Papua New Guinea, one of the last
Far West, 150 kilometers north of Australia. The city of Lae is the economic capital of the country. Here, we prefer to call it the city of potholes. She has a very sad face with her rutted pavement,
its crowded minibuses and its extreme misery. In the streets, insecurity is
ubiquitous and ineffective police. To maintain order, the inhabitants
using private security companies. These guards are not allowed to carry firearms.
fire, only bows and machetes. When they intervene, they do not go overboard. Take him to the hospital! Papua has a crime rate
among the highest on the planet. In this warehouse protected behind high walls, Kevin,
truck driver, meticulously checks his truck. In Papua, a simple breakdown can
have dramatic consequences. Before each of my trips, I check
although my tires are not worn. Because if ever I have to change them because of a puncture, criminals can take advantage of this to attack me. Bands of looters who are after his cargo. Of the
pasta, rice and other everyday consumer products. Food that is expensive in Papua. Go forward, forward, please, forward! But bandits aren't his only concern. Alright, now everything is ready. I don't think we will have
no problem. Well, unless it starts to rain. It's the beginning of the rainy season and the roads
mountains can become really impassable. Papua New Guinea, an island as big as half
of France but with an almost non-existent road network. Only three barely paved axes. However, road transport is vital for the country. Here, we import absolutely everything. The goods
arrive by boatloads in the port of Lae. Containers pile up there by the hundreds
before being loaded onto trucks. Like them, Kevin takes one of the roads
the most dangerous, the Highland Highway, Or the highland route. The Highway is ruthless, 700 kilometers long, it crosses wild regions that do not forgive any misconduct. A road that wearies men, And destroy their machines. The torrential rains smash the pavement,
taking with them whole stretches of roads. On the heights, banks of fog trap drivers. At night, highwaymen hold travelers to ransom. Apart from the highway, barely passable tracks. Truckers ready to face this road are rare,
so the companies do not hesitate to pay them very dearly, Kevin earns 1200€ per month, four
times a teacher's salary. His employer also provides him with his accommodation, a nice house in a popular neighborhood where he lives with his wife and four children. Do you often see your children? I only see them once a week.
The rest of my life I spend on the road. Most drivers, they drive without ever thinking
to their wife. But my husband, he takes care of us. When he's on the road, he calls us
regularly to see if we are well. When he comes back, he spends time with
the children. He helps me, so I'm happy. And when he calls and says everything is fine, I say thank you. Kevin spends more than 60 hours a week driving his truck. At daybreak, he sets off for
Kundiawa, a city lost in the mountains. But his journey begins badly. We left late. We should have taken off around 3am. The cab windows are securely
mesh, on the Highway, it is essential. We put it on to protect ourselves from people who
have fun throwing stones at us on the road. Sometimes they manage to reach the windshield or the windows. Without this protection, the windows would shatter. Before attacking the mountain, Kevin must stock up on betel. These nuts are powerful stimulants,
he consumes about fifty a day. An ally against fatigue, but also a
drug on which the drivers are all dependent. We chew betel to stay awake and especially to have
energy to last until the end of the road. In Papua, the consumption of betel is quite a ceremony. There you go, that's betel nut.
We dissect it like this. Then, the walker takes a piece of
lianas and a small bag of crushed shellfish. So we take that and then we mix it with the white powder. And when you chew, it turns red. That's it
which keeps our eyes open on the Highway. It's better than drinking hard liquor. Or even beer. Unfortunately, many drivers tend
to drink. Alcohol wreaks havoc on the highway, As evidenced by all these carcasses
rusty along the road. But here, when a truck overturns, it
is not a drama, it is an opportunity. Two months ago there was an accident here. The guys from **** came and they smashed the container with axes, And they stole all the cargo. We are in a still wild area. There are
only 50 years old, the warrior tribes of these mountains, Lived totally cut off from the world. Not easy to tow these two containers on this
winding road and this coast that never ends. Kevin does everything to save his engine so
that the road always deteriorates a little more. The tarred parts become rare. She gives way
to a rutted road riddled with huge potholes. Is this the worst part here? Not yet, not yet. The part that awaits us up there is terrible.
