It took us one full day (12 hrs) to reach Saoulik village in the far northeast of Papua New-Guinea: three hours by plane from Port Moresby to Wewak, six hours sitting in the back of that truck on a dirt road plus one good hour's walk; we made it before dawn. I never went that far in my life.

Houses along the road
to Saoulik village.

Our friend Mailim was not expecting us. Our arrival was a surprise to them. They welcomed us with a big coconut containing at least two liters of refreshing liquid.

The village is surrounded
by luxurious vegetation.

Learning that we would be coming, Mailim built a house for us a few months earlier.

And a toilet!

The reason for this visit is that Mailim is raising some birdwing butterflies, including the great Ornithoptera Goliath. Mailim shows us two different stages of the breeding process: the caterpillar and the chrysalid.

Caterpillar is feeding
on the host plant.

Ornithoptera Goliath female.

Chasing butterflies and dragonflies
on the Sepik River.

A young girl under the rain.

Each morning, people that heard about us start bringing all kind of fabulous insects. Here, a walking stick.

This young boy surprises me with this large female Batocera Wallacei.

Mailim and the rain hat.

A meal made of beetle larvae.
You want some?

Myself chasing butterflies.

A damselfly showing metallic colors
on it's wings.

At one point, we came across a small river where few hundred of these magnificent Uranidae moths, freshly emerged from their cocoons, were desaltering.

Every minute I could, I went chasing insects in this small mountain river that was my hunting ground.

Taking a drink on a hot day.

Capture of Ornithoptera
Priamus Poseidon female.

Myself and my friend with the hand bags presented to us as gift.