the location.
It's such a great location andit has a really luxurious feel
to it.
So, but it's just really supercool, so not sort of stuffy.
So this is the thing about whenyou go and stay in hotels, you
just get the vibe, right?
It's just such a great way tokind of get a sense of it.
And I I just loved it.
I felt it felt reallycomfortable, but really
luxurious.
We stayed in a suite that hadthis huge terrace.
(01:26):
So uh you could easily fit like20 people on it.
That's how big it was.
Um, and um, so you go into theroom, and then um it's it's such
a beautiful room, massive umbathroom with um uh walk and
wardrobe, and you can sort ofit's got a doors that you can
sort of slide it off because youknow who wants to have an open
toilet in their in their suite,and then you walk in through
(01:48):
past past the bed, and there's alittle sitting area with a
beautiful luxurious sort ofarmchair, and then you go
outside to this terrace, and youcan just sit out there and you
know, have a vino and watch theuh the beautiful lights come on
on the city skyscrapers, and itwas it's so pretty and so
(02:09):
lovely.
Uh so yeah, you got everythingin there that you need, you
know, all your amenities andeverything.
And um then we had dinner at therestaurant called Fern.
It's led by Daryl Hand, and it'sa modern Melbourne dining
concept, and the food was just,I have to say, the food was
really exceptional.
Uh I had and a really nicefeeling in there too.
(02:32):
Again, all the blues everywhere,um, beautiful design, very
luxury feel to it.
I had uh black and white sesameprawn toast with Yara Valley
caviar to die for.
And then I had, as a main, I hadbarramundi with cauliflower
cream and skull island prawns.
(02:53):
And for breakfast, the greatthing about breakfast is they do
have a beautiful little buffet,but you don't have to just have
the buffet.
There's a la carte available aswell.
So um, and and of course, lotsof amazing places to dine around
there.
So, yeah, I loved the hotel.
I would absolutely go back againin the heartbeat, and I would
recommend it.
Um, and also this week I hadanother exceptional dining
(03:14):
experience.
So um, yeah, in in Melbourne.
So that was Atlas Dining inSouth Yara.
So we were both there, Belle andI, and this one's run by head
chef and owner CharlieCarrington.
And the concept here's alwaysbeen that he has a changing menu
every few months.
It's kind of what he's famedfor.
So we but when we were there, wehad a taste of Hong Kong and um
(03:35):
Belle was there too.
And oh my god, how good was thatfood, Belle?
SPEAKER_01 (03:39):
It was so delicious.
Um, yeah, I thought that wasinteresting.
Charlie said that you know, theconcept of the food is like so
if he goes traveling in, I don'tknow, uh, Kyrgyzstan, he's gonna
cook a Kyrgyzstan menu.
But he hadn't, um, he's actuallybeen to Hong Kong about nine
times, and he said he hadn'tdone a Hong Kong menu yet, but
he he said it was one of hiseasiest because Hong Kong food
(04:00):
is is one of his favorites.
And I have to say, he brought itall the tea smoked duck, yum,
the wagyu beef, oh my goodness,was that clay pot rice?
We were like animals.
We kept saying, I'm so full, I'mso full.
What in between?
Absolutely stuffing our faces.
We were just hoovering it up,and I absolutely loved the
(04:23):
frozen mango that was pressedinto the shape of a moon cake
because honestly, when by thetime dessert came round, I was
like, Oh, I'm so full.
I can't eat a whole, you know,very solid moon cake, but it was
a it was a frozen mango and itwas just delicious.
So we absolutely hooveredeverything.
I think Atlas is a reallyinteresting Atlas dining is a
really interesting place to goto.
SPEAKER_00 (04:44):
Yeah, totally, absolutely was.
And that food was justexceptional.
And um, the French champagnewasn't too bad either.
SPEAKER_01 (04:52):
Yeah, absolutely.
Um, it you know, it justreminded me about how good Hong
Kong is.
We're going to travel there allthe time, either staying, either
going to Hong Kong itself in itsown right or as a transit
stop-off.
And um, it really is the mostexceptional city for eating.
Did you know, Kirsty?
Fun fact, that there are 79restaurants in Hong Kong with
(05:13):
Michelin star ratings.
And that's going, that's goingfrom literally on the street
eating, because the streeteating is phenomenal, right up
to those stratospheric absolutewallet busters.
It is an exceptional food scene.
And hopefully we're going tohave a bit more on it and give
you a where to eat list in thecoming weeks.
SPEAKER_00 (05:33):
Yeah, and I love that how you you find these um
Michelin-starred uh restaurantsas um just street food eateries,
because how how cool is that?
I mean, you don't have to havepay an absolute fortune to have
that sort of experience.
Right.
Well, this week we are actuallychatting about Lonely Planet's
best place to travel in 2026.
So every year, Lonely Planet'steam of writers and editors come
(05:55):
up with the 25 must-visitdestinations and 25 essential
experiences around the globe.
This is so cool.
So it's um expert predictions ofwhat you should be doing for the
year ahead.
SPEAKER_01 (06:09):
I do love this list.
Um, it's always fascinatingbecause you see, if you have
been traveling to those placesor you know, it suddenly opens
up new areas.
Um, some of them are feel likefavourites though for 2026, at
least for Australians, becauseSouth Australia's Ikara Flinders
Rangers are named in the TopPlaces Hot list.
And also you've got Melbourne'sfood scenes on there, yay, as
(06:32):
we've just been saying.
And Victoria's Bathing Trail isalso included in the 2026 Top
Experiences Hot list.
So, as you might have noticed,you can barely turn around
without heating a bathhouse.
But the jewels really arecentered around, like Victoria's
very lucky in this sense becauseof its geothermal waters that
are uh subterranean, so andthey're heated below the crust.