We are really going to be shaken up in all directions. Here at 1500 m altitude, the difficulties really begin. At the first pass, you now have to face the mist. - Do you see the road there?
- Yes yes. Well, not really. The fog hides everything. The holes
but also other vehicles. On the descent, the mist turns to rain,
the road then becomes extremely slippery. It slips. So I have to use the engine brake. When it's wet like that, the brakes don't
are useless. We risk ending up in the river. Below, a ravine of several hundred meters. With his 36 tonnes pushing out the back, Kevin has to
negotiate each bend so as not to get carried away. It's been more than 8 hours since he let go of the
flying, he finds it difficult to stay focused. Bad omen, this tow truck. I have to ask him if there is a problem. What's going on up there? What's up with my truck? It's muddy. Where are you going ?
I go to Kongo. Congo? The climb is slippery. Ok, ok, I'll be careful. Kongo is the name of this coast. The very last
before the city of Kundiawa, its final destination. When it rains, it turns into a skating rink. The road is bad. Finally, very bad! On rainy days, it's always like that.
You can quickly skid and go into the background. - You don't stop there?
- Nope. - Impossible ?
- Not impossible. Only chance to pass throttle and take
maximum momentum. Alas, the truck is too loaded. If I stop now, it will be too hard to start again.
I will have to go down in reverse, And you will have to start all over again. Kevin finishes the climb with his foot to the floor. We were lucky.
Fortunately, it's over. He has just traveled 400 kilometers in 10 hours. That's it, we arrived in Kundiawa. Head to the city supermarket. I'm tired. Finally, really tired. Alright, now I'm going home, I'm waiting for them to finish unloading and I'm going back to where I started, The city of Lae. There are my wife and my children. And they will take care of me. Because they know what I go through on the road. The driver leaves for ten new
hours of driving in the opposite direction. In all, he will spend 20 hours in a row at the wheel of his truck. It is nearly midnight when Kevin comes across a roadblock. A tree lies in the middle of the road,
around, men armed with machetes. We're just villagers, we clear the place
so that vehicles can pass, Because with the heavy rains yesterday, this tree fell. If we don't do that, you'd have to
to wait for the workers of the province. It would take a good 6 to 8 hours before they arrive. Of course, all work deserves salary and the
band is not ready to work for free. To clear this road, of course, we will ask to
money, people pay us and then they can go. Kevin, he is not really fooled. In my opinion, they are the ones who caused the tree to fall on the road. It's hard to believe that this tree fell
all alone. Moreover, once the way cleared, The tape shows its true face. The racketeering begins. - Get over there!
- U-turn and park there! Listen, this is not a joke. You see this tree that we cleared,
it's a big fucking tree man. We know your canards
everyone paid, you too! Only 5 euros, boss. They can't pay! When I return, I pay you. He lies ! He lies ! I am a good Christian!
I can't lie to you! Stop lying,
you have money in your pocket! You can't escape!
If you go on the Highway, we'll find you. Ok, I'll give you 4.50 euros. Ok, it's good, it will be fine! Funny detail, it's the tree they had so much trouble
to be debited which now serves as a toll barrier. Next. Here come the cops. Keep calm, guys! Fortunately for the highway robbers, the police
don't seem to want to be overzealous. We're going to talk to the villagers. And if they ask
money, we will tell them not to charge too much. Less than 2€ would be good. If the police close their eyes, it's because they
want above all to avoid overflows. Tonight, no one is attacking the passengers,
so for them it's just a minor incident. Yes, then they don't ask me much. We only ask 5€! Yes and we don't rape women like in Wabag! The authorities end up leaving
places and the racketeering continues. After 3 hours of waiting, it's finally Kevin's turn. I only have 2€ on me. If they take them
it's okay otherwise I'm going to sleep here. - How much do you have?
- 2€. It's okay, give it. Kevin is relieved. Tonight he won't sleep
on the spot and he didn't even have to negotiate. They said to me: "you, you can pass because we know you." But above all they know the company
for which this driver works. Here, even bandits avoid attacking the green truck of
the ****, a company known and respected throughout the region. At its head, a Frenchman, Gérard Philipe. Established for more than 20 years in Papua,
he made his fortune off the Highway. - Hey boss!
