In PNG, it’s first world price for third world service
01 October 2018
JORDAN DEAN
PORT MORESBY - I was recently in Bangkok, Thailand, for a meeting. On the first day, a friend from the US, who works in the Thai capital, asked, “How is Bangkok?”
“Oh, it’s a beautiful city. Things are so cheap here,” I replied.
“Yeah, you enjoy first world luxury for a third world price in Bangkok,” my friend said.
I couldn’t agree more. Bangkok, with an endless variety at bargain prices, is one of the best cities to shop till you drop.
The Holiday Inn Express at Siam, where I slept, is a fancy hotel.
It’s taller than any hotel or building in Port Moresby but the suites cost only the equivalent of K240 a night, which includes breakfast.
For that, you could afford only a low standard guest house or lodge room in Port Moresby.
I bought a quality tailored suit, pants and shirt for K350 at the MBK Shopping Mall.
My old suit was bought from Cherish at Vision City. It cost over K400 and didn’t fit me properly.
The cost of living is so high in Papua New Guinea. Despite our geographical proximity to Indonesia, the prices are comparable to those of Australia and New Zealand rather than South East Asia.
On my salary, I can wine and dine like a businessman in Bangkok.
Unfortunately, in PNG we struggle as we pay first world prices for third world service.
Some years ago, K100 had considerable value. Today, K100 can buy only a handful of items and the rest of the change disappears without a trace.
The high taxes imposed on goods and services maybe the cause. We cannot continue to remain silent pretending that life is treating us well.
Posted by: Jordan Dean | 02 October 2018 at 03:32 PM
Great to see Jordan put a floor under cherished fancy, with his view of a PNG fanciful flaw.
Posted by: Lindsay F Bond | 01 October 2018 at 08:56 AM