(06:55):
And then so when they come up,we've got this delicious, really
healthful water.
And it was all really kickedoff, I think, by the OG, which
just happened springs in centralVictoria.
And then the minute thepeninsula hot springs on the
Mornington Peninsula refined it.
So I did add Albert to thatlist, which is right across the
road, and that taps into thatsame aquifer that the peninsula
hot springs shares.
(07:16):
And if you're on the Great OceanRoad, the Deep Blue Hotel in
Wardenbull, which has hotsprings on its property.
SPEAKER_00 (07:22):
Yeah, and keep an eye out for the Phillip Island
um new hot springs that areopening soon, apparently.
They the the date does keepmoving a little bit.
Um, I'm also not surprised thatthe Flinders is there because um
I was there a while back and wedid the Arkaboo walk where you
walk about 24,000-ish steps orabout 10 to 15 Ks a day, and um,
(07:43):
which doesn't sound like a lot,but oh my gosh, you know, it's
hilly and really steep to thepoint where, you know, so in
some of it, we were literallycrawling up um cliffs, uh, the
side of cliffs on our hands andum with our hands.
Um and but the highlight has tobe, of course, that view of the
17 kilometer Wolpina Pound,which is just remarkable.
(08:04):
And the sheer scale of it, youjust it's one of those things in
life that you just have to seeto really believe.
So others on the list of the 25best destinations where Flinders
came in fourth were Botswana,which topped the list, and that
was followed by Peru.
SPEAKER_01 (08:21):
Oh, you know, I love Peru.
Um, I I travelled through thereon train and not just any train,
I was on uh the Hirin Bingham,which is Belmont's luxury train
that takes you from Cushco up toMachu Picchu.
Um, I remember the bar on theway down, like every on the way
up, everyone was reallystressing about the altitude.
On the way down, the band wasplaying in the bar car and
(08:43):
everybody danced all the wayback to Cushco.
It was fantastic.
And then, and also the AndeanExplorer, which goes from the
white city of Arequipa,absolutely, like it is the most
beautiful city in Peru, to umacross to Lake Titicaca and then
to Cushco, which is when you youknow then jump off to go to
Machu Picchu.
On that list as well is Jeju onthe um in South Korea, beloved
(09:07):
by honeymooners.
And fifth on the list is anotherplace very close to my heart,
which is Cadiz in southernSpain, um, which is there with
uh Liberdad in Sao Paulo inBrazil.
Look, if you have haven't beento Cadiz, it is just the most
magnificent Andalusian city onthe southerly tip of Spain.
Literally, throw a pebble andyou'll just about hit Morocco.
(09:28):
So, unlike its neighbourSeville, which so many of us
have been to, it's not really onthe trail for international
tourists.
But the Spaniards love Cadiz.
They love it and they love ithard.
And with really good reasonbecause it's a beautiful coastal
city.
It's got a fantastic ice creamscene, which I have to say,
Spanish ice cream, yum yum.
(09:49):
Um this the tapa there is thetapas is fabulous seafood tapas,
and there's loads and loads ofhistory.
Possibly the most famous site isthe Cape of Trafalgar, which is
where the bound what we know asthe Battle of Trafalgar actually
took place offshore here in1805.
It's funny that it's alwaysassociated, I think in my head
(10:10):
anyway, with London andTrafalgar Square and Horatio
Nelson, who defeated the Frenchand the Spanish fleets, naval
fleets, actually here insouthern Spain.
So Cadiz, put it in the world.
SPEAKER_00 (10:20):
I need to go, yes, I need to go there.
Um and sixth on the list wasSardinia.
So anyone who's listened to thepodcast would know that my love
of Sardinia.
So we cycled for about 210kilometres around the south um a
year ago, and it was so quiet.
And uh it's actually thelocation of uh one of the newest
blue zones, which is a placecalled Toluda, which we cycled
(10:43):
through as well.
And that's blue zones are theplaces where people live the
longest and healthiest lives.
And you can see why, becausethis the way they live is just
really back to basics.
Everything's grown on the land.
Uh, it's a really slow pace oflife, good, strong sense of
community.
And when you cycle throughthere, there's just, you know,
stunning everything fromstunning Mediterranean beaches
(11:04):
to medieval villages andvineyards and gorgeous, quaint
little towns.
And we ended at the town ofPula, which is my favourite,
favorite um little town in, Ithink, at the moment in Italy.
I mean, oh my gosh, this this umgorgeous little, quaint little
town with um beautifulrestaurants and um really easily
(11:25):
walkable and and cycle, you cancycle around there too.
So I am I'm just dying to goback there.
I might have to um yeah, makeanother make another plan to go
back there.
Maybe I'll go to Spain first andthen Sardinia.
SPEAKER_01 (11:37):
You can absolutely do that.
I would thoroughly recommendSouthern Spain.
It's um yeah, just phenomenal.
So uh also on the top 10 list,Dunisia.
I am super pleased to report tosee it there because I think
it's one of those places thatjust you know is constantly
overlooked.
And I do love North Africa.
I was there in March, so Iconsider myself ahead of the
trend.
(11:57):
And look, I think it's totallyworth it for the Mediterranean
beaches.
But for me, it was the oases inthe Sahara and the cave hotels.
If you had to stay in one place,I would make it Doriat Jeep,
which is in Tatooine.
If you skip back to episode 96,you can hear all about um my
adventures through this littlegorgeous country, which I invest
which I visited with in traffictravel.
(12:19):
And the top experiences in thatin the experiences, the top two
were hiking and wild camping inTajikistan and going on a
cultural food tour through oldDubai.