- The whole town belongs to you! Gerard, the whole town of Kundiawa is yours! Maka nem! Maka nem, in the local language, means
say the lord, he who owns the earth. Here in Kundiawa, all the green shops
belong to him. More than one in two stores. Within a few years, Gérard opened a bakery. But also a butcher. And then the first cafe in town. Since then, the incessant ballet of these
trucks punctuate the life of Kundiawa. With a road as unpredictable as the Highland
Highway, better stock up. Lots of stock. It all depends on road transport. Everything comes via the Highland Highway. If road transport is not there. Everything stops. Especially in the rainy season, when
there are landslides, The road is closed for 3 to 4 days, ie a week. We had a big landslide here
two years ago, the road was closed for a month. Gérard is not limited to the small town of Kundiawa. It supplies the entire region and its 300,000 inhabitants. When the businessman walks in the market, He is no longer even surprised to find
his rolls on the stalls of merchants. Gérard's greatest achievement is his
supermarket. Unheard of in this isolated place. The Papuans discover the society of
consumption and they want more. It's good for Gerard's business
who no longer has a moment's respite. So, you have two empty containers at the warehouse... Are you sleeping or are you drunk? In the back of the shop, young women
count the receipts of the last days. This is what Gerard's seven businesses report. It can go up to 1 million or 1 million
and a half, or something like that. We do the fundraising ourselves with the car. Is there no tension when you have to do this? We take our own security measures. We change our routine, we don't always do
the same thing and then we keep our eyes open. Keeping your eyes open is not enough. We prepare when we go there. Gerard keeps his semi-automatic loaded and ready to fire. Head to the only bank in town.
The journey only takes a few minutes. But there is no question of releasing the tension. You must not fall asleep, you must look into the
mirror, behind, on the left, on the right, in front, If there's nothing suspicious, then we go. This is the signal. You have to be quick. The money is immediately put in a safe place. The annual turnover of **** flirts
with the 30 million euros. Banks, supermarkets, roads,
Papua is changing. Even in its most remote regions. Here in Gouminé, it's a great day.
We celebrate the arrival of drinking water. Minister, governor, prefect, all officials have
made the trip to celebrate the event. Among them, Gerard. Good morning ! After the traditional welcoming ceremony,
the crowd heads for the main square, To inaugurate the very first Gouminé faucet. Gerard Philippe! You are here in your home,
you are more than welcome. Gérard is entitled to all the honours,
he even has his place in the gallery. If you take good care
of your coffee plants, You will become rich. Because coffee is Gouminé's gold and oil. I declare the water supply open! This adventurer traveled all over the planet before landing here in the 90s to become a pilot. For sixteen years he flew over the country,
defying death at the controls of his plane. Come and see the view here, here, it's an extraordinary view. All these places I've been flying, flying everywhere
between all these mountains. Every day. You don't have to push luck so
I think sixteen years was enough. Then I buried people who didn't stop.
Because it's a question of statistics... One day something will happen. The plane, the only recourse for
hundreds of isolated villages in the jungle. Many pilots lost their lives there. The carcasses of their devices lie everywhere, like dire warnings. The tropical climate is unpredictable. At any time,
weather conditions may deteriorate. But there are always a few heads
burned to face the skies of Papua. Antoine, a young New Zealander, already has
more than 1000 flight hours over the country. This morning, however, he hesitates to leave. The clouds are very low. There is rain and
Visibility is poor in that area. It is very difficult to go there. Above all
when you have to drive in the rain. And with this guy here, the director of operations, we
going to have to make a decision, whether we go or not. We are awaiting information from air traffic controllers. What if the rain continues? This I do not know. That's not a
great place to fly in bad weather. We have the radio here, so we can call all the stations
in the mountains and have information about the weather. But the weather service here is really bad. And do you think you can fly or not? Most likely ! At the first clearing, Antoine tries the adventure. He carries rice, biscuits, flour for the people of Kandipa. This village is only 40 minutes away by flight, but it is
one of the hardest places to get to. The problem will be to succeed in passing this
mountain range that rises in front of us. It is a really dangerous passage, especially in bad weather. The risk is these clouds that are gathering
