00:00 Papua New Guinea is one of the world's last frontiers of adventure. In a country that still remains isolated from the rest of the world, roads are practically non-existent.
02:02 The trucks carrying goods are threatened not only by bandits, but also by the Highland Highway, a road destroyed by traffic and weather.
06:40 Drivers use betel, a drug that keeps them on the road.
08:20 Potholes on the road damage the vehicles using it.
13:46 Bandits block vehicles to extort money from drivers.
17:05 Gérald Philippe, a Frenchman, has set up a number of businesses on the highway, including a brand of goods transport that delivers throughout the region.
21:00 In one of the highway's villages, the arrival of drinking water is celebrated.
23:00 For some mountain villages, airplanes are the only accessible means of transport.
27:40 Back on the highway, the road comes to an abrupt halt in the middle of the jungle.
32:08 To get back up into the mountains, locals climb into buses and pickups.
36:52 Drivers are often stranded by damaged roads.
39:18 Tribal warfare is a traditional issue in Papua.
41:40 For drivers, the road is a constant source of injuries.
46:04 Even in remote valleys, everyone comes down from the mountains for Christmas mass.
Officially, there are only 700 kilometres of paved roads. The capital itself, Port Moresby, is cut off from the rest of the territory and is not served by any road system. It is accessible only by plane. This explains the importance of the Highland Highway: this road is one of the few in the country. It’s the biggest and, most importantly, the only one that provides a link between the towns and villages of the mountains with the coast. For the inhabitants of the highlands it is also the only supply route. However, this road is extremely difficult. It runs through the wildest and most dangerous regions in the country. It very soon gives way to increasingly deep potholes and a road surface that is either breaking up or has completely subsided. Landslips, mud slides, accidents… there are many dangers on the Highway. Truck drivers are also often targeted by armed gangs who hold travelers for ransom. Kevin has been making this trip for ten years. At the wheel of his imposing American truck he makes three trips a week to supply the town of Kundiawa. His boss? A French ex-pat, who’s been in Papua Asia for more than 20 years. This adventurer has made a new life in the heart of the mountains of Papua Asia. He owns several trucks and most of the shops in town. He has become a respected person in the highlands. They even call him “the lord”! And what lies under the ground in Papua Asia has whetted the appetites of major international mining companies. There’s an abundance of gold, gas and oil here, but most exploitations are in the deepest part of the tropical jungle. They have an enormous need for equipment. A number of experienced drivers regularly risk their lives in these forgotten regions. Such is Billy’s case. His mission: drive two giant plant machines to the Moro oil well. A testing journey deep in a hostile forest. Beyond the Highway: the jungle and the mountains! Most villages can only be reached by plane. Every year pilots lose their lives in the highlands. The weather is unpredictable and the airstrips barely usable. Most of the time they are slippery strips of mud. Antony, a young New Zealander, has been doing this job for a year now. It’s a high-risk occupation, but it’s also his passion. On the rare tracks in the country, the only means of public transport remain some old, beaten-up pick-up trucks. Their drivers pay absolutely no attention to safety standards. With his vehicle laden with passengers and supplies, Paul makes daily trips to the villages on Mount Wilhelm?the highest peak in Papua Asia?from the valley. Here, brakes and suspension get a severe testing! The least error means a certain plunge to the bottom of a ravine… It’s here, on the roof of Papua Asia, that Father Matthew lives. He’s a Papuan priest and he’s a unique character. On this Christmas Day he celebrates a huge mass before setting off on forgotten trails that only he dares to take. His destination? Villages far from anywhere where he must spread the good word. -
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