I'm um I'm actually a bit bummedthat when I was in Central Asia
in um uh in Turkmenistan and uhKazakhstan and Uzbekistan, of
(12:40):
course, Tajikistan is probablythe least loved little sister of
the five stands.
So it's really it's reallyinteresting.
It's one of those, you know,Lonely Planet likes to put some
wild cards in there, and I thinkthat that is one of it as well.
Um and the cultural food tourthrough old Dubai is is great
because it blows the myth thatDubai is just all about glitz.
(13:01):
You know, it's a it's a citythat has a fascinating history
and traditions from people thatwere until recently nomadic.
And I mean, uh uh Dubai and AbuDhabi have amazing international
food scenes, but this lets yougo, you know, you don't have to
be eating at all of the Michelinstar restaurants.
You do actually eat on thestreet.
And the street food in Dubai isfantastic and it's super varied.
(13:23):
So what do you think?
What do you think of Dubai,Kirsty?
SPEAKER_00 (13:26):
Yeah, I love it.
It's great.
It's uh yeah, I absolutely lovedit.
I love Dubai and I love the umold town wandering through there
and yeah, the juxtaposition ofof the old and the new obviously
is just what makes it um reallyfascinating.
So yeah, no, I loved it.
Also stay in a train carriage atKruger National Park, South
Africa, and spend the night in arear cun in Japan.
(13:48):
I've done that last one.
Oh my god, amazing experience.
We stayed in one at the top ofthe Ear Valley, which is uh in
Shikoku Island.
So it was amazing.
It felt like we were on the topof a mountain, which we probably
weren't, but um it is verymountainous, obviously, that
valley, and so pretty, juststunning.
Um, and it's such a great way tofeel connected to the culture in
(14:09):
a really genuine way.
So we yeah, that I loved it.
SPEAKER_01 (14:12):
And also on that list of experiences, you could
track desert elephants inNamibia.
I'm so here for that.
Look for Jaguars in the wetlandsof Iberia in Argentina, or watch
a Flying Cholitas match, whichis between um professional
female wrestlers in Bolivia.
So we will put a link to thefull list in the show notes.
(14:44):
This week, my guest is musicianDavid Brighty, who is the
founder of uh the world musicgroup Not Drowning Waving.
He first went to Papua NewGuinea as a 24-year-old, and he
has returned more than 40 times.
SPEAKER_00 (14:57):
Amazing.
He sounds fascinating, Del.
So, um, I mean, obviously you'dwant to interview him, but what
uh what specifically made youwant to have a chat now?
SPEAKER_01 (15:06):
Well, I was actually interviewing him for Paradise,
which is Air New Guinea'sInflight magazine, because it's
the 50th anniversary of theindependence of PG from
Australia.
So when David first went to PG,he met a musician called George
Telec.
And in 1990, they collaboratedon the on their first album,
Tabaran.
So, fast forward to today, heand Telec, now Sir George, were
(15:29):
asked to perform that their thatalbum for the 50th anniversary
celebrations.
And when they startedrehearsing, everybody started
adding their own bits and piecesand basically created a whole
new album which they havereleased called Malira.
So David's talking to us aboutum, you know, those those times
that he has experienced in PNGrecording with local musicians,
(15:50):
and he's actually been uhinitiated into a tribe in PNG.
It's absolutely fascinating totake a listen.
David, welcome to the show.
We're so excited to have you onthe world away.
SPEAKER_02 (16:02):
Wonderful to be here.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (16:04):
Now I have to start off right at the top with your
connections with PG.
When most Australian kids weregoing to London or the US in the
eighties for their year abroad,you went to Papua New Guinea,
and I'm wondering what made youchoose our closest neighbour,
but also in the other sense, ourmost remote?
SPEAKER_02 (16:24):
I think, yeah, look, because it was our closest
neighbour, but so different frommy life in the suburbs of
Melbourne.
It was a sort of so played inband Not Drowning Waving.
Mark Wirth was a filmmaker whosefather was in the Navy in Manis
Island, uh the naval base upthere.
So Mark spent the first 15 yearsof his there in Papua New
Guinea.
He would regale me with talesabout adventures in Papua New
(16:46):
Guinea, and that enthralled me.
I thought that sounds like sucha fantastic place.
I even remember as a kid havinga Jacarand or Atlas, and at the
back it had this section offlora and fauna from Papua New
Guinea, and it just grabbed myattention as being, wow, this
would be an amazing place to go.
I was aware of the connectionthat Australia had both with the
war and colonial history andwith the Kieps.
(17:09):
So I thought, well, let's overthere England and America can
wait until later.
SPEAKER_01 (17:15):
And how old were you when you first started
travelling there?
And when you got off that plane,what was your first impressions
of PNG?
SPEAKER_02 (17:23):
It was 24 when I first went to PNG, and we
arrived in Port Moresby and hadthis wild first night drinking
duty-free gin on Ella Beach.
Uh, and we also were stayingright near.
There was a rugby league game.
Football ground was in Barocco,so we stayed there and we that
was all happening.
It was a Sunday afternoon, Ithink.
The next morning we flew up toWewac and went and stayed at
(17:45):
this guest house run by thiseccentric German man named Ralph
Stuttgart, and then we went downto the Seapik River the next
morning.
So I was 24, this is 1986.
And so, you know, with my firsttrip overseas, I was in this
village on the Seapik Riverwithin a day and a half.
I was just fantastic.
Lots of mosquitoes.
But the river, I mean, theSeapik's this mighty, you know,
(18:06):
it's like the Nile or the Amazonor the Mississippi.
It's this big Aqua Highway, andso many villages along there,
and the artwork was astonishingin these big house tamarans.