just above the mountains and hide the reliefs. When there is a succession of mountains and valleys like today, there is always a risk of collision, That's the only thing. You have to take into account the weather and the condition of the airstrips and in this case, there is nothing to worry about. Finally, apart from crashing! There are a lot of crashes in this country. Under the clouds, the visibility is good. Antoine sneaks between the ridges. This tiny strip of land in the distance is the Kandipa trail. It rained this morning, the ground is muddy and slippery. At any time, the plane can leave in the background. In Kandipa, the arrival of a plane is a very important event. We don't have any other means of transportation. Only the plane. We have no roads for cars, buses or
anything else to get off the mountain. Here we are totally isolated, most
people have never even gotten into a vehicle. They never sat in a car or on a bus. Here, of course, no hospital. There is only
Sami, the only medic for the whole region. When someone is seriously injured or ill, if
it is an emergency and the person may die, We bring them to Kandipa. Here is the only place where an airplane
can land and pick up the patient. If the flight is delayed, then the patient dies. It is still necessary that the patient can
afford the ticket. It costs around 120€, Here, most residents live on less than €30 per year. Antoine will only have stayed a few minutes. Another community awaits him elsewhere, on another mountain. We are back on the Highway, just after Kundiawa. This truck is to deliver two construction machines to the
Moro oil well, 300 kilometers to the west. The road ends there, in the middle of the jungle. Driving is Billy. His convoy is
exceptional, so he never travels alone. Barth's escort car leads the way. The road is bad. Be careful. Slows down. On the Highway, all the drivers know each other. A truck driver radios Billy that he
there is a problem further down the road. But anyway, the road is good. Which blocked road are you talking about? Billy, Billy, what do they say? The road is damaged or not? Yes, they talk about problems in Kaupena. We'll be there in half an hour, we'll see. Just before Kaupena, a police car is there
to stop the trucks. Billy goes to the news. On a whole part of the road, there is
a big hole, a huge hole in fact. So for big trucks, it's
impossible to pass. They can not. In addition, if there is one that overturns,
it will block all traffic. For now Billy's vehicle will have to stay here. Other trucks are already stopped near this little cafe
on the side of the road. A godsend for tenants. I sell coffee, biscuits, betel, cigarettes! In this remote place, we have
not much opportunity for fun. For the men of the village, it is also an opportunity to
make some money watching the trucks. There are many thieves in the area. We are the owners of this land.
This is our home, we do security. If they come here to steal, we cut them into pieces. Barth and Billy leave their truck under good
keep and file to see the state of the road. Hi ! Hi ! It will be hard to pass. Look at that! ****! Not the minibuses, it's already hard, but
for us, it will be impossible. In the middle of the road, a muddy trench. But not
question of turning around without an official order. I'm with the escort car there, I have to
go to Moro but the road is blocked. Hard to get there, there's a hole and a climb
much too slippery, my truck will not pass. Now what do we do?
Do we turn around here or do we wait? The orders are strict, no U-turns. We'll have to wait for the road to be repaired. The minibuses filled with passengers refuse to wait. Only 4x4s manage to force through. In the absence of four-wheel drive, other vehicles
can count on the arms of the men of the neighboring village. Come on come! Go straight ahead! But why are you stopping? it was going to pass! Very quickly, the misadventures of this minibus
arouses the curiosity of the villagers. After 30 minutes, they finally extricate themselves. These vehicles are the only way to
public transport in Papua. But not all have the comfort of minibuses. In Kundiawa, every afternoon, these pick-ups are taken by storm. The inhabitants of the mountains have finished their market and at
now, it is time to return to the heights. Go get out! Push yourself otherwise he will crush you! The car is loaded to the brim. However, Paul, the driver, is about to attack Papua's highest peak, Mount Wilhelm. The young drivers, they are afraid to come here. They drive on the Highway but up here, never! It's dangerous but we need this road to survive. So we have to take it. For more than 20 years he has been doing all
the same route every day with his trusty pick-up. And if the gear lever moves by itself, this
is not an automatic transmission. The car is like the road, old and battered. The road damages the car. The holes,
rain, landslides. The government does nothing. You know, in Papua New Guinea, we are a corrupt country. Nobody cares about this road! In the back, the atmosphere is quite good. Anyway, passengers don't really have a choice. It's the only way we have to get up here.
