Of Canoes and Crocodiles: Paddling the Sepik in Papua New Guinea (Wayfarer)

Description

Of Canoes and Crocodiles is a story of adventure set in the remote and threatened landscapes of Papua New Guinea. In 2018, Tony Robinson-Smith and his wife Nadya Ladouceur bought dugout canoes and paddled down the Sepik, the country's longest river. Travelling with local guides and staying in their villages, Tony and Nadya ate smoked piranha and sago pancakes, heard tales of river gods and sorcerers, marvelled at rainbow bee-eaters and cat-size flying foxes, sank in a tropical storm, and hid from pirates in mangroves near the sea. As the narrative follows the bends of the river, Robinson-Smith incorporates into its flow reflections on colonization, crocodile initiation rites, Christian missionaries, bride price, "big men," the barter system, and the joys and fears of travelling down a long, snaky waterway in a volatile Australasian country.