I was there with a few friends,and all of us were just gorking
at everything because everythingwas new, every smell, every
sound, every visual, both anactual world and the people and
(18:29):
the dwellings.
I was in a constant state ofamazement.
SPEAKER_01 (18:33):
And it's also a really remote so much of it is
really inaccessible now.
But in the 80s as well,especially places like the
Seepik River, are almostinaccessible even today.
How did people receive you whenyou first started travelling in
PNG?
SPEAKER_02 (18:48):
Oh, they were like Papua New Guinean people,
Melanesian people in general,are really hospitable.
And we were just young kids, sopeople were really nice.
Sometimes people think it'sweird.
We were sleeping in these oldnuns rooms on wooden slats or on
a concrete floor.
It was pretty spartan and wewere making it up as we went
along.
But I think what we found is ifyou stayed in a place for a
(19:10):
little bit longer and you got toknow people, the hospitality
really came out.
People were quite going anywherefor one night, it's kind of oh,
one day or something,everything's new and you're not
sure what's going on and theydon't know what to make of you.
We were young, so and of course,you know, later on, after many,
many trips, sometimes, you know,when you had more money you can
stay.
There's some wonderful hotelaccommodation and and resorts
(19:33):
and uh which is kind of aneasier way of doing it.
But I I that first trip, we wentto the Seapick, caught a boat
from Wewak to Medang, woke up inthe morning, and Manham Island
was kind of it was the volcanicvolcano so that was smoking, and
then we're in Madang for awhile, then went up to Manus and
started Ponham Island there.
Heard Garamot drumming anddancing, then went to Kviang and
(19:57):
caught a track on the back of acopra truck down the Bulaminsky
Highway to Nam Namat and I wentover to Rabao.
That's where I met GeorgeTelleck, the singer, at Pacific
God Studios.
Hung out with him for a few daysand the studio for a bit, and
that cemented the reason whyI've kept going back to this
day, 40 years later.
But even then I'd fallen in lovewith the place.
Some bits were so gobsmackinglybeautiful, and other bits were
(20:20):
hard.
It was a very different world,but I found it really opened my
awareness about the world andthinking about things
differently.
And inspiring.
So I yeah.
SPEAKER_01 (20:30):
Yeah, a 40-year relationship with the country,
and so in depth.
I mean, since that time, you'vecreated incredible musical
connections with George Talak,who you just played with in
Melbourne recently for the 50thanniversary, because also you
were travelling in PG, what itwas only 10 years or so after it
had become a country that wasindependent from Australia at
that time.
SPEAKER_02 (20:51):
There it was quite interesting.
I've been doing some music for acouple of the documentaries that
were about the 50th, the amazingcelebration that was the 50th
year.
We were there just 10 yearsafter those black and white
shots of Michael Samari andGough Whitlam and those amazing
scenes around that time.
He's changed a lot since thatfirst time we were there.
(21:12):
It's been an incredibletrajectory for such a young
country.
SPEAKER_01 (21:16):
Well, I wanted to ask you how many times have you
returned in that last 40 years?
And what is it that keepsdrawing you back?
Is it the food?
Is it the scenery?
Uh clearly music is integral toit.
So do you go back every gear?
SPEAKER_02 (21:30):
Yeah, I've gone back pretty much I reckon I've been
there 40 45 times or somethingsince that first time.
So once or twice a year.
And sometimes I'm going becauseI've got some really interesting
work stuff, whether, you know,be recording with George, some
film soundtrack work, producingthings we're doing with the
OneTook Music Foundation.
Sometimes I go up because I'vegot friends there, friends that
have become almost like family,especially in Rabaul, but also
(21:54):
in Bougainville and Manis.
And some of the people I metwhen I was there the first time.
Some of them may have passed on,but their kids I'm really close
with because you just thatconstant relationship with so I
feel really blessed to uh andthat's part of the uh uh
attraction to go back.
But I think Papua New Guinea andalso the Solomons of Benamwatu
(22:17):
have this natural beauty aboutthem.
Village life, grassroots life inPapua New Guinea, I find quite
amazing.
It's resilient.
People are eating food from thesame gardens that their
ancestors going back howevermany thousand years still eat
from.
So if you're into diving orbushwalking or butterflies, or
(22:41):
if you're a volcanologist, or ifyou're into music, or if you're
into carvings, if you're intostorytelling, if you're into
history, Papua New Guinea, uh ththese parts of the world have
such fascination and suchmagnetism about them.
It's not for everyone, but Ialways try to encourage young
(23:02):
Australian people to go there,whether on a holiday or if to do
some work, uh volunteer, or ifyou're a lawyer, if you're a
person who works in health, ifyou work in sports, you know,
whatever.
Australian Papua New Guinea havethis amazing link, and I um I've
there might be a couple whoregret it, but out of 198, we go
(23:25):
out.
SPEAKER_01 (23:25):
Wouldn't it be great to revisit those emotions as as
a young person and think, whatam I doing here?
How did I end up here?
And hopefully, how did I get solucky that first place that you
travel?
What a great experience thatwould be.
Hindsight would be lovely.
So you've said that PNG'schanged a lot.
How has it changed?
SPEAKER_02 (23:44):
When I first went there, some parts of the
Highlands had only real youknow, maybe 30 years that
they've been exposed to theoutside world.
So they've gone through thewhole of the Industrial
Revolution in that.
I remember meeting twoHighlanders who were selling
some beads and some carvingsoutside a hotel where I was
staying.
I got talking with them, andwhen they were born, when they
(24:06):
were there was this old man, andwhen he he lived the first 25
years of his life before firstcontact, that was an astonishing
conversation.
It just blew my mind.
This man and his wife, what theyhad seen and what they had lived
to was astonishing.
I laughed about it because thatwas their thing.
