This is the fascinating account of Tree's journeys in the remote Highlands of Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya--one of the most dangerous regions on Earth. The author travels with a PNG Highlander who introduces her to his complex, traditional world, a world that is changing rapidly as it encounters new ideas, modern technologies, and the economic and political challenges of the 20the century.

Following the route taken by British explorer Ivan Champion in 1927, and amid breathtaking landscapes and wildlife, Salak traveled across this remote Pacific island - often called the last frontier of adventure travel - by dugout canoe and on foot. Along the way, she stayed in a village where cannibals m was still practiced behind the backs of the missionaries, met the leader of the OPM - the separatist guerrilla movement opposing the Indonesian occupation of Western New Guinea - and undertook an epic trek through the jungle. The New York Times said ''Kira Salak is tough, a real - life Lara Croft.'' And Edward Marriott, proclaimed Four Corners to be ''A travel book that transcends the genre?It is, like all the best travel narratives, a resonant interior journey, and offers wisdom for our times.''

Enhanced with anecdotes and bolded messages, a travel guide for women of all ages offers practical advice on packing, planning, and safety, along with a full list of website resources and advice on the latest travel technology.

"Papua New Guinea, the second largest island in the world after Greenland, is a land where complexity reigns. The extreme diversity of natural environments is reflected in a fragmentation of the people, languages, customs and traditions that is unlike any other country on Earth. It is an ethnic kaleidoscope, a mosaic of languages and cultures - slightly more than seven million inhabitants (with Papua New Guinea and Irian Jaya combined) speak almost one thousand distinct languages, comprising almost a fifth of all the languages spoken on the planet. Papua New Guinea not only hosts the last cannibals on Earth, a topic already much written about, but more importantly, it is also the undisputed home of the world's "last men," Here, in pockets of prehistory hidden from time and by nature, there still survives something of original man, who is required to expend all his efforts, every day, to resolve the problems of food and survival." "This volume, which was written by two travelers and photographers who are experts in reporting from the ends of the Earth, lago Corazza and Greta Ropa, and contains an introduction by anthropologist Nicola Pagano, is dedicated to this heritage of humanity, which will probably be unable to resist the advancement of modernization. This is a work that describes daily life, the difficulties of survival, the magnificent and at times hostile environment, the history, and the biological characteristics of the animals and vegetation - all with the immediacy of a documentary and the directness of a journalistic report."--BOOK JACKET.

This is the remarkable and highly entertaining story of a young English woman who made a two-year expedition through the highlands and jungles, and along the rivers, of Papua New Guinea - alone. 1,000 miles of this journey was undertaken on a stallion called "Horse." Christina had many adventures and hair-raising moments, yet this courageous woman makes light of all of them. Christina continues the tradition of such renowned travellers as Gertrude Bell, Isabella Bird and Ella Maillart.

East of Java, west of Tahiti and north of the Cape York Peninsula of Australia lie the unknown paradise islands of the Coral, Solomon and Bismarck Seas. They were perhaps the last inhbited place on earth to be explored by Europeans and even today many remain largely unspoilt, despite the former presence of German, British and even Australian colonial rulers. The historic anthropological work of Bronislaw Malinowski guides the author through the seductive labyrinth of the Trobriand 'Islands of Love' and the erotic dancers of the yam festival. Darkly humorous characters, both historical and contemporary, spring vividly to life as the author steers the reader through the ricly fascinting cultures of Melanesia.

Acclaimed travel writer Rick Antonson (Full Moon Over Noah’s Ark) tackles his most challenging adventure yet: a formidable trail through the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea. Rick Antonson has traveled to parts of the world that are not simply exotic but sometimes damned near inaccessible. He has climbed to the summit of Mount Ararat in eastern Turkey, traveling beyond to Iraq and Iran and Armenia. He has undertaken an improbable overland journey to the ancient city of Timbuktu, an enlightening look into efforts to preserve the city’s priceless manuscripts. Now he has traversed the notorious Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea, a country some call “the last wild place on earth.” The trail is a narrow, 60-mile footpath featuring rough jungle, 6,000 feet in elevation change, and punishing weather extremes. In a country unfairly locked in Western misperceptions, the track is inhospitable terrain yet home to hospitable indigenous peoples, who live among the rusting reminders of the Japanese, Australian, and American armies that clashed in some of the deadliest protracted combat of World War II. In Walking With Ghosts in Papua New Guinea, Antonson shares a journey of physical and mental endurance in his inimitable way, in the company of a mixed band of resolute adventurers, blending fascinating historical context with the tribulations of unexpected discoveries in faraway lands.

In the wilds of the most diverse nation on earth, while she copes with crocodiles under the blackboard and sorcery in the office, Trish Nicholson survives near-fatal malaria and mollifies irascible politicians and an ever-changing roster of bosses – realities of life for a development worker. With a background in anthropology and a successful management career in Europe, five years on a development project in the remote West Sepik province of Papua New Guinea more than fulfils Trish Nicholson’s desire for a challenge. In extreme tropical conditions, with few only sometimes-passable roads, travel is by a balus – an alarmingly tiny plane, landing on airstrips cut with grass knives and squeezed between mountains. Students build their own schools, babies’ weights are recorded in rice bags and women walk for days, carrying their produce to market. Physically tested by dense jungle and swaying vine bridges, Trish’s patience is stretched by nothing ever being what it seems and with ‘yes’ usually meaning ‘no’. Assignments in isolated outstations provide surreal moments, like the 80-year-old missionary in long friar’s robes revealing natty turquoise shorts as he tears away on an ancient motorbike. Adventures on nearby Pacific islands relieve the intensity of life in a close-knit community of nationals and a cosmopolitan mix of expat ‘characters’. Local women offer friendship, but their stories are often heart-breaking. More chaos arrives with Frisbee, the dog she inherits when the project manager leaves, along with other project expats. Tensions increase between local factions supporting the project and those who feel threatened by it – and stuck in the middle is Trish. Her emotionally engaging memoir Inside the Crocodile is full of humour, adventure, iron determination and... Frisbee the dog. It is beautifully illustrated with colour photos of Trish’s time there.