- 6/7/2025
Papua New Guinea is not just another travel destination—it is a land of wonders, a place where more than 850 languages are spoken and over a thousand tribes live side by side, each with their own traditions, dances, and dress. You are about to step into a living museum of cultures that are as ancient as they are alive today.
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TravelTranscript
00:00Closed Captioning by Kris Brandhagen.com
00:30Papua, New Guinea is one of the world's last lawless lands, lying 150 kilometers north of Australia.
00:43The town of Leia is one of the world's last lawless lands, lying 150 kilometers north of Australia.
00:57The town of Leia is the economic capital of the country here.
01:03It more commonly goes by the name pothole city.
01:06It's a sorry site with its battered roads.
01:08It's packed minibuses and its extreme levels of poverty.
01:15In the streets, uncertainty reigns and the police are ineffective, trying to keep law and order.
01:23The locals call upon private security companies.
01:27These guards are not allowed to carry firearms, only bows and arrows.
01:37When they do step in, they don't do it delicately.
01:40Papua New Guinea has one of the highest crime rates on the planet.
01:53In this warehouse behind high walls, Kevin, a highway driver, carefully checks his truck.
02:10Papua New Guinea, a simple breakdown could have drastic consequences.
02:20Well, before each journey, I checked that my tires aren't worn out.
02:27Because if I ever have to change them due to a puncture, the criminals can use the opportunity to attack me.
02:37Bands of looters who want to get their hands on his cargo of pasta, rice and other products.
02:42These staples are expensive in Papua New Guinea.
02:47Come on, close up, close up.
02:49But the bandits haven't to care in the world.
02:52Right now, everything is ready.
02:54I don't think we'll have any problems.
02:56I mean, only if it starts to rain.
02:57It's the beginning of the rainy season and the mountain roads can become very tricky.
03:04Papua New Guinea is an island half as big as France, but with a road network that practically does not exist.
03:11There are just three main roads that are barely tarmacked.
03:16And yet road transport is vital for the country.
03:19Just about everything is imported.
03:21The merchandise arrives by the boatload in the port at Ley.
03:27The containers have been packed in their hundreds before being loaded onto trucks.
03:32Like these vehicles, Kevin is taking his one on one of the most dangerous road.
03:38It's the Highland Highway.
03:43The highway is merciless.
03:46700 kilometers long.
03:48It crosses wild regions that are unforgiving towards any slack driving.
03:56A road that wears out the drivers.
04:02And destroys their machines.
04:16Torrential rains batter the road, washing away whole sections.
04:31In the Highlands, the fog banks are a trap for drivers.
04:35At night, the highway bandits fleece travelers.
04:38Off the highway are slopes that are practically impossible to scale.
04:55There are not many drivers willing to take on this road.
04:58And because of this, companies are ready to pay them handsomely.
05:01Kevin earns equivalent of 1,200 euros a month, four times the wage of a teacher.
05:04His employer also houses him with a beautiful house in an enviable district where he lives with his wife and four children.
05:12I just see them once a week.
05:14I spend the rest of my life on the highway.
05:16Most of the drivers do their work without ever thinking of their wives.
05:21But my husband, he takes care of us.
05:23When he's on the road, he calls us regularly to find out how we're doing.
05:26When he gets back, he spends time with the kids and he helps me out.
05:35So I'm happy.
05:37And when he calls, he says it's going well.
05:39I thank him.
05:41Kevin spends over 60 hours a week behind the wheel.
05:44At daybreak, he takes the road towards Kundiawa, a town lost in the middle of the mountains.
05:57But his journey gets off to a bad start.
05:59We left late. We should have got going around 3 a.m.
06:02The cabin windows are well protected with metal grills on the highway.
06:13This is a must.
06:15We put them on to protect against the people who like to throw rocks on the road.
06:20Sometimes they hit the windscreen or the side windows without this protection, the glass would shatter.
06:25No glass.
06:33Before taking on the mountain, Kevin buys his fill of betel nuts.
06:40The nuts are powerful stimulants.
06:44He eats about 50 a day.
06:46It's a way of beating tiredness, but it's also a drug that all the drivers are dependent upon.