So the Highlands was, you know,was and still is this
(24:27):
fascinating part of the worldthat has only had that first
quite a recent contact, which isless, you know, in the towns,
the towns are all established.
Hagen Goroka and uh Warburg.
But phones have had a bigdifference there.
Papua Nigeri's become moreconfident all the time.
In phones, I'm saying and phoneshave got a good thing.
Communication works really wellwith the one-took system.
(24:50):
Sometimes it means that somelanguages are diluting because
of the phone, the influence of,as we all know, the internet
exposing some of the best andthe worst things in the world.
And it does tend to homogenisethings.
One thing I find fascinatingabout Papua New Guinea is the
uniqueness of the number oflanguages, a number of different
cultural groups.
Moresby Moresby is like this bigmodern city with all this wealth
(25:12):
and the Stanley Hotel and thehighways and everything was
quite this metropolis.
But the gap between rich andpoor is quite strong.
There's a dissonance there.
So that's not the good side ofit, but but the good side is
look at the confidence in thearea that I'm OF with.
The m music scene is creatingits own sound, it's getting
(25:33):
really confident.
Access to equipment and gear isa lot better now.
And I think that confidence insound, that confidence is
something that applies to somany aspects of Papua New Guinea
life.
The intelligence and the abilityof the best doctors, lawyers,
and writers in Papua New Guineahas grown much larger than what
(25:54):
it was at first because theopportunity wasn't there.
I mean, it's a longconversation, Belinda, about the
changes in that 50 years.
And it's a fascinatingconversation to have with Papua
New Guineans themselves.
I mean, they're alwaysfascinating to talk about,
talking to an older person aboutwhat changes they've seen in
(26:14):
their lifetime.
SPEAKER_01 (26:15):
Absolutely.
And then when you travel around,do you find that it's more
accessible?
I mean, you know, clearly I meanit's had its own airline for
those 50 years, always flyingline of sight, and that's a
whole different story.
But just their access would havedifferent parts of PNG opened up
or have they actually closeddown since your ship travelling.
SPEAKER_02 (26:37):
I do know that as of two months ago, the road from
the Highlands down to Moresbyconnected through.
And that was always somethingthat was fascinating that the
capital was separated from theHighlands and the North Coast.
SPEAKER_01 (26:50):
Long driving road trips are out then for the
Wells.
SPEAKER_02 (26:54):
I mean, because of the Owen Stanley Rangers being
so, you know, and the amountscome out of nowhere.
That's why the Kokoda Trail isso phenomenal, because it's like
going up and then down and it'squite rugged.
And that spine goes all throughthe centre of uh Papua New
Guinea and over into West Papuaas well.
Transport I think is uh Yeah,no, I don't it's not necessarily
that there are roads, I know theroad from Rabao to Kimby is
(27:17):
there that used to never be.
But even still, the road and theamount of rain, and of course
it's a young countrygeologically, all the earth
trimmers kind of wreck the road,so it's sometimes still easier
to go by boat.
SPEAKER_01 (27:30):
Is that how you travel around?
Do you fly between yourdestinations or do you find
yourself doing boat trips?
SPEAKER_02 (27:36):
On boat trips for some smaller things.
If you're in Lorangau and Manisand going out to BP on the west
coast, the only way to do it isby boat.
That's fantastic.
I love being on boats.
I love being on the back of acoconut truck or in the back of
a ute.
You can sit in the back of a uteon a country road around Rabaul,
and Australia'd be against thelaw, but that's the wind in you.
(27:57):
You gotta be you know pale skin,you gotta be careful you don't
get sunburned.
Because with the volcaniceruptions, you end up getting
covered in dust and everything.
But uh it's great sitting on theback of a ute with a eight
people and everyone's talking.
It's a nice community thing.
The wind in your hair, andyou're seeing all the natural
beauty in villages because ofthe climate, obviously.
Everyone's out it's an outdoorlife, but villages on the roads
(28:21):
or on the Seapik River andstuff, there are people
everywhere.
There's villages everywhere, andyou're just watching life go by
as people are outside a lot.
Yeah, I mean New Guinea's neverhad an accident.
And it flies in some of the mostdifficult terrain.
If you ever get a chance to goon some of the smaller
aeroplanes that go to moreremote destinations, they're
(28:44):
fantastic air trips as well.
SPEAKER_01 (28:47):
I I do love a small aircraft.
I think there's something soexciting about them.
PG, you know, it's never reallytaken off as a destination for
Australians, but every country'sgot certain things that appeal
to certain people.
I mean, what sort of travellerwould p PNG appeal to most?
SPEAKER_02 (29:03):
If you're into fishing, you'd go, if you'd go,
because it's got the best of,you know, world's best practice
for those two things.
And there are a number of, youknow, what's the place about is
it biologs in West New Britain?
It's great for fishing, and uhKimbe dive resort there in West
New Britain's fantastic.
Bird watchers would love it,yeah.
So that you know, in that what'sthe place up in Enger?
(29:26):
I think it's called CummelLodge, or where you get to see
Bird of Birds of Paradise.
And there's a little place I'vespin off New Island, just a
little island called theListenung Resort.
So people go there for surfingor for uh diving.
I mean, I I'm not a diver, but Ilove snorkeling.
And uh snorkeling is my place.
I actually my partner and I justcame back from the Solomon
(29:47):
Islands where we went tosnorkeling and it did.
But yes, in PNG there's lots ofplaces like that.
So there's that kind of marketfor it.
SPEAKER_01 (29:55):
And on events as well, because a lot of those
tours uh that you go Uh, builtaround PG's festival scene.
So you've got that whole singsing across the highlands, which
I understand was a construct.
