Buka
The most popular hotels and restaurants of Buka are located near the water and offer a good view of the Buka Passage.
November 2014: It’s been more than a year since I last visited the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea. The main airport that connects the region to the rest of the country is located in the small town of Buka. Government offices and the main business establishments of the region are also situated in this town. And so the main activities of the team I was with were held in Buka although we stayed in the adjacent island of Sohano. Not much has changed since the last time I was there but I was happy to take photos of the place.
Buka is separated from the main Bougainville Island by Buka Passage, a deep 200-meter channel that is bustling with activity day and night.
Buka is located on the southern coast of Buka Island, in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, in eastern Papua New Guinea (country). It is the capital of the North Bougainville District, and the interim provincial capital of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. The city and Buka Island are separated from the northern tip of Bougainville Island by the Buka Passage. Both islands are in the northern Solomon Islands archipelago, and the only major ones not within the nation of Solomon Islands. Buka was the capital of the Bougainville Province, during the 1990s Bougainville Civil War. The former, or “proper” capital of Bougainville, Arawa, was all but destroyed in 1990 as tensions reached a critical level in a civil uprising, which ended in 1997 (Wikipedia).
Motorized dinghies serve as the public transport across the Buka Passage and to the outlying islands.
Locals also use small dug-out canoes to travel.
Buka Town and the main Bougainville Island, Sohano Island, other islets and the outlying atolls comprise the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.
The Buka public market is the main place where one can get a glimpse of the region’s economy and catch some local souvenirs.
Among the most popular products of the region is the Buka basket which is hand-crafted from local vines and indigenous materials. It is said that the basket is also popular even in the neighboring Solomon Islands.
Handwoven bags, a variation of the belum of other Papua New Guinea provinces, is also being sold in the local market.
During hot tropical days, the clear waters of the Buka Passage offer great options for cooling down and relaxation.
Beyond the Buka Passage, the channel’s currents flow to many islets and atolls where greater scenery and amazing adventures await those who have the time and courage to spare.
The drag of endless mental work in a strange land takes its toll. Fatigue can kill so petty escapades provide hopeful deviations from the brewing madness. An aging DSLR keeps good company to a walk around the neighbourhood, a short drive to a scenic place, or a silent recollection in a quiet nook granting that the host community and the elements of nature would allow one a safe passage to solitude and contemplation. Loneliness quickly turns to joy when something exciting gets captured by the cam’s shutter then set free into the laptop’s screen followed by electric words that rush from the fingers to the keyboard in an effort to describe the moment. Alas, the brain is alive once again!
It all looks amazing! Wanderlust is kicking in!
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Start packing! 🙂
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