Paradise Magazine – Air Niugini

From the editor’s desk: Paradise July – October 2023

From the editor’s desk: Paradise July – October 2023

Although it was hit hard by the pandemic, the dining scene in Port Moresby has proven its resilience with new restaurant openings and fresh menus.

From fine dining to baked delicacies, the July–October issue of Paradise provides a carefully curated list of some great places to eat in the capital.

We have you covered whether you want a full-blown mumufeast, a freshly baked donut, or a ragu pappardelle.

Some amazing Papua New Guineans are featured in this issue, like artist Lesley Wengembo whose portraiture must be seen to believed, like adventurer Angela Lawrence who has rowed 4800 kilometres across the Atlantic Ocean, and like Florence Jaukae Kamel who is the human dynamo behind the Goroka Bilum Festival.

Karate king Nigel Bana, meanwhile, is preparing to do battle for a gold medal at the Pacific Games that are coming up in the Solomon Islands from November 19.

Bana has a first-degree blackbelt and is the reigning Pacific Games champion in the 60-kilogram division.

He is among the hundreds of athletes and officials that PNG will take to the Games in Honiara.

Paradise has a thorough preview of the Games, including how to get tickets, where to stay, and who to watch. We also speak with the CEO of the Games, Peter Stewart, who may already be familiar to many Papua New Guineans because he successfully delivered the Pacific Games in Port Moresby in 2015.

Our travel writers journey to Alotau, Singapore, and Palau (Air Niugini’s newest destination) in this issue, and we review the Crowne Plaza Residences.

In business, we look at the new Hilton Residences that were nearing completion when Paradise went to press, and we have a rundown of the 2023 PNG 100 CEO survey.

The survey results were revealed at a business breakfast in Port Moresby, and we provide a page of pictures of the business leaders who attended the sold-out event.

Robert Upe, Editor