It was a way to createrelationships between tribes
that otherwise might not be onthe best of terms.
So they could showcase theirmusic, their costumes, their
(30:16):
customs.
Uh have you, I mean, you know,as a as somebody who's been
embedded in the PG music scene,have you spent much time going
to festivals or sing scenes?
SPEAKER_02 (30:27):
I've been to the festival, which I think happens
every year in August.
I thoroughly recommend that.
The one in Hagen and Garoka, thebig Highlands festivals, they're
quite big.
Anger's a bit smaller, butamazing.
Similar kind of thing, just awhole lot of groups coming and
there's a little bit ofcompetition and trying to outdo
each other.
Face paint and the beads and thedecoration and these haunting,
(30:49):
haunting songs.
That's quite something.
In Rabao, they have the MaskFestival, which the Tolo
Wawagira, which is that's kindthat's got Uno activities,
ancestral activities like danceand music, but it also has bands
playing at night.
It goes until 11 o'clock atnight.
I played there once with Telek,and that's a really
family-friendly great festivalthat happens there.
(31:10):
That's in July, I think.
With all these festivals, it'sworth checking out because they
sometimes shift from uh year toyear.
The Hiri Mawali Festival inMooresby.
There's apparently a good myfavourite musicians in Papua New
Guinea, Richard Moggle, has beeninvolved in festival in Millen
Bay, and it was his place.
That was a couple of months ago.
So that's just started thisyear.
(31:30):
The Bougainville ChocolateFestival in October is
fantastic.
That's got music and a lot ofthose cow bands.
I think there's a crocodile artsfestival that happens all the
time.
These festivals for eachprovince or each marketplace,
they're becoming a bigger thing,and everyone's dreaming of
wanting them to be a place tobring in people to give
opportunity for their artists.
But they all try to set it up asmuch as they can to be friendly
(31:54):
to outsiders.
They're worth heading to forsure.
SPEAKER_01 (31:57):
I had recently spoken to a new shark calling
festival, which was happening inNew Britain, which just sounded
incredible.
It's got ancestor connections.
It's the capture in sharks, theyfast beforehand and believe and
the shark comes to the personand basically sacrifices itself
to the village.
I just thought this is soundocumented when you look for
(32:19):
it.
So many things have gotthousands of years of history,
but then they're also writtenabout for the past thousands of
years, and with so littledocumentation outside it.
And I think you've got a passionabout that as well, haven't you?
About documenting music rhythms,instruments from PG.
SPEAKER_02 (32:34):
Yeah, no, the shark for I think New Island was where
it is on the west coast there,yes.
SPEAKER_01 (32:38):
Sorry, you're right, New Island.
SPEAKER_02 (32:39):
They've got these fire dances.
When people ask me as amusician, because you get asked
this all the time in interviews,what's the best rock concert
you've ever seen?
And I always say bindings firedance because those rhythms were
as guttural and loud, and thevisuals and went from six
o'clock until six in themorning, and the light show of
the fire and these people.
(33:00):
I mean, the bindings masks areincredible.
And they're running through thisfire.
It was just like and there's noone of the things you just keep
your ear and eye out for andthis practice is so vital and
unique.
And maybe that this conversationgets back to how things are
changing.
Some of the songs being sung bythe old people, the younger ones
are not necessarily learningthem.
(33:23):
So there's a big push to try torecord these songs.
But these people are gettingolder, and even in the space of
40 years, the language haschanged quickly.
I'm sure some things that werepracticed in 1880 or 1890 at
first contact times, many ofthose songs will have been lost,
some of those instruments willhave been lost.
Papua Guinea has culturallythose songs like diamonds, you
(33:46):
know, those songs, those masksand those dances, is still a lot
there, but as the worldmodernizes, that they're the
things that are in danger ofbeing lost.
So I'm I'm quite passionate, asare a lot of Papua New Guinean
sound engineers and artists, torecord these songs, archive
them, and make sure all theinformation about them is
documented, even to record themand perform them and stuff,
(34:08):
because that keeps them alive.
SPEAKER_01 (34:10):
Are tourists then helping or hindering this
process when we come in to a youknow an almost pristine
environment?
Are we protecting it or are webringing in our own influences
to their detriment?
SPEAKER_02 (34:25):
Oh, I don't think tourism is a level in PNG, and
it probably won't ever be atthat level where that's in
danger of wiping things out likeit is in some other countries
where there's this massiveinflux.
SPEAKER_01 (34:40):
Not even like that reggae scene that's happening
down in Port Moresvie at themoment, which is very different
to what some of the traditional.
SPEAKER_02 (34:48):
Yeah, the reggae and hip-hop stuff that's happening
there.
It's at the black culture, so II kind of get why that's
attractive to Papua New Guineanmusicians and some of the better
exponents I've alreadyintroducing some of their
traditional elements into thismusic, into the reggae or the
hip-hop, but talk about thingsthat are endangering traditional
practices, a lot of other stuffbrought in by Australians and
(35:12):
British and German people backin the 1870s that have far
exceed the kind of musicalcorruption that might have
occurred.
There are still some musicalpractices that exist that in PNG
quite a lot that have theselinks back hundreds of thousands
of years.
I mean, many parts of Papua NewGuinea have what the rest of the
world's lost and is yearningfor.
(35:33):
That connection to itsenvironment, the knowledge and
the artistic practice that theirancestors had is something that
the West has lost.
Hopefully, there are some goodpeople in Papua New Guinea who
are fighting to retain thesethings.
But there's also, you know, theappeal of the dollar and
unscrupulous practice by somepeople's kind of but that's a
(35:57):
fight that goes on everywhere.
But I look at I hope they do winthat fight because Peace still
has things that I know you know,sometimes you're up there and
you're sitting on an island andyou're going, This is the best
that the world has to offer.
