Highland villages

Mendi in the Southern Highlands was reached down a dirt road from Mt Hagen in 1974. It was not a fast trip! One had to be careful of locals walking on the road and you certainly stopped to let pigs and dogs get off the road before driving on. There is only one road in and we know of someone who bowled over a dog and found a tree lying across the road on the way back. Compensation had to be paid before the tree was removed.

Southern Highland longhouses at Mendi.

Olibus, Minj in the Western Highlands.

Olibus

An extremely tidy and well laid out village.

Bridge near Mendi, Southern Highlands

Lae, War Cemetery and orchids

Following are slides I took on a trip down to Lae from Mt Hagen in 1974.

 Lae 

The harbour in 1974 is still being developed whilst the airport at the top of the photo is little more than a sealed airstrip with a rather basic terminal.

Lae market

Main entrance to the Lae War memorial Cemetery.

The cenotaph

I am not sure if the orchids below are part of the cemetery or in a separate adjacent garden. These orchids were in an immaculately kept as were the cemetery grounds.