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The Last Places on Earth  

Journeys in
Our Disappearing World 
by Gary Mancuso
Journeys in Our Disappearing World 
by Gary Mancuso

The Last Places on Earth  

Photos from a river journey down the Sepik River in November 2005. I was traveling with Aimee, a very special person to me, a guide from the Sepik area named Robin, and his wife Jacinda, who came along to translate as her husband did not speak any English. We used a medium sized dugout canoe with a 15 HP engine for our 8 day journey. We started our journey on the Sepik River from a village called Ambunti located at the downstream end of the Upper Sepik River. From Ambunti, we motored full speed upriver, and then diverted off the main Sepik River to the April River, stopping at a very remote village called Paru. From Paru, we then started our river journey back downstream, stopping at many villages along the way, finishing a week later in the Chambri Lakes area, of the Middle Sepik River region. The Sepik is an incredibly diverse environment, both in human culture and biodiversity. Every village we stopped in, even if they were only a kilometer or two from the previous village, had its own language and various unique customs. Some villages were only a couple of generations removed from cannibalism, which was widespread in the area until very recent modern times. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience. I hope you enjoy seeing it through my photos.

Sepik River Trip, Papua New Guinea November 2005
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