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Number of days of toil and sweat it took me to cover the final 100 miles to<br />Port Moresby: 12“Present fears are less than horrible imaginings? - William Shakespeare<br /><br />“Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome? - Samuel Johnson

The Long Struggle to Port Moresby- The surprises of Papua New Guinea

Rob Lilwall
2007-12-01 15:13:45

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say that have had a predominantly positive experience of this country, with all its uniqueness, kindness, adventure and risk. I cannot say how big the risk was that I took coming here alone and on a bicycle... I think it is a sad trait of human opinion forming that the behaviour of the few will always shape the reputation of the masses... thus I think that PNG's dangerous reputation is based on just a small proportion of the population. The people I actually met took great care of me, without exception. If you stay in close contact with the local population, travelling fast and in daylight, the risks are greatly reduced... and in fact, I believe that if we pray for protection there is also somebody who looks after us. If I was not a Christian I doubt I would have had the guts to come through PNG. It is also important to realise that everything in life
is a risk, and we never know how many near misses we have in life... and as a friend recently wrote to me (who had in fact quit his well paid management consultancy job in London in order to dig up anti-personnel mines for a charity in the Sudan)... "it's a bit scary if you think about it too much, but like everything in life you need to play the probabilities a little - otherwise we would sit in a padded room all day, eating sterilized food and die at 120 of old age with nothing to show for it!?

Now as my visa ticks quietly away, I look out of the window of this apartment at the lazy sea stretching south to a dark and empty horizon, but which (according to my map) eventually reaches Australia. It is there where I hope to go... all I need to do now is find something that floats that will take me there.

As always, I really appreciate your emails, prayers, and generous donations to Viva Network and their tireless work with children at risk around the world (please go to www.justgiving.com/cyclinghomefromsiberia if you would
like to support them).

Happy belated 2006 and God bless,

Rob