I slowly scanned the winding line of bodies as it coiled around the foyer looking depressingly like "a long and sad tail".

I glanced at my wrist watch – I’d probably be in the bank for three hours max. Two or three hours of jostling, complaining and chit-chatting. Not to be defeated, I looked around to occupy myself.

The deposit queue was a confusion, its arrangement hard to decipher. But like all bank queues in Papua New Guinea, some semblance of order would be unexpectedly be worked out. PNG is the land of the unexpected if you don’t know.

The enquiry queue was shorter. The smart-looking security guard continued to usher in clients. The maze continued to grow.

"Security, pasim dua!" someone suddenly called out as two more clients rushed to get in first.

"Nogat moa speis ya!"said a voice behind me.

I turned. There were five or six people who had piled in before the door shut. I was reminded of what a slow morning had entrapped me.

The young man behind leisurely spoke. "Ol security tu ya! Yupla lukluk na controlim dua!" he hissed, "benk pulap olgeta ya!"

"Larim ol wokim lain na sanap autsait pastaim," he continued while those in hearing range turned and nodded in agreement.

"Hey! Maski lo katim lain," a skinny man with a small bilum around his neck reacted angrily to well-dressed man who looked like a former government employee who was standing lost in the maze.

"Nogat, mi no katim lain. Mi painim lain blo Enquiries ya," he explained to the skinny man.

"Oh, okay ... sori, em ya! ... lain blo Enquiries lo hap ya," the skinny man said, pointing.

"Ol security tu stap we? Kam na stretim ol kastomas ya," the skinny man continued talking to nobody in particular.

Then the main entrance door opened and a senior looking female bank employee walked in.

"Hey! Yupla sanap lo hap givim speis lo wokmeri blo benk!" the other heavy-set security guard barked and pointed into the queue.

The bank employee strolled over with the guard, the human maze parting respectfully like the Red Sea.

The bank employee paused. It seemed like a light bulb had suddenly switched on.

"Ol security! Yupla controlim ol lain kam insait lo benk! Sapos pulap, larim sampla stap autsait!" She spoke firmly looking at the two security personnel and eyeing the human muddle that had fallen silent to give her space.

"Yumi mas save olsem Papua Niugini nau i gat ol cases blo strongpla sik TB! Disla kain yumi olgeta pulap na bung olsem bai isi tru lo sik TB i ken spred!"

And she walked on, the burly guard used the security ID card to unlock the electronic door to the bank's work area. The queue spread out again.

I scanned the foyer. Everyone just continued with what they were doing before. Everyone clung to the “long and sad tail” feeling secure in their spot.