Baim na salim

Or simply 'buy and sell', in English. Here in PNG it’s very common to see signs like “salim kofi long hia” or “we sell coffee here” since it’s a coffee producing country. It’s also common to see “baim gold” or “we buy gold” since it’s also got a rich gold deposit.

But strangely, it’s also common to see “salim coffin long hia.” Yes, coffins. Morbid as it may sound, yes, they do sell them here like they would pigs or coffee, instead of letting the undertakers (the haus krai) take care of this one important detail. It seems that the rule of thumb here is BYOC; or buy your own coffin. Anyway, what makes it more hilarious is that the signs are complete with drawings and illustrations. Here in Lae, a piggery along the side of the road offers “daiman box” (the other name for coffins) among pigs, eggs, goats and day-old chicks. In Rabaul, East New Britain Province, I also saw a sign outside a house in the middle of nowhere that said “coffin on sale.” Well, well, I suggest you better take advantage of the offer!! However, I almost fell out of my seat laughing when passing by Kainantu at the Eastern Highlands Province; I saw a strange sign that said “baim coffin long hia.” Hmmm… now that’s definitely taking it to another level!