06:50We chew betel to stay awake and, most importantly, to have enough energy to keep on till the end of the road.
07:00In Papua New Guinea, the consumption of betel is very ceremonial.
07:06See, this is the betel nut here.
07:10You get the shell off like this.
07:12Next, the chewer uses a bit of a creeper and a small sachet of powdered shellfish.
07:19So we take this and after we mix it with the white powder.
07:25And then when we chew it, it goes all red.
07:30And that's what helps us keep our eyes open on the highway.
07:35It's better than alcohol.
07:37Or beer.
07:38Unfortunately, though, a lot of drivers do drink alcohol causes terrible accidents along the highway, as witnessed by these rusty carcasses all along the road.
07:53But here, when a truck flips over, if it's not a drama, it's an opportunity.
07:57Two months ago, there was an accident here.
08:09The Young Creek guys came and they smashed in the container with axes and they stole all the cargo.
08:15This is an even less cultivated area.
08:23Just 50 years ago, the warring tribes lived completely cut off from the rest of the world.
08:32It's no easy feat to tow these two containers on this road with its twists and turns and its unfinished side.
08:39Kevin does all he can to take care of his engine while the road continues to get worse.
08:50The tarmac sections are becoming increasingly infrequent.
08:54They're being replaced by battered roads peppered with potholes.
08:57Not yet, no, not yet.
09:13What's waiting for us up there is awful.
09:16We're really going to be shaken every which way.
09:18At 1,500 meters above sea level, it really starts to get difficult.
09:39Oh!
09:48At the first mountain pass, there's the fog to deal with.
10:05Can you see the road?
10:07Yes. Yes. Well, yeah. Well, not really.
10:13The mist hides everything.
10:14The potholes and the other vehicles.
10:29On the way down, the fog becomes rain and the road becomes extremely slippery.
10:38Slippery.
10:40So it's sliding, so I'm forced to use the engine's brake.
10:48When they're as wet as this, the normal brakes are no good at all.
10:52We're in danger of ending up in the river.
10:56Just below ravine several hundred meters deep.
11:00With 36 tons pushing him from the back, Kevin must negotiate each bend so he's not carried off the cliff.
11:06He's been behind the wheel for eight hours without a break, and he's finding it difficult to remain concentrated.
11:23This is a bad sign.
11:25A tow truck.
11:27I should ask if there's a problem.
11:30What's going on up there?
11:33Can I get through in my truck?
11:35It's muddy.
11:37Where are you going?
11:39To the Congo.
11:41Congo? The way up is slippery.
11:43OK, I'll take care.
11:44Congo is the name of this place.
11:49It's the last stop before Kondiawa, his final destination.
11:53When it rains like today, it turns into an ice rink.
11:57The road is poor.
12:01Not just poor, it's very poor.
12:03Rainy days, it's always like this.
12:07You can quickly lose control and end up in the scenery.
12:14Maybe you should stop now.
12:15No, no, no.
12:17No, impossible.
12:19The only way to get through.
12:21Press down on the gas and use the most momentum possible.
12:24Unluckily, the truck is overloaded.
12:27If I stop now, it'll be hard to get going again.
12:29I would have to go back down and begin all over again.
12:35Kevin completes the ascent with his foot on the accelerator.
12:42We were lucky.
12:44For now, it's over.
12:46He's just traveled 400 kilometers in 10 hours.
12:50Here we go.
12:51We made it to Kondiawa.
12:53Destination, the town supermarket.
12:59I'm a bit exhausted.
13:00Really tired, actually.
13:01But really tired.
13:03Yeah.
13:04His rest will not last long.
13:06I'm going back home.
13:07Right now, I'm going back to back to my home.
13:10I'm waiting till they finish unloading.
13:12And then I'll go back where I left from to lay down there.
13:16I've got my wife and kids.
13:19They'll take care of me because they know what I have to go through on the road.
13:24But all that thing about the road.
13:26Yeah.
13:36The driver sets off for 10 more hours of driving in the opposite direction.
13:40In all, he will spend 20 hours behind the wheel of his truck.
13:47It's nearly midnight and Kevin comes across an obstruction.
