LAKES,KAYAKING, WATERFALLS: 15-MINUTES BOAT TRIP FROM LAE CITY

Have you ever wondered where in Lae you would find white sandy beaches, pristine waters to cool off, take your kids for a picnic or maybe bring your team for a barbecue in the serenity of nature?

Typically, Lae as the industrial hub of Papua New Guinea, dusty roads, crowded shopping centers and generally noisy environment are part of life and business in the Morobean capital.

We don’t see a lot of cruise liners and tourists at our ports, but more often we are greeted by international friends who came here for business, studies and work or leisure.

We have a good number of expatriates who have become part of Lae and its changes in development over the past decades. They have families and children who have grown up in Lae, attended our schools, worshiped at our church, played and supported our sporting teams and have blended into our culture.

In 2014, Emma Nasinom started the LaeAbout tours as part of her hobby to take her friends out to her village and unwind after a busy week of work.

Emma who works as a registrar at the Salvation Army’s Lae Primary School is from Labu-Miti village across the Huon Gulf, a 15minutes boat ride from the Lae main wharf.

Situated along the eastern shoreline off the Markham river, Labu villages holds a unique experience for people looking for adventures. Labu people speaks the unique Hapa language which is different from most coastal villages who mainly communicated in Yabim and Kotec.

The 38-year old single mom says her expatriate colleagues were the first visitors on her first trip and from then her interest in the business grew.

“We do tours around the Labu lake, visit the main village, trekking, kayaking and trying out the Kupuli waterfall,” an elated but soft-spoken Emma told me.

In 2016, Emma brought her guests to the Bula Falls at Busamang village in Salamaua. This is one of several must-see destination in Morobe for someone who wish to get away from the hustles and bustles of Lae city.

Salamaua is renowned for its part in the Japanese occupation of Lae during the second World War. Labu had its fair share of the Battle of Salamaua where war remnants still remain in the lake and swamplands of the Huon Gulf.

“As our motto stated I came, I saw and captured drives the agenda of visiting Morobe one village at a time,” says Emma.

(From L-R; Shallene, Natasha and Emma at Labu Lake

In 2017, Emma’s sister Shallene came on board and helped out in setting up and managing a Facebook page that LaeAbout tours use to advertise its packages.

“One of our many challenges is to juggle our full-time job and family obligations with planning and organizing trips,” says Shallene who is specialized in IT and software support.

They are also getting support from the local villagers who help out as tour guides, prepare food and provide security for the tourists. Initially about four young men were engaged; one as the boat operator, a boat crew, tour guide and the other as an assistant to the trio.

Locally prepared food at Labu

The Labu villages have quite a number of local cuisines to offer. From fresh fish, mud crabs, creamed banana and greens to a refreshing kulau among others. What more could you ask for.

You can bring along your friends, with music box, a couple of cold ones and enjoy the magnificent view across the Lae port.

“We got our friends from the SIL and some locals joining us on the tour since 2017. We also did a tour of the main village and then taking the tourist all the way to Bulolo,” says Emma.

Being a small set up, LaeAbout tours is all about driving a community-based tourism platform where it is planning to involve other Labu villages.

The steps taken by LaeAbout tours are bound to establish a market for the locals and other tour operators where it will provide an avenue for all of them to involve and interact with each other.

“We would like to collaborate with other tour operators so we can share and enhance our experiences and challenges to drive the industry forward.”

“Every place has its significance and story to tell, we need to educate our younger generation and our visitors as well on certain cultural and historical backgrounds,” added Shallene.

The coastline from Labu up to Busamang in Salamaua is a nesting ground for leatherback turtles. This March, leatherback turtle eggs are expected to hatch and photographers are expected to be setting up their lens from a far.

“Emma and Shallene have greater dreams and aspirations and one of them is preserving the hatching site for leatherback turtles,” says Lae City Tourism Bureau Executive Officer Maine Sam Winny.

LCTB has been closely checking and giving advise on the technical aspects of tourism which includes accommodation, security and product branding etc. which can make a complete tour package.

While Emma and Shallene’s are ambitious about promoting their village and neighboring villages, they ultimately need the support of the tourism office to help promote their work.

In my next chapter, I am hoping to share my experiences paddling in a kayak or maybe a fishing expedition at the Labu lake. If time permits, I might be able to share a few photos as well on leatherback turtles hatching and eco-tourism.

Check LaeAbout tours for your next weekend getaway or holidays.

Photo credit: Fred Cook Jnr (Cookie Piksa)