We did our shopping downstairs and then we go back up. Even when we are used to it, some
things always surprise you. Come on, push!
Go push! In the event of a jam, customers are called upon to contribute. Come on, get back up! Rise, rise! We leave immediately. With everyone behind Paul uses a lot of gas, so
as there are no small profits, He prefers to freewheel his old clunker on the descents. When descending the slope, if the brakes let go or
that we lose a wheel, the car becomes uncontrollable, You can leave the road and end up straight on the precipice. By playing this game, many drivers ended up
their race to the bottom of this ravine, with all their passengers. Look at this! There, you will have to swim. The trip is nothing like a cruise. In back,
it was already not very comfortable, But at least so far the weather has been good. There is a heavy rain coming our way! Does anyone have a spell to stop the rain? At altitude, the temperature drops very quickly. The cold sets in with this rain that soaks everything. Passengers like the road. Fortunately, the end of the journey is near. People want to get off! Come on, get down. The pick-up will have taken more than 3 hours to
travel only 50 kilometers. That's it, we've arrived. On each trip, Paul also supplies
the little shop in the village of ****. At an altitude of 2500 m, the inhabitants
make a difficult living from coffee growing. The little money they earn, they
spend here on pasta, rice or cigarettes. Further down the valley, we find Billy. While waiting for the road to be repaired, he parked his truck in his village. Tonight he will sleep with his family. Hurry to make food! Billy has arrived! Did you tell the kids to cook or not? No, I told the women. They come back from the fields
and the market. Hurry up, get us some food! My brother, it's really good to see you! I see my wife, my brother here, my mother,
all the family members are there, I feel surrounded, I feel really good. They take care of you? Yes a lot. Look they are all
preparing to eat. Billy won't be the only one enjoying this feast. The whole neighborhood will benefit from the generosity of the driver who has returned to the fold. When I come back here, I give them money. I help them financially. All
what they want, I offer them. To bring this money home,
Billy takes a lot of risks. Tainy, his mother, is the first to worry. I'm very worried. When he goes to Lae, I stay up and can't sleep. I'm thinking of the Rascals. You know those bandits who
can attack, injure or even kill it. I think of the accidents, of his truck which
may overturn or fall into a ravine. It's only when he calls me to tell me he's
well arrived and that I finally manage to fall asleep. There are all kinds of dangers on the road. For instance,
if one day another company driver, Knock someone down on the road, it gets risky for me. People will accuse me of being responsible
and when they see me pass, They will attack me with an ax or
a machete saying to me: "It was you!" No matter how much I explain to them, they
will shut up and they will kill me. In Papua, being a truck driver is really very risky. There is no question of dwelling on this subject.
We prefer to tell stories. You should have seen this movie ****! A great warrior man! Rambo grabs his big machine gun, he climbs on the car and there... Man, he shoots like that! Yeah man, it rocks! A few kilometers away, the war is not a fiction. For a woman or a land, the villages
regularly come into conflict. In Papua, tribal wars are a tradition. Only, today, the fighting is much more deadly. Before, we fought with spears, bows and
arrows. When we were injured, we could remove them. Today we shoot each other with
guns are much more dangerous. Before, it was a kind of game. Now,
there are far too many deaths. These men have been at war for three months. Their camouflage may make you smile, but their weapons are nothing fun. In recent days they have caused
the death of ten people. We have R15s, we also have M16s, weapons made
house, spears, axes and machetes. These weapons are obtained in exchange for the ****
that these villagers cultivate illegally. When the enemies arrive, I do like that! Like that ! The rest of the arsenal is handcrafted. We are the ones making these weapons.