13:50A tree is lying in the middle of the road.
13:54And around it, a man armed with machetes.
13:59We're just villagers.
14:02We're trying to free up the road so the vehicles can go by.
14:05Because after the heavy rains yesterday, this tree fell down.
14:09If we didn't do this, we'd have to wait for the workers from the provinces.
14:12It could take six to eight hours before they got here.
14:16Of course, their work deserves remuneration.
14:19They are not about to work for free.
14:22Certainly, we'll ask for money for cleaning the road.
14:24The people will pay us.
14:25And afterwards, they can go by.
14:27Kevin is no fool.
14:30You know, in my opinion, there are two possibilities.
14:32They could have either cut down the tree themselves.
14:35Or anyway, it's too dark to check.
14:39It's hard to believe that this tree fell down on its own.
14:42And once the road is clear, the gang shows its true colors.
14:46The racket is underway.
14:47We correspond in order.
15:03We're being thrown to the people.
15:06We are being thrown in the house.
15:09We've been taken over the years.
15:11We're going to take over the years.
15:13We're going to take over the years.
15:14Ironically, the tree that they took so much trouble to remove now serves as the tollbooth barrier to become the police stay cool, guys.
15:44Luckily for the road clearers, the policemen don't seem to want to kick up a fuss.
15:50We'll go speak to the villagers, and if they ask for money, we'll tell them not to charge too much.
15:54Under two euros would be good.
16:00If the police are turning a blind eye, it's because, above all, they want to avoid things getting out of hand.
16:05Tonight, no one has started in on the passengers, so for them, it's only a minor incident.
16:09Yeah, and at the same time, we're not asking for a lot, only five euros, and we don't rape women like they do in Wabag.
16:20The authorities end up by leaving.
16:22The extortion continues.
16:24After a three-hour wait, it's finally Kevin's turn.
16:30I've just got two euros.
16:32If they take them, great.
16:33If not, I'll sleep here.
16:37How much you got?
16:38Two euros.
16:40Oh, that's good.
16:41Hand it over.
16:44Kevin is relieved.
16:45He won't have to sleep on the road, and he didn't even have to argue.
16:49They told me that you can pass through.
16:50They told me, you can go through, because we know you.
16:54But what they know best is the company for which this driver works.
16:57Here, even the bandits avoid scamming the green T&A trucks, an organization known and respected all over the region.
17:07The boss is a Frenchman.
17:09All right, sir.
17:12Gerard Philippe has been living in Papua New Guinea for over 20 years and has made his fortune, thanks to the highway.
17:18And the local dialect, this means the Lord or the landowner.
17:30Here in Kundiawa, all the green shops, about half of all the stores belong to him.
17:36Here in just a few years, Gerard opened a bakery and also a butcher's.
17:48And then the town's first cafe.
17:56And since then, the never ending ballet of the trucks provides the rhythm of life in Kundiawa.
18:01With a road as unreliable as the Highland Highway, it's always a good idea to stock up, really stock up.
18:11Everything depends on road transport.
18:18Everything comes down the Highland Highway.
18:21If the motorway transport wasn't there, everything would shut down.
18:24In the rainy season, when there are landslides, the road can be closed for three days, four days, or as long as a week.
18:30We had a huge landslide here two years ago, and the road was shut down for a month.
18:36Gerard doesn't restrict himself to the small town of Kundiawa.
18:39He supplies the entire region and its 300,000 inhabitants.
18:47When the businessman walks through the market, he is no longer astonished to find his buns gracing the market stands.
18:53Gerard's greatest success is his supermarket.
19:03Never before has such a thing been seen in this isolated place.
19:08The Papua New Guineans have discovered consumer society, and they want more.
19:12This is good for Gerard's business, which never gets a moment's rest.
19:15In the back room, young women count the takings of the last few days.
19:29Here is what Gerard's seven businesses have brought in.
19:33It could be as much as a million or one and a half million.
19:36Ballpark figure.
19:37We transported ourselves in the car.
19:40Is there a bit of tension when you do that?
19:43Oh, we take security measures ourselves.
19:44We change our routine.
19:46We don't always do the same thing.