And that's what Peace still has,many of those places in the
highlands, on the coral reefs,on the islands.
SPEAKER_01 (36:19):
Oh, that's a beautiful way to wrap up a
gorgeous country.
Look, the question I have to askyou in super travelly here, the
question that everybody asksabout PNG is is it safe to
travel there?
SPEAKER_02 (36:31):
Precaution is needed in PNG because of the poverty.
I've been to Papua New Guinea alot and I'm my exposure to crime
(36:53):
has been very minuscule.
But I'm male and I'm six foottall.
I know a lot of women who workup in Papua New Guinea now and
they love it.
Locals will look after them.
I think one of the reasons why Ihaven't seen as much crime is
because I'm hanging with myPapua New Guinean friends.
(37:13):
People everywhere when they'redrunk.
Dangerous, that's the same asbeing in King Street in
Melbourne.
I wouldn't go there at twoo'clock in the morning because
it's dangerous.
I don't trust.
To go to a country that has thatgrassroots and that life in the
roar and all the wonderfulthings that PG has, you know,
the flip side of that, there isthat element of risk.
(37:36):
But I feel sad when I hear ofpeople who go to and they just
stay in their hotels the time,or people who are working there
and live in gated communitiesbecause they're missing out on
the best parts.
One of the exchanges now is youfind on Sunday afternoons
families are out everywhere.
They go to church in the morningand they're having a picnic
somewhere or they're down to thebeach swimming.
This community-family vibe isquite strong.
(37:56):
There are a lot more musicconcerts in Port Moresby than
there used to be.
And there people turn up andthey're great, you know.
Again, don't have your wallethanging out of your pocket or
don't, you know, don't leaveyour phone on a table.
It's the same, yeah.
It's the dignity of risk and theslight risk of going to PNG is
bad.
How so many people don't have togo to PD and everybody's warning
(38:18):
them before they go aboutcareful of this, careful of
that.
SPEAKER_01 (38:22):
The final question, which I'll knock down before I
get over elsewhere, is the finalquestion we ask, well, our guest
is what is your most bizarretravel experience?
And it doesn't have to be PNG,it can be anywhere in the world.
SPEAKER_02 (38:35):
Oh no, look, we'll stick to PG because you know the
uh the cliche is the land of theunexpected and it's well earned.
I go to this funeral once thatwas on an island in the Trobian
Islands called Tawema, and itwas a full moon.
And one thing I found in inPapua New Guinea, when you're in
the village, if when you're in aplace that doesn't have
(38:56):
electricity, when there is afull moon, it's a very different
day because people are up allnight, they take advantage of
it, and you've got this light.
And um so this the Paramountsheep had died, and so uh we
were there for this big ceremonyfor his for his passing.
(39:17):
But it was the happiest funeralI've ever been to in my life.
There was music, there wasdancing, there was laughing,
chickens going off, people hadbeen swimming at three o'clock
in the morning.
And it was just wild.
It was just wild.
It was like um it was like itwas a celebration of the old
man's life, but it was all itwas all like he'd passed on all
(39:38):
the knights to those behind him.
They were just reallycelebrating it, and it was it
was just uh and people in theTrobrian Islands are quite
small, and their houses thatthey sleep in are really small.
I think at about three o'clockin the morning, my partner and I
were just they said, Oh, look,you know, do you want to go to
bed and went and lie down?
And my feet are like stickingoutside of the house by about a
(40:01):
foot and a half.
Um people are drinking kind ofthis Yahwa, this sort of
banana-infused kind of liquorthat you had to go kind of
careful on, uh, eating food outof banana leaves.
And um, I got very, very littlesleep that night, but it was
just um it was just quiteamazing.
(40:22):
I was it was quite amazing.
But the the you know, when I sawthat question, there's so many
ways, you know.
I was with a a friend whostarted arguing with these
people who were trying to hitgrease him for a road tax in the
Highlands, and he lost his callwith them.
And I thought, oh, this is notgoing to end well for any of us.
(40:43):
And we ended up having sittingon the side of the road, having
a cup of tea with them, and youknow, people giving each other
hugs and stuff.
It was like, you know, uh the 20minutes before I thought, you
know, what we're gone for here.
But yeah, I love that Tawemastory because I I have pictures
in my head of, you know,moonlight through, you know,
palm trees and um through thecool ale trees and uh and just
(41:06):
and the string band mu thestring band music.
And there was there was thisgirl who's so string bands uh
halfway through the song, thisgirl would come in with these
impossibly high harmonies, likeshe's just belting out, and they
are higher than I've ever heardanyone sing, and it was
something really joyous aboutit.
So that'll be that's my umthat'll be my bizarre, my wild
(41:29):
experience in PNG.
SPEAKER_01 (41:30):
Troband Islands.
So you've wrapped it upbeautifully on bizarre
experiences.
David, thank you so much forjoining us on The World Awakes.
It's been an absolute joy todisappear for a brief moment to
PNG with you.
SPEAKER_02 (41:42):
Thanks, Bunya.
I really appreciate that.
Thanks.
SPEAKER_00 (41:46):
That was musician David Brighty of Not Drowning
Waving, talking about histravels in Papua New Guinea.
And we'll put a link to hiswebsite and those incredible
musical collaborations in theshow notes.
SPEAKER_01 (42:00):
You're listening to The World Awaits.
Subscribe through our website atthewordawaits.au So we've got
five great tips about how toprotect your devices on vacation
from eSIM provider.
Say me about staying smart andtaking precautions so that you
have got secure mobileconnectivity.
(42:21):
And a lot of people don'trealise that their hotel rooms
rooms can be compromised asabsolute hotspots for digital
threats.