The pipe is from a truck trailer, It has exactly the same diameter as a ball of
M16. We put the ball here and we close like that. Turn the pipe to properly block the barrel. When you shoot, the bullet goes and the pipe stays. Looting, rape, lynching, when these villagers play warriors, they are capable of extreme violence. Our families, you know, they don't sleep at night anymore. At the height of the war, the other
can come and drive us out of the village. Afterwards, they burn the houses and massacre everyone. And what does he say there? He says I want to shoot this person. And that person is our cameraman. The author of this
bad taste joke is not in its normal state, Here, we are often used to
mixing weapons and narcotics. So, in these remote places, the drivers have
as instructions never to stop if by misfortune, They hit a villager or a beast. Billy resumed his journey. And he put the turbo. It was stuck for three days
and must now make up for lost time. I have to keep my eyes in those two mirrors at all times to make sure there's nothing wrong with the cargo. But very quickly, he is forced to slow down. What hurts the most? My spine and my testicles! I always have to put something underneath,
my towel for example, to wedge them. With all these potholes, it's shaking hard from above
down and I have to protect them well. So you know when my family jewels
collide like that... It hurts! But it's not just the driver who gets roughed up. In the rear, the two machines are increasingly shaken. The chain slipped. We'll have to check it out and
retighten it before the load overturns. We'll stop to take a look. The situation is more serious than expected. One of the machines has already moved dangerously. His tire protrudes about twenty centimeters. Machines are constantly bouncing and this chain
is too small. She couldn't stand the pressure. The machines are too heavy, the chain has broken.
He needs to fix it and tighten it up nicely. For Barth and his assistant Paul, it is
to tighten the chains somehow. You put it in the middle, you shoot and that's it! Take off, take off! After 1 hour of effort, the two men
come to a makeshift solution. Alright, here we go. Now our reload will move
like that. If we go too fast, he will fall. That's why you're going to have to be very
careful and drive slowly. But a few kilometers further,
we still have to stop urgently. It's on the middle part now. The wheel has shifted again. Worse, Barth surrenders
realize that the other machine has also started to move. - In the back, have you looked?
- Yes, it's dangerous there too. Ok, wait, shoot it! - Be careful. Check regularly.
- Yes, yes, I take a good look at my mirrors. Moro and those oil wells are not very far away, barely
3h drive but at any time the load can switch. The chains shouldn't break!
We would really be screwed. Come on, don't worry, we'll be there soon. Billy finally walks through the door sternly
guarded from the oil exploitations of Moro. That's heavy my friend! Gonna have to
quite a crane to unload all that. For Billy, the work stops there. I feel better now. Everything is safe. This journey of 700 kilometers was to take him
three days, it will have lasted more than a week. Far from the Highway and its trucks,
lines of walkers descend from the mountains. In this remote valley, everyone converges
towards ****, the most important village of the surroundings. It's December 25 and nobody
doesn't want to miss Christmas mass. In 60 years, Christianity has invaded even
the most isolated regions of Papua. Father Matthew takes care of the office. Merry Christmas to everyone. After hearing the good word, They got together and they seen that was true. After 3 hours of mass, we agree
certain freedoms with the liturgy. Like any self-respecting Father Christmas,
this one did not come empty-handed. Everyone was waiting for him for a
general distribution of lollipops. Father Matthew is in charge of a dozen churches
in the region and several hundred parishioners. Mass ends but for the ecclesiastic,
no question of rest. There, I have to put water in the tank. He is getting ready for his big tour of the parishes.
His main ally to bring the good word, It's that beat up old jeep
that he pampers before each departure. The tracks they take every week,
no one but him dares to venture there. But for his parishioners, the priest braves all dangers. Dude, I'm a priest. So, as he
there are people living on the other side, I have to go see them to say mass to them, to confess them. My life is dedicated to them. I have to go. When he cuts the road... My brother, I am going to Guilliers. Father Matthew is not one to go unnoticed. I am going to **** ! Hi ! The track seems impassable, but not sufficiently
to cool the ardor of this all-terrain priest. I love driving on this road! At the wheel, Father Matthew is jubilant. It's almost a sport now
and it's exciting at the same time. There is a large cliff below.
If I miss the road, I won't survive. It would be the end of my life. 20 kilometers and a good hour later,
Father Matthew finally arrives. No one ever passes by here. So
each visit of the priest is a real celebration. Is that your dog? How cute. This is part of my duties with families and villagers. Gotta show them I'm here if they have the slightest bit
request or the slightest complaint or anything to say, I have to refer it to the authorities so that they do something. But the state has long since
forgotten its villages lost in the jungle. In Papua, 80% of the population lives
below the poverty line. Here, the inhabitants have little chance of ever seeing a vehicle other than Father Matthew's small white jeep.
