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Four Corners: One Woman's Solo Journey Into the Heart of Papua New Guinea
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About Four Corners: One Woman's Solo Journey Into The
Product Description Following the route taken by British explorer Ivan Champion in 1927, and amid breathtaking landscapes and wildlife, Salak traveled across this remote Pacific island-often called the last frontier of adventure travel--by dugout canoe and on foot. Along the way, she stayed in a village where cannibalism was still practiced behind the backs of the missionaries, met the leader of the OPM--the separatist guerrilla movement opposing the Indonesian occupation of Western New Guinea--and undertook an epic trek through the jungle. The New York Times said "Kira Salak is tough, a real-life Lara Croft." And Edward Marriott, proclaimed Four Corners to be "A travel book that transcends the genreIt is, like all the best travel narratives, a resonant interior journey, and offers wisdom for our times." From Publishers Weekly In this gripping adventure story, Salak, a graduate student in her 20s, describes a recent trip she took to remote, tropical Papua New Guinea, in the Pacific. Salak retraced the steps of British explorer Ivan Champion who, in 1927, traversed New Guinea and Papua via the Fly River, hiking the highlands and ascending the Sepik River. Solo travelers in this country are rare because of the difficulty of navigating swamps, jungle terrain and mountain trails as well as dealing with torrential rains and relentless mosquitoes. In addition, there is a high crime rate; poor young men leave their tribal homelands, flock to the city of Port Moresby in search of wealth, and wind up stealing from whomever they can. No stranger to harrowing journeys, Salak has sought out exotic locales since her teens and recounts here how she was nearly raped in Mozambique. As well as detailing her trip, she ruminates on her unquenchable appetite for danger and recalls a childhood spent in a truly dysfunctional family. Amid the breathtaking landscapes and wildlife of Papua New Guinea, Salak daily tested her physical endurance. She encountered a variety of both friendly and indifferent tribal peoples and talked with Pastor Carl, the leader of a guerrilla band fighting the Indonesian takeover of Western New Guinea. Salak has not only achieved her goal of crossing Papua New Guinea, but also her lifelong dream of authorship with this consistently interesting and well-written memoir. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. From Booklist When Salak set off for Papua New Guinea at the age of 24, she had at least some sense of what she was getting into. She was familiar with the reputation Port Moresby had for being a dangerous city; young men known as "Rascals" would descend upon the city, robbing and rioting. But Salak had a desire to test herself, to push the limits and find out what she was capable of. She had already crossed Mozambique during its civil wars and just narrowly escaped brutality at the hands of rebel soldiers. Still haunted by that memory, Salak arrives in Port Moresby but soon sets off for the Fly River, eager to see the peoples who live along its banks. When her guide abandons her, she is forced to find another way to explore the river. She is helped by a variety of people, and even as her trip veers off course, she finds more places and people to intrigue her. Salak's lively writing coupled with her engrossing voyage make this a superior travel memoir. Kristine Huntley Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved About the Author Kira Salak is an American writer, adventurer, and journalist known for her travels in Mali and Papua New Guinea. She has written two books of nonfiction and a book of fiction based on her travels and is a contributing editor at National Geographic magazine.