So when you are reclining by thepool, your personal data and
device could be at threat.
SPEAKER_00 (42:35):
So uh one of the uh main reasons actually, or main
um, you know, causes of this isactually the hotel Wi-Fi.
So you need to make sure thatyou protect your connection.
So um, while it's convenient,it's not obviously always the
easiest, you know, the safestplace because it's one of the
easiest gateways for hackers.
So they can actually just get inpretty easily and exploit the
(42:56):
network and um and stealwhatever information they want
for your Wi-Fi.
So the tip is always confirmthat, make sure it's the correct
network name with the hotelstaff, and even better avoid
public Wi-Fi.
So make sure you're actuallyusing specific hotel Wi-Fi and
that it's got a secure um, youknow, and affordable internet
access.
SPEAKER_01 (43:15):
The next tip, um, which is from Salie, is use uh
is is using USB charging ports.
They suggest sticking to thesocket.
So USB ports in hotel rooms, um,you know, often you'll see them
above the power um the powerareas.
They are fantastic forinternational travelers, but
they aren't always safe.
(43:36):
So um the ports can be modifiedand um so that malware is
actually transferred to yourphone via the USB cable.
So it's allowing hackers to, youknow, get in, check your
passwords, your credit card,your location.
So the way around this is to useyour own charger, plug it
directly into the power socketinstead of using the USB outlet.
(43:56):
And other ways for extraprotection, you could even
travel with USB data blocker orum a portable power blank bank
instead of charging from thewall.
SPEAKER_00 (44:06):
Yeah, and this is one that people might not um
think about too much.
But smart TVs.
So smart TVs in the hot hotelrooms are often equipped with
you know cameras and mics andand the like.
And um, and so therefore they'resometimes poorly secured.
So hackers can actually get intothem.
This is scary.
Hackers getting into them and umare eavesdropping and watching
(44:26):
and capturing your logindetails.
So um, and it always doessurprise me sometimes.
Quite often you go to hotels andyou see someone's login
information still in, still inthe system.
Uh, and I often think, gosh, youknow, I mean, I I personally
don't do that.
And uh not because I didn't, um,not because I thought that
someone was eavesdropping, butum, I don't know, it does just
sort of feel like you are justputting yourself up at risk,
(44:48):
really, particularly becauseobviously with these smart TVs,
like they're saying.
So the way around it is to, likeI said, don't sort of log into
these apps using your ownpersonal accounts and unplug the
TV when it's not in use.
And also they even suggest to goas far as covering the camera.
SPEAKER_01 (45:04):
That's really interesting because I was
watching a um, you know, anAirbnb, uh, uh, an influencer
couple in Perth that had found acamera in their in their Airbnb.
So it was even more brazen thanthat.
It wasn't embedded into the TV,which is what they're talking
about.
Um, but it was just sittingthere, and of course they
checked out and reported it toAirbnb.
I um, you know, I never use thelike, you know, Netflix, I never
(45:27):
put my Netflix details in onlybecause I can never remember my
passwords.
So, but you know, sometimes youkind of you go, oh, I can't
remember my password.
I'll just click on and then Isee that the last person is um
already is still logged in.
So the thing is too, if you goand watch, you know, some little
rom com and and they're allabout crime, you are totally
(45:49):
going to ruin their algorithm aswell.
So that's always a funny one toum to to think of when you're
logging into somebody else'saccount.
Um another word, another thingto keep an eye out for are
automatic connections.
So most smartphones um you knoware set to c to automatically
(46:09):
connect to known Wi-Fi networks,but um devices can reconnect
without you noticing, even whenyou're not in the room.
So what they suggest is turningoff the auto-connect for Wi-Fi
and Bluetooth and making surethat you've got your firewalls
or your or your VPNs up in, youknow, making sure that your
security apps are up to date andthat they are able to launch
(46:30):
automatically if you do connectto public networks.
SPEAKER_00 (46:34):
And the last one is about cyber criminal groups,
like they actually name onecalled Dark Hotel, who've
apparently been known to targethigh-profile travelers at luxury
hotels.
And they have campaigns throughemails where they can um, where
if you click on the link, Imean, this is obvious, right?
We're all we're we're all knownnot to click on suspicious links
on our phones and our in our andour emails.
(46:56):
But they're saying that this isum becoming really advanced with
these cyber groups, that they'reactually um going in and and um
sending emails that are reallyconvincing and highly
personalized, so that you doclick on these things.
So don't don't click on anylinks, obviously, or download
attachments if you don't know,particularly when you're on
holiday and um and make sureyour device is always protected
(47:18):
so that yeah, you don't youdon't get hacked because who
wants to be away on holiday andget uh find out that you know
you've been hacked and you'veand uh you've had you've lost
even more money than the moneyyou've already spent.
So um a couple of um a couple oftips there for and we will put a
link in the show notes.
(47:48):
Next week I'm taking you toTahiti.
I was the only journalistattending Tahiti's first yoga
festival, and I'm going toexplain why you need to plan a
trip to this tropical paradisenext year around the event, and
also what else there is to do onthis beautiful French Polynesian
island.
SPEAKER_01 (48:05):
I don't think you need to convince me, Kirsty, but
we're looking forward to it, andwe would also love it if you
followed us on our socials.
You'll find us at the WorldAwaits Podcast on Instagram,
Facebook, and LinkedIn.
Or drop us a note.
We'd love to hear from ourfriends.
And you can find us at hello atthe world of weights.au if you
are joy enjoying the episode.
Why not give us a rating or areview?
(48:26):
That's a wrap for the World ofWaits this week.
Click to subscribe anywhere youlisten to your favorite pods.
Thanks for listening.
See you next week.
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