We woke up at around 11 am. As we said before, we were pretty exhausted. It took a while to get ready since we were half asleep. Everyone was moving at a slow pace. At 12:00, we finished getting ready and went down to eat a late breakfast. Our hotel featured a cafe and BBQ area. Ayesha, Jessie and Katelin ate omelets, and Sarah and Sierra munched on bacon and eggs. The quality of food was worth their reasonable prices.
After one hour, we were ready to go to the Mount Hagen Show. We definitely couldn't wait for this event. We thought it would be the highlight of our trip. We soon arrived and got out of the taxi. We could already hear drums beating and musical instruments playing. In front of us were tribes wearing bright colors ranging from yellow to blue. They were singing and dancing around the flat grounds. It was truly a beautiful sight.
We found an area to sit at and watched each tribe member perform dance moves and use musical instruments to create harmonious tunes. The Mount Hagen Show was technically a competition. Each tribe would dance, sing and wear their native costumes in an attempt to get the biggest applause and reaction from the crowd. The tribe that achieves this wins.
Most tribes, however, treated this show as an opportunity to share and display their culture. It's was also a great chance for the audience to get spectacular photos. Luckily, Jessie brought her camera with her and the rest of us had our phones. We clicked away as the tribes continued their performances.
There were at least 100 tribes out there, simultaneously dancing and singing to their own music. Body paint was smeared on their bodies, making them seem to glow in the sunlight. People were wearing feathers, skirts, headdresses, and jewelry. Their voices soared high above the tops of the trees. We noticed that most tribes would stomp their feet to match the drums beating in the background. It was spectacular and a quite a sensory overload.
We learned that each tribe had a legend to share through their dancing, singing, costumes, and music. For example, we learned about the Asaro Mudmen. According to legend, the Asaro tribe were being chased by an enemy tribe. In an attempt to hide, they completely submerged themselves in the Asaro River. At dusk, they emerged from the water. The enemy tribe mistook the mud covered Asaro for spirits and they ran away out of fear. Because of this, the Asaro were able to escape with no harm done. We thought these legends were interesting to hear and visually see in front of us.
Diversity could be seen throughout the many tribes. Each dance and song were unique to the collection of cultures that were present on the grassy grounds. Tribes wore different colors of face paint to best show their culture. Each performance amazed us all and we eagerly waited for the next one. We took so many pictures that Sierra's and Ayesha's phones ran out of storage. Jessie took amazing pictures of the show. She captured every moment from different angles and it looked very artsy.
As time passed, we felt that the dances were getting more and more vigorous. The drums became louder and the tribes were hollering and yelling to the music. Our stomachs started to growl and we took out the leftovers we packed from last night's dinner. We made sandwiches with the bread slices, carrots, apples, and bananas. All of us ate in silence as we listened and watched intently as each tribe member pounded the ground with their feet.
It was around 6 pm when we decided to stretch our legs and walk around. We talked for a bit and caught glimpses of the performers. After about 30 minutes, we decided to wrap it up and head back to the hotel.
We rested for a while in our rooms and shared our thoughts on the show with each other. Everyone thought it was a really cool and a stunning event. We definitely couldn't wait to see more of the show tomorrow.
Since we were a bit tired, we decided to eat at Martha's Cafe again for dinner. We went down and quickly ordered two Spaghetti Bolognaise, Chicken Stew with Rice, and two Grill Bara with Mashed Potatoes. The food was just as great as the breakfast we ate earlier. With full stomachs, we went back to our rooms, got ready for bed, and quickly fell asleep.
Tribes from all over the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea and other neighboring provinces from the Highlands region will gather in the township of Mt. Hagen to put on exciting cultural performances involving traditional dances, singing and ritual - rivaling that of the Goroka Show. - See more at: http://www.papuanewguinea.travel/viewservices/News.aspx?Pop=1&rqEventID=249#sthash.05Fxa0gA.dpuf
Tribes from all over the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea and other neighboring provinces from the Highlands region will gather in the township of Mt. Hagen to put on exciting cultural performances involving traditional dances, singing and ritual - rivaling that of the Goroka Show. - See more at: http://www.papuanewguinea.travel/viewservices/News.aspx?Pop=1&rqEventID=249#sthash.05Fxa0gA.dpuf
Tribes from all over the Western Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea and other neighboring provinces from the Highlands region will gather in the township of Mt. Hagen to put on exciting cultural performances involving traditional dances, singing and ritual - rivaling that of the Goroka Show. - See more at: http://www.papuanewguinea.travel/viewservices/News.aspx?Pop=1&rqEventID=249#sthash.05Fxa0gA.dpuf
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