点评:While in PNG, I met one other solo traveler and we decided to split costs and travel together to the Sepik. I had already reached out to Cyril Tara (thanks to Andrew W. below for his tips and answers to my questions!), but plans fell through as Cyril's boat had problems. Cyril then recommended I reach out to a few other guides, including Johannes Teven (WhatsApp +675 7363 7760), who I would highly recommend as a guide.
Over 6 days and 5 nights, we overnighted once at Wagu Lake to see the birds of paradise in the morning, then two nights by Johannes' home in the hill above Ambunti while the festival was on, then one night in Mino village after seeing some Upper Sepik villages (Yambun, Maliwei) and spirit houses, then one last night in Ambunti again after visiting Johannes' home village of Urumbanj and adjacent Tongwinjamb.
The crocodile festival was incredible to see and we were left to wander there on our own. It was a great way to see all the Sepik cultures represented from regions we weren't able to visit, including the Lower Sepik tribes who scar their skin. People were very friendly, and it was clear how enthusiastic everyone was to participate in the festival. Non-stop singsings, even out of turn!
Johannes made excellent planning for the rest of the trip. He bought ample food (and was a great cook), water, general supplies, and supplied us with mosquito nets and bedding. We had 4x4 transport to and from Wewak to Pagwi. He also hired a boat driver and a helper, as is custom. I appreciated his transparent approach of quoting us a price, but having us pay every portion of it piecemeal (i.e. supplies, car rental, gasoline, nightly accommodation), each subtracted from the total payment, leaving the rest as his own take-home money. Having messaged many other guides to inquire, Johannes' price was competitive, but honest and realistic -- we saw one other group whose guide agreed to a price too low that they ran into conflict stiffing other parties.
As there were a few other groups around in time for the festival, trying to see the birds of paradise at Wagu was a bit of a mess. Yet Johannes was the only guide who knew where to look! We saw 6, and by the time the other groups found us, they were gone.
From various conversations, it's clear that Johannes is keen to take travelers who are willing to even more remote stretches of the Sepik further upriver. He's seen it all, he seems to know people everywhere he stops, and he's clearly knowledgeable.
It was also such a cool experience to visit Johannes' home village, one that's a half hour walk away from the water. We got much more of a sense of village life there than elsewhere, as he would point out all the places significant to him and his own life story and say hi to everyone. On our final night in Ambunti, we also got to see members of his home village who were packing up from the festival do one last singsing up in the hills, just for their own enjoyment! It was a trip with a lovely personal touch.
翻译:在巴布亚新几内亚时,我遇到了另一位单独旅行者,我们决定分摊费用并一起前往塞皮克。我已经联系了西里尔·塔拉(感谢下面的安德鲁·W. 提供的提示和对我问题的回答!),但由于西里尔的船出现了问题,计划失败了。西里尔随后建议我联系其他几位导游,包括约翰内斯·特文 (Johannes Teven)(WhatsApp +675 7363 7760),我强烈推荐他作为导游。
在 6 天 5 夜的时间里,我们早上在瓦古湖 (Wagu Lake) 过夜,看天堂鸟,然后在节日期间在安本蒂 (Ambunti) 上方山上的约翰内斯 (Johannes) 家住了两晚,然后在米诺村 (Mino Village) 看了一些鸟后住了一晚。上塞皮克村庄(Yambun,马里维)和灵屋,最后一晚在参观了约翰内斯的家乡 Urumbanj 村和邻近的 Tongwinjamb 后再次来到 Ambunti。
鳄鱼节真是令人难以置信,我们只能自己在那里闲逛。这是一个很好的方式来了解我们无法访问的地区所代表的所有塞皮克文化,包括皮肤上有疤痕的下塞皮克部落。人们非常友好,可以看出每个人都非常热情地参与这个节日。不停地唱歌,甚至不按顺序唱歌!
约翰内斯为接下来的旅行做了出色的计划。他买了充足的食物(而且是一位出色的厨师)、水、一般用品,并为我们提供了蚊帐和床上用品。我们有四驱车往返韦瓦克和帕格威。按照惯例,他还聘请了一名船夫和一名助手。我很欣赏他以透明的方式向我们报出价格,但让我们零碎地支付每一部分(即用品、汽车租赁、汽油、每晚住宿),每部分从总付款中扣除,剩下的作为他自己的带回家的钱。在给许多其他导游发信息询问后,约翰内斯的价格很有竞争力,但诚实而现实——我们看到另一组导游同意的价格太低,以至于他们与其他各方发生了冲突。
由于节日期间还有其他一些团体在附近,试图在瓦古观看天堂鸟有点混乱。然而约翰内斯是唯一知道该去哪里寻找的向导!我们看到了 6 个,当其他小组找到我们时,他们已经走了。
从各种谈话中可以明显看出,约翰内斯热衷于带那些愿意前往塞皮克河上游更偏远地区的旅行者。他见过这一切,他似乎认识所到之处的人,而且他显然知识渊博。
参观约翰内斯的家乡也是一次很酷的经历,那里距离水边有半小时的步行路程。与其他地方相比,我们对那里的乡村生活有了更多的了解,因为他会指出所有对他来说重要的地方和他自己的生活故事,并向每个人打招呼。在安本蒂的最后一晚,我们还看到了他家乡从节日收拾行李的人们在山上唱最后一首歌曲,只是为了自己的享受!这是一次充满可爱个人风格的旅行。