Hobo tourism/Viktor Pinchuk's expedition to Papua New Guinea

Expedition to Papua New Guinea — conditional name of the project of the Russian traveler Viktor Pinchuk.

Border crossing between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
From left to right: Indonesian Papuans (1-2); traveler (3); a representative of the border guard (4).

Letter of Recommendation from the Ukrainian Consulate in Kuala Lumpur to Papuan colleagues to open a visa to the Crimean travel journalist

Papua New Guinea visa (was obtained in the capital of Malaysia)

The semi-annual route was included nine countries: Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.

General information

• Duration: 6 months.
• Period: 13.12. 2012 — 5. 06. 2013
• Idea: Viktor Pinchuk.
• Number of participants: 1 (one).
• Starting point: Kuala Lumpur.
• Number of countries visited: nine (including 9 Islands).
• Way to get: plane.
• Ways to move: air transport, land transport, water transport, pedestrian routes.
• Nature of the journey: research, photography.
• Purpose: collection of material on countries and continents.
• Format: lengthy hobo tour, bum tour.

Places visited

• Malaysia (West Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, Labuan). Localities: Kuala Lumpur, Raub, Ulu Dong, Jeram Besu, Kota Kinabalu, Menumbok, Bandar Labuan, Miri, Sandakan, Sukau, Keningau (transit), Malacca City.
• Brunei (both parts). Localities: Muara (transit), Bandar Seri Begawan, Tutong.
• Indonesia (Sumatra, Java, Sumbawa, Sulawesi, Western New Guinea). Localities: Dumai, Kota Pinang (transit), Parapat, Tuk-tuk and Tomok villages (Samosir), Bukittinggi, Maninjau (village on the shore of lake the same name), Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Borobudur (village near the temple), Surabaya, Probolinggo (transit), Cemoro Lawang, Denpasar (transit), Mataram,Sumbawa Besar, Putopedu, Bima, Sape, Tolokalo, Makassar, Wamena, Kurima, Lonsor, Harapan, Napua, Kurulu, Pasir putih, Jayapura.
• Papua New Guinea. Localities: Vanimo, Varaston, Aitape, Wewak, Madang, Mount Hagen, Amaral, Tukusunda, Lae, Port Moresby.
• Hong Kong (main island and Lantau Island). Localities: Tai O (fishing town).
• China. Localities: Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Huangshan, Hongcun (traditional village), Shanghai, Suzhou, Tongli (village on the water), Zhouzhuang (village on the water), Beijing, Pingyao, Xi'an, Guilin, Yangshuo County, Kunming (transit).
• Laos. Localities: Luang Prabang, Xam Neua, Vang Vieng, Vientiane, Pakse, Champasak.
• Cambodia. Localities: Phnom Penh, Kampong Thom, Siem Reap.
• Thailand. Localities: Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Chiang Mai, Sukhothai, Buriram, Nakhon Ratchasima.

Мap of the route

The methods applied

In the process of moving along the route the following accommodation options were used:

• At the hostels — in Malaysia and China (many times).
• In the houses of local people — in Tutong (Brunei), in Tolokalo village (Sumbawa, Indonesia), in Jayapura (Western New Guinea), in Papua New Guinea (during the route in different localities)
• On the staircases of houses — in Shenzhen (China), Hong Kong.
• On the shore of the lakes, seas and oceans — in the village of Putopedu (Sumbawa Island, Indonesia), on the island of Labuan (Malaysia), on the shore of Snake lake (Brunei).
• In the communes and companies of homeless people — in Jakarta and Surabaya (Indonesia), in Guangzhou (China).
• At the police station — in Lae (Papua New Guinea), in Guangzhou (China).
• On objects under construction — in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
• In low-cost accommodation — in Malaysia, Indonesia, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand.
• In abandoned, dilapidated houses — in Kuala Lumpur; near Lambir Hills Nature Reserve, in Sarawak (Malaysia).

Outcomes and results

Author’s articles published in "Republic of Crimea" (newspaper): (in Russian):

• Полгода по островам… — 4. 07. 2013. — № 18 (990);
• На Борнео через Калимантан — 18. 07. 2013. — № 19 (991);
• Брунейские приключения начинаются… — 1. 08. 2013. — № 20 (992);
• Новый год на Змеином озере — 22. 08. 2013. — № 21 (992);
• Назад в Малайзию: туда, где ещё не бывал — 5. 09. 2013. — № 22 (994);
• Две лестницы и 100 долларов за подъём — 19. 09. 2013. — № 23 (995);
• Фауна малайского Борнео — 3. 10. 2013. — № 24 (996);
• Два Сусанина для одного иностранца — 24. 10. 2013. — № 25 (997);
• Медицина по-малазийски — 14. 10. 2013. — № 26 (998);
• Крымский гуру на Суматре — 13. 12. 2013. — № 28 (1000);
• Печальная школа автостопа — 16. 01. 2014. — № 1 (1002);
• Жемчужина Западной Суматры — 30. 01. 2014. — № 2 (1003);
• Наяву на Яву прибыл… — 13. 02. 2014. — № 3 (1004);
• Череззаборный «тур» на Боробудур — 19. 03. 2014. — № 5 (1006);
• В джунглях культурной столицы — 27. 03. 2014. — № 6 (1007);
• Остров действующих вулканов — 19. 04. 2014. — № 7 (1008);
• Через три острова… автобусом — 24. 04. 2014. — № 8 (1009).

Author’s articles in other periodicals (in Russian):

• «Гость – на кровати, хозяин – на коврике» — Republic: newspaper. — 14.11.2013. — № 44 (129);
• «От дуриана до мангостина» — Republic: newspaper. — 29.05.2014. — № 19 (154);
• «Заметки международного БОМЖа» — Crimean time: newspaper. — 4.09.2014. — № 35 (3390);
• «Очень вкусный... паучок!» — Crimean time: newspaper. — 25.09.2014. — № 38 (3393).

In addition

• Extensive photographic material has been shot, ethnographic, historical-archaeological and geographical information collected.
• Three TV stories from the cycle "Around the world with empty pockets" (author’s project with the assistance of Crimea TV and Radio company) were dedicated to: Papua New Guinea, Sumatra Island and West Malaysia.
• In 2016 the book "Six months by islands... and countries" was published, where the route and adventures of participant this expedition are described.

Problems, difficult moments

• On the night of 12 to 13 January 2013, while in the city of Kota Kinabalu (Kalimantan Island, Malaysia), while sleeping in the suburban jungle, after being bitten by an infected mosquito, traveller was infected with dengue fever..

Gallery

• 
  An overnight stay in an abandoned building,
  Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
• 
  Practice of English in a rural school,
  West Sumatra (Indonesia)
• 
  Visiting the Papuans, the village of Amaral, Westerns Highlands (Papua New Guinea)
• 
  Breakage on the way,
  Westerns Highlands (Papua New Guinea)
• 
  Overnight in the company of station homeless,
  Guangzhou (China)