19:48We keep our eyes open.
19:49The same thing.
19:50And we keep our eyes open.
19:53But keeping one's eyes open is often not enough.
19:56We get ready when we go down, though.
20:02Gerard keeps his semi-automatic pistol on him, loaded and ready to shoot.
20:07The destination is the town's only bank.
20:10The journey takes only a few minutes.
20:12But letting one's guard down is out of the question.
20:17Mustn't nod off.
20:18You have to keep a good eye out.
20:20Behind, in front, to the right, to the left, looking at anything suspicious.
20:25And off we go.
20:26It's the signal.
20:37It's necessary to move quickly.
20:39The money is put in a safe place as soon as possible.
20:41The annual TNA turnover is close to 30 million euros.
20:50Banks, supermarkets, roads.
20:52Papua New Guinea is changing.
20:55Even in the most remote areas.
21:01Here in Goumine, it's a big day.
21:03They're celebrating the arrival of drinking water.
21:06Ministers, governors, government officials, all have turned out to celebrate the event.
21:16Among them is Gerard.
21:20After the traditional welcoming ceremony, the crowd heads off to the main square to inaugurate
21:31Goumine's very first faucet.
21:33Gerard is entitled to all the honours, even as a place at the tribunal.
21:44If you take good care of your coffee plants, you will become rich because coffee is Goumine's
21:49gold and oil.
21:55I declare this water supply open.
22:03This adventurer has wandered all over the world before making a stop here in the 1990s
22:15to become a pilot.
22:17For 16 years, he has flown over the country, braving death at the controls of his plane.
22:26Come and see this view here.
22:28It's extraordinary, isn't it?
22:29All these places, I've flown in them everywhere, between all these mountains, every day.
22:36You shouldn't tempt fate, though, so I reckon 16 years was enough.
22:41I've buried people who didn't quit because it's just a matter of statistics.
22:45One day, something is bound to happen.
22:48The plane, the only recourse for hundreds of isolated villagers in the jungle.
23:08Many pilots have lost their lives here.
23:11The dead husks of their machines are scattered about like sinister warnings.
23:14The tropical climate is unpredictable.
23:21At any moment, the meteorological conditions can deteriorate.
23:28But there are always some daredevils willing to take to the skies of Papua New Guinea.
23:33Antoine is a young New Zealander and has already notched up over 1,000 hours worth of flying above the country.
23:40This morning, however, he's hesitant about leaving.
23:42The clouds come down pretty low and there's a fair bit of rain and low visibility around the place,
23:47so it just makes it difficult to get around, especially when you're in mountainous terrain.
23:52So this guy here, the operations manager, he'll make a few phone calls and we'll make a decision from there on in.
23:58We're just waiting for them to call us back at the level of the sea.
24:02If it's still raining?
24:03Oh, we don't want to go.
24:05Yeah, it's not a fantastic area to be flying around in bad weather.
24:10We've got an HF radio over here, so we can call all the different strips and get a weather report from them.
24:15The Papua New Guinean weather forecasting system isn't the best.
24:18Do you think you're going to fly on that?
24:21Oh, probably.
24:22As soon as it clears up, Antoine takes his chances.
24:29He's transporting rice, biscuits and flour to the people of Caintiba.
24:34It's only 40 minutes flight away, but one of the most difficult places to access.
24:38The next group that we've got is trying to get over the range, just in the head of us.
24:54This is an incredibly tricky area to fly around when it's bad weather.
24:59The risk is the clouds that cluster together just above the mountains and hide the landscape.
25:08When you're in mountainous valleys like we are today, maybe they're given the chance of a collision.
25:14Really, that's about the only thing.
25:16You've got to respect the weather and you've got to respect the strengths.
25:21There's nothing to be fearful of.
25:22Um, I suppose you could say crashing.
25:27We wouldn't want to crash in this country.
25:31There's good visibility below the clouds.
25:37Antoine winds his way through the mountain crests.
25:41It's time to land.
25:43That tiny, far off strip of land is the Caintiba runway.
25:49It rained in the morning and the ground is muddy and slippery.
25:52At any second, the plane could bite the dust.
26:11In Caintiba, the arrival of a plane is an important event.
26:15We have no other forms of transport.
26:24It's only a plane.
26:25We don't have road services for big taxis or buses or whatever to go up and down.
26:31This is very remote.
26:32Most of the people here have not experienced going on a vehicle yet.
26:37They don't know.
26:38They have never sat on a seat of a car or bus.
26:42There's certainly no hospital here.
26:45There's just Sammy, the health worker for the whole region.
26:50When we have a patient who's injured or emergency...
26:53When someone is seriously injured or sick, if it's an emergency and the person might die,
26:58we bring them to Caintiba.
27:00The only place a plane can land and pick up the patient is here.
27:06If the plane is late, the patient will die.
27:09The patient dies.
27:09There's no other means.
27:13The sick person also needs to be able to pay for his or her ticket.
27:17It costs nearly 120 euros.
27:19Here, most of the locals live with less than 30 euros a year.
27:22Antoine only stays for a few minutes.
27:27Another community is waiting for him, down below, on another mountain.
27:42Back on the highway, just after Kundiawa.
27:45The truck must deliver two construction machines to the oil wells of Moro,
27:49300 kilometers further to the west.
27:52The road stops there, right in the middle of the jungle.
27:56At the wheel is Billy.
27:58His cargo is precious, so he never travels alone.
28:02But in the escort car, opens up the way.
28:07The road is bad here.
28:09Take care.
28:09Slow down.
28:15Slowly.
28:18On the highway, all the drivers know each other.
28:23Another trucker warns Billy via radio that there's a problem further down the road.
28:30But, well, the road is good.
28:32So what blocked road are you talking about?
28:34Billy, what are they saying?
28:36Is the road damaged or not?
28:37Yeah, they say there are problems in Kaupena.
28:42Okay, we'll be there in half an hour and we'll see what happened.
28:46Just before Kaupena, there is a police car stopping the trucks.
28:50And Billy finds out what's going on.
28:52That section of the road is, there's big potholes.
28:59It's very huge.
29:01So for bigger trucks to pass through, they can't make it through.
29:07Because that will cause more problems.
29:09Even the vehicle gets off the road, it blocks everything.
29:13For the moment, Billy's vehicle will have to stay put.
29:20Other trucks have already parked near to the small roadside cafe.
29:24It's a windfall for the cafe's proprietors.
29:28I've got coffee, biscuits, betel nuts, cigarettes.
29:31In this place, tucked away in the middle of nowhere, there are not many opportunities to have fun.
29:38For the men from the village, it's also an opportunity to make a bit of money by watching over the trucks.
29:43There are many thieves in the area.
29:45We own this land.
29:49This is our home.
29:51We keep watch.
29:52If they come here to steal, we'll chop them to bits.
30:01Bart and Billy leave their truck under a careful watch and go to take stock of the state of the road.
30:07Hi, hi.
30:12Wow, it's going to be a bitch to cross.
30:14Look at that.
30:15Oh, it's hard enough for the minibuses, but for us, it's impossible.
30:23There's a muddy trench in the middle of the road.
30:27But turning back without an official order is out of the question.
30:34I'm here with the escort car.
30:36I have to get tomorrow, but the road is blocked.
30:39It's difficult to get through.
30:41There's a hole and a climb, which is much too slippery.
30:43And my truck won't make it.
30:50So now we're going to start it.
30:51OK, now, now what do we do?
30:53Do we make a U-turn or what?
30:55The orders are strict.
30:56No U-turn is to be made.
31:01They must wait until the road is repaired.
31:03The minibuses filled with passengers are too impatient to wait.
31:07Only the four wheel drive vehicles make it through.
31:24Non four wheel drive vehicles have to rely on the local villagers strength to get them through.
31:29Come on forward.
31:34That's it. Come on. Come on straight.
31:37Why are you stopping?
31:38It's going to get through.
31:44Soon the minibuses misadventures attract the curiosity of the villagers.
31:47And after 30 minutes, it finally makes it.
31:59These vehicles are the only method of communal transport in Papua New Guinea.
32:03But not everyone enjoys the comfort of the minibuses in Kundiawa each afternoon, the pickups are besieged.
32:18The mountain dwellers are finished at the market, and now it's time to return to the heights.
32:22Hey, clear off, get out of the way, otherwise it'll run you over.
32:35The car is packed, overloaded, in fact.
32:38However, Paul is getting ready to tackle the highest peak of Papua New Guinea, Mount Wilhelm.
32:47The young drivers are scared to come here.
32:49And they drive on the highway, but up here, never.
32:56It's dangerous.
32:59We need this road to survive.
33:02So we keep using it.
33:06He's been making the same journey for over 20 years with his faithful pickup.
33:12The gear stick moves on its own, but that's not because of any high tech equipment.
33:16The car is the same as the road.
33:18It's old and battered.
33:21The road damages the car.
33:23The holes, the rain, the landslide.
33:25The government does nothing.
33:27This is a corrupt country, you know, Papua New Guinea.
33:30Nobody gives a shit about this road.
33:31Happy Christmas.
33:32Happy Christmas.
33:33Happy Christmas.
33:33Happy Christmas.
33:46In the back, the atmosphere is surprisingly good.
33:49In any case, the passengers don't really have a choice.
34:00He's only the accessible for us.
34:01It's the only way we can make the climb here.
34:03We have your market and then we go back up.
34:05Even when you're used to it, certain things still surprise you.
34:17Come on, you have to push.
34:19Come on, push.
34:22If they get stuck, the customers have to lend a hand.
34:24All right, come on, climb back in, get back in, we're leaving.
34:34All the people in the back, Paul is using a lot of petrol.
34:45As there are no savings to be made, he prefers to let his old banger freewheel during the descent.
34:55When we come down the hill, when we go down the slope, if the brakes loosen or we lose a wheel, the car will become uncontrollable.
35:02We could leave the road and end up going over the cliff.
35:07Playing the same game, many drivers find themselves at the bottom of the ravine, along with all their passengers.
35:15Now look at that, we'll have to swim for it.
35:33But this is no pleasure cruise in the back.
35:35It was already uncomfortable, but at least until now, the weather was pleasant.
35:42We have a big rain coming down.
35:43We have a big rain coming down, but at these altitudes, the temperatures fall very quickly.
35:53The chill settles in with the rain, which soaks everything, the passengers, along with the road.
36:06Happily, the end of the voyage is in sight.
36:08The pickup will take three hours to travel just 50 kilometers.
36:21On each journey, Paul brings supplies to the little shop in the village of Gambogli.
36:38At an altitude of two and a half kilometers, the locals live off the coffee culture.
36:42The little money they earn, they spend here on pasta, rice or cigarettes.
36:55Lower down in the valley, we find Billy.
36:58While waiting for the road to be repaired, he has parked his truck in the village.
37:02Tonight, he'll sleep amongst his family.
37:04Hurry up and make something to eat.
37:08Billy's here.
37:09Have you told the kids to cook or not?
37:12No, I told the women.
37:13They're returning from the fields and the market.
37:15Hurry up, make us some food.
37:18Ah, my brother, it's good to see you.
37:21I see my wife, I see my brother here.
37:23I see my wife, my brother here, my mother.
37:26All the family members are here.
37:28I feel surrounded.
37:29It feels really good.
37:30Does he take care of you?
37:31Yeah.
37:32Very much.
37:33Just like now, you can see.
37:34Yes, yes, they really do.
37:36Look, they're in the middle of making me something to eat.
37:39Billy will not be the only one to savor the feast.
37:42Tonight, all the neighbors are going to benefit from the charity of the driver
37:45who has returned to the fold.
37:48Whenever I come back here, I give them some money.
37:50I help them financially.
37:52Everything they want, I give to them.
37:54In order to bring money back home, Billy takes many risks.
37:59Tiny, his mother, worries more than the rest.
38:05I do worry a lot.
38:06When he goes to lay, I stay up and I can't get to sleep.
38:12I think about all the rascals, the bandits who might kill him or wound him.
38:17Kill him.
38:18I think about accidents, about his truck overturning or falling into a ravine.
38:22It's only when he calls to tell me that he's arrived safely, that I can finally go to sleep.
38:29There are all sorts of dangers on the road.
38:34For example, if one day another driver from the company knocks someone over on the road,
38:38it gets risky for me.
38:40People accuse me of being responsible.
38:41And when they see me, they'll attack me with an axe or a machete, saying,
38:45it was you.
38:48Even if I explain to them, they'll make me shut up and they'll kill me.
38:52In Papua New Guinea, it's really dangerous being a trucker.
38:56There's no point in dwelling on the topic.
38:59And they prefer to tell stories.
39:00Ah, you should have seen this film, mate.
39:06An amazing fighter, Rambo, takes his massive machine gun, climbs on the car, and then, boom.
39:12Yeah, that's how he shoots.
39:14You better believe it.
39:15Does the job.
39:19Only a few kilometers away, the war is far from fictional.
39:23Tribes and clans often fight over women, land, even villages.
39:27In Papua New Guinea, tribal wars are traditional.
39:30Only today, the fights are a lot bloodier.
39:34Before, we fought with spears, bows, and arrows.
39:36When we were injured, we could pull them out.
39:38Now, we shoot at each other with pistols.
39:40It's a lot more dangerous.
39:42Before, it was a kind of a game.
39:43Now, far too many people have died.
39:48These men have been at war for the past three months.
39:50Their camouflage must raise a smile.
39:53But there's nothing funny about their weapons.
39:55In the last few days, they've killed a dozen or so people.
39:59We've got AR-15.
40:01We've got M-16.
40:02We've got AR-15s, also M-16s, homemade weapons, spears, axes, and machetes.
40:08Axe and bushknives.
40:09Hey, it's waiting here.
40:10They exchange the hashish they grow illegally for weapons, often provided by smugglers.
40:15When the enemies arrive, I do this.
40:18I do like this.
40:19The rest of the weapons are home-made.
40:27All this is local handiwork.
40:29The pipe is made from a truck tow-rope.
40:31It has the same diameter as an M-16 bullet.
40:34They put them in like this.
40:35We put in the bullet and we close it, like that, with this.
40:39We turn it so that the barrel is well blocked.
40:42When we shoot, the bullet comes out, but the pipe stays put.
40:45Looting, rapes, lynching, when these villagers play at being warriors, they are capable of extreme violence.
40:54You know, our families can't sleep at night anymore.
40:57When the fighting intensifies, the others might come and hunt us out of our village.
41:01They burn houses.
41:02They massacre people.
41:03He said, I want to shoot someone.
41:13And that person is our cameraman.
41:17The guy who made the joke in poor taste is high on drugs.
41:21Here, people often mix weapons and narcotics.
41:23These remote areas drivers are instructed never to stop if they accidentally hit a villager or an animal.
41:42Billy takes up his journey once again.
41:46And he's going full throttle.
41:48He's been stuck for three days and must now make up for lost time.
41:53I've got to keep an eye on these two rear view mirrors at all times, just to make sure that there's no problem with the cargo.
42:09As soon, however, he's forced to stop once again.
42:18What is outing the most?
42:20Ah, the backbone, the backbone.
42:21Ah, my spine.
42:23Ah, my testicles.
42:25I always have to put something underneath, like my towel, to ease them up a bit.
42:29And with all these potholes, it shakes hard up and down, and I have to protect them.
42:37You know, when the family jewels are bouncing around like that, oof, it hurts.
42:44But it's not just the driver who is taking a beating.
42:47In the back of the back, the two machines are shaking about more and more.
42:56The chain is slipped.
42:58The chain slipped.
42:58We've got to check it and tighten it.
43:01Tighten it up again.
43:02We need to stop and take a look.
43:03It's more serious than expected.
43:04One of the machines has already moved dangerously.
43:04It's tire has shifted 20 or so centimeters.
43:09It's going to happen down.
43:10The machines bounce around constantly, and the chain is too small.
43:12It can't take the pressure.
43:14And the machines are too heavy.
43:15The chain is broken.
43:16And then they have to fix it and tighten it properly.
43:32Barton's his assistant Paul, have to muddle through and tighten the chains as best as they can.
43:36Bart and his assistant, Paul, have to muddle through
43:38and tighten the chains as best as they can.
43:45Put it in the middle.
43:46Oh, that's all it is.
43:51After two hours' effort, the two men fall upon a lucky solution.
43:55Finish, how we go?
43:56It's done. We can go.
44:03Now our load will move like that.
44:05If we go too quickly, it'll fall.
44:08That's why we must be sensible and drive very slowly.
44:11Careful. This is the other way.
44:26But just a few kilometers later, they must make another emergency stop.
44:33It's on the center section now.
44:36The wheel is once more out of line.
44:38And worse, Bart realizes that the other machine has begun to move.
44:42You saw it at the back?
44:44Yeah, it's dangerous.
44:46Okay, wait.
44:47Pull it.
44:49Make sure you check it regularly.
44:51Yes, yes, I'll make good use of my mirror.
44:56Moro and its petrol wells are not very far off.
44:59But at any moment, the load could topple.
45:06The chains have got to hold.
45:07Otherwise, we're screwed.
45:12It's okay.
45:13We'll be arriving soon.
45:14Billy finally reaches the heavily-guarded gates of the oil-drilling site.
45:26That is heavy stuff, mate.
45:40You're going to need a bloody big crane to unload all of that.
45:44But now, Billy's work is over.
45:46Life should be better.
45:48I feel better now.
45:49Everything is safe.
45:51The journey that should have taken three days has ended up taking over a week.
45:55Here, it's a long way from the highway and its trucks, and the walkers climb down the mountain.
46:16In this remote village, everyone is gathering at Golgami, the most important village in the area.
46:22It's the 25th of December, and nobody wants to miss Christmas Mass.
46:28Over the past 60 years, Christianity has infiltrated even the most remote areas of Papua New Guinea.
46:38Father Matthew is leading proceedings.
46:43Merry Christmas, everyone.
46:45Merry Christmas, everyone.
46:52After three hours of Mass, one is allowed to take several liberties with the liturgy.
47:10Like any self-respecting Father Christmas, this one has not come empty-handed.
47:15Everyone was awaiting his general distribution of lollipops.
47:19Father Matthew heads about a dozen churches in the region and several hundred parishes.
47:37The mass comes to an end, but for this man of the cloth, there's no time to rest.
47:41I'm putting the water to put it in the car.
47:42I must put water in the tank.
47:44Yeah.
47:45He's getting ready for his big tour of the parishes.
47:48His main ally in spreading the good word is this old dilapidated car that he pampers prior to each departure.
47:54No one else dares to go adventuring on the slopes that he takes each week.
48:10But for his parishioners, the priest braves all the dangers.
48:13Right, my friend, I'm a priest, so as there are people who live on the other side, I must go and see them to give the Mass, to take their confessions.
48:24My life is devoted to them.
48:25I must go.
48:27As he carves out his route, hey, brother, I'm off to Guille.
48:32Father Matthew is not the type to pass unnoticed.
48:34The slope seems impossible, but it's not enough to dissuade this priest, who's an expert in handling the terrain.
48:55I love driving on this road.
49:04At the wheel, Father Matthew is jubilant.
49:18It's almost a sport now.
49:20And it's exciting at the same time.
49:34There's a big cliff just below.
49:42If I miss the road, I wouldn't survive.
49:45It would be curtains for me.
49:47At the end of my life.
49:5520 kilometers and just over an hour later, Father Matthew finally arrives.
49:59Hardly anybody ever visits here, so each of the priest's visits is a cause for celebration.
50:17Why is that your dog?
50:20Oh, he's so cute.
50:22It's part of my personal care to the family.
50:24This is part of my duties towards the families and villages.
50:27I must show them that I am here.
50:29So if they have the slightest request or complaint or whatever it may be, I must forward it to the authorities so they can do something about it.
50:41But it's been a long time since the state has forgotten these remote villages lost in the jungle.
50:47In Papua New Guinea, 80 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
50:51And here Father Matthew's little white Jeep is about the only vehicles the inhabitants will ever see.
50:58And here, Father Matthew's little white Jeep is about the only vehicles the inhabitants